Exhibition: Narcisse Tordoir – The Pink Spy
M HKA, Antwerpen
13 March 2014 - 25 May 2014
©M HKA
In the exhibition The Pink Spy, artist Narcisse Tordoir (°1954, Mechelen) tells stories in an intuitive and associative way about the existential man in a 'disordered' world, by giving the lead role to 'the Oriental'.
The Pink Spy consisted of five different parts that functioned in juxtaposition with each other. Firstly, there were the new, monumental works by Tordoir himself, inspired by two sets of etchings by Venetian rococo painter Giambattista Tiepolo from the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum, which were also presented in the second part of the exhibition.
In the third part of the exhibition, Tordoir opted for a quirky selection of works from the M HKA collection, focusing on the themes of 'man', 'world' and 'language', with work by, inter alia, Guy Mees, Bernd Lohaus and Ann Veronica Janssens.
In the fourth part, the artist presented paintings from the Barjeel Art Foundation in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates). With this choice, Tordoir underlined work in which the urge became visible to adapt Western models to an authentic Arabic language of image.
For the final part, Tordoir selected a number of works by budding artists with whom he had joined forces at the National Academy in Amsterdam, where the confrontation between very different cultures is encouraged.
In Narcisse Tordoir - Pink Spy, the 'Oriental' had a linking role: he appeared on stage at Tiepolo, appeared in Tordoir's work, acted as the concept of identity in the work of several young artists, but was, above all, author of the works from the Barjeel collection. For Narcisse Tordoir, the ‘Oriental’ was, in his elusive shapes, a metaphor for the artist, philosopher, poet and scientist, people who, along with the migrant, were stigmatised in the political debate today.
Artists: Dia Al Azzawi, Saadi Al Kaabi, Issam Al Said, Walid Al Shami, Mounira Al Solh, Hicham Benohoud, Ahmed Cherkaoui, Vaast Colson, Cel Crabeels, Willem de Rooij, Niels Donckers, Hamid El Kanbouhi, Armen Eloyan, Mounir Fatmi, René Heyvaert, Ann-Veronica Janssens, Ragnar Kjartansson, Bernd Lohaus, Tala Madani, Aditya Mandayam, Guy Mees, Andrei Monastyrski, Hermann Pitz, Ayman Ramadan, Marwan Rechmaoui, Ed Ruscha, Stéphanie Saadé, Walter Swennen, Giambattista Tiepolo, Narcisse Tordoir, Narcisse Tordoir in collaboration with Carla Arocha, Alioune Bâ, James Beckett en Brehima Koné, David Tretiakoff, Alan Uglow, Richard Venlet, Didier Vermeiren and Reindeer Werk.
Media
>campaign image
>installation view 'The Pink Spy', M HKA, 2014
>installation view 'The Pink Spy', M HKA, 2014
>installation view 'The Pink Spy', M HKA, 2014
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WorksShow artists
> Issam Al Said, We Made Every Living Thing of Water, 1962. Painting, oil and mixed media on canvas, 75.5 x 63 cm.
> Saadi Al Kaabi, Untitled, 1962. Painting, oil on board, 60 x 49 cm.
> Guy Mees, Espace Perdu [Lost space], 1964. Sculpture, neon, lace, 124 x 136 x 51 cm.
> Ahmed Cherkaoui, Les Miroirs Rouges, 1965. Painting, oil on jute on board, 23.5 x 28.5 cm.
> Guy Mees, Water te Water [Water to Water], 1970. Video, dvd, 00:03:13.
> Guy Mees, Zonder titel (Trap) [Untitled (Stairs)], 1970. Film, 16mm film, 00:01:00.
> Walid Al Shami, Maryam, 1972. Painting, mixed media on board, 60 x 74 cm.
> Dia Al Azzawi, Untitled, 1973. Painting, mixed media, 48 x 43 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Betoging, 1976. Painting, ink on cotton, 168 x 126 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel , 1977. Painting, latex on canvas, mixed media, 165 x 270 cm.
> Reindeer Werk (Tom Puckey & Dirk Larsen), Performance at the ICC, 1977. Video, dvd, 60 min.
> René Heyvaert, Untitled, 1977-1978. Collage, paper, 34.6 x 24 cm.
> Andrei Monastyrski , The Balloon, 1977. Video, 8 mm film, dvd, mpeg, 00:02:49 min.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Directe actie 2. Rubenshuis, 1979. Photography, super 8 (digitized).
> Narcisse Tordoir, Directe actie 1. Banken, 1979. Video, dvd.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder titel [Untitled], 1983. Painting, acrylic on wood, plaster, 40 x 125 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel , 1985. Mixed Media, acrylic on wood, plaster, 400 x 140 x 5 cm.
> Didier Vermeiren, Untitled, 1985. Sculpture, gypsum, 242 x 43 x 47.5 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel, 1986. Painting, mixed media, 90 x 90 cm.
> Bernd Lohaus, Installatie Paper Art, Dominikanerkerk, Maastricht [Installation Paper Art, Dominican Church, Maastricht], 1987. Installation, paper tape, variable dimensions.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel , 1988. Mixed Media, acrylic on wood, mixed media, 60 x 145 x 60 cm.
> Alan Uglow, Palma, 1988. Painting, oil on linen, 53 x 44 cm.
> Didier Vermeiren, Plâtre 1988, soccle de Musée Rodin, Meudon, supportant Victor Hugo debout, plâtre 1897, 1988. Sculpture, gypsum, 18 x 100 x 140 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Iets, 1991. Mixed Media, mixed media, 50 x 347 x 45 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel , 1993. Mixed Media, mixed media, 73 x 116.5 x 15 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel , 1993. Mixed Media, mixed media, 75 x 116.5 x 20 cm.
> Richard Venlet, Zonder titel [Untitled], 1996. Installation, acrylic paint, 414 x 5 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel, 1997. Mixed Media, mixed media, 194 x 120 x 11 cm.
> Hermann Pitz, Camera, 1997. Sculpture, wood, concrete, 19 x 22 x 8 cm.
> Ann Veronica Janssens, La pluie météorique, 1997. Installation, gravel, variable dimensions.
> Cel Crabeels, Hit and Run, Kopstoot remix, 1998-2005. Video, dvd.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel , 1998. Mixed Media, mixed media, 250 x 210 x 35 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel, 1998. Mixed Media, mixed media, 180 x 130 x 15 cm.
> Carla Arocha, Narcisse Tordoir, Yo-Yo, 2001. Painting, acrylic, silver on wood, 240 x 360 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, L’Africeur de Bogolan (Vêtements), 2004-2005. Installation, bogolan cloth, variable dimensions.
> Bréhima Kone, Narcisse Tordoir, L'Africeur de Bogolan, 2004-2005. Object, bogolan cloth, 237 x 130 cm.
> James Beckett, Narcisse Tordoir, The Absent Present, 2004. Mixed Media, mixed media, 350 x 250 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Bréhima Kone, L’Africeur de Bogolan, 2004. Installation, bogolan, silkscreen, acrylic, variable dimensions.
> Armen Eloyan, Untitled, 2005. Painting, oil on canvas, 220 x 150 cm.
> Mounir Fatmi, Sleep-Al Naim, 2005. Photography, pigment print on baryta, 135.47 x 76.2 cm.
> Walter Swennen, Zij die van hier zijn zijn van hier, 2006. Painting, acryl op doek, 40 x 50 cm.
> David Gheron Tretiakoff, A God Passing, 2007. Video, dvd.
> Tala Madani, Piss Rainbow, 2008. Painting, oil on linen, 250 x 195 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Unor a Otros, 2008. Print, digital print, 140 x 107 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Zonder Titel , 2009. Mixed Media, mixed media, 180 x 140 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Divino-Nono , 2010. Print, digital print, 150 x 120 cm.
> Marwan Rechmaoui, Shabriha 8, 2011. Painting, acrylic, china marker and oil pastel on synthetic burlap, 90 x 120 cm.
> Hamid El Kanbouhi, Amsterdam, 2011. Painting, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 150 cm.
> Willem de Rooij, Farafra, 2012. Installation.
> Stéphanie Saadé, Structure 3 (Suspended Horizon), 2012. Sculpture, mixed media, 170 x 150 x 50 cm.
> Ayman Ramadan, The Situation Is Fluid, 2012. Print, enamel on metal, 35 x 25.5 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, The Pink Spy 5, 2013. Drawing, pastel on paper, mounted on dibond, 340 x 560 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, The Pink Spy, 2013. Drawing, pastel on paper, mounted on dibond, 120 x 150 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, The Pink Spy, 'Bank', 2013. Drawing, pastel on papier, mounted on dibond, 105 x 140 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, The Pink Spy 4, 2013. Drawing, pastel on paper, mounted on dibond, 340 x 425 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, The Pink Spy 3, 2013. Drawing, pastel on paper, mounted on dibond, 500 x 350 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, The Pink Spy 2, 2013. Drawing, pastel on paper, mounted on dibond, 340 x 450 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, The Pink Spy 1, 2013. Drawing, pastel on paper, mounted on dibond, 340 x 480 cm.
> Niels Donckers, Ladeuze, 2013. Photography, lambda print op dibond, 90 x 115 cm.
> Narcisse Tordoir, Narcisse Tordoir - The Pink Spy, 2014. Book, ink, paper, 27.1 x 23.4 cm, 176 p., language : English, Dutch, publisher : Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen & Hannibal Publishing, Veurne, ISBN : 9789491376832.
> Aditya Mandayam, That That Had Had the What What, 2014. Sculpture, palm sugar and mixed nuts, variable dimensions.
> Giambattista Tiepolo, Capricci and Scherzi. Print, 35 etchings.