21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
2020
September 19, 2020–February 28, 2021
Double Silence brings together the work of artists Michaël Borremans and Mark Manders for the first time at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa.
Following European art’s tradition of exploring universal human values, Michaël Borremans and Mark Manders work reflects on our contemporary era of globalization. The paintings of Borremans, who mines Baroque traditions to portray the dark recesses of the human soul, and the sculptures of Manders, with their striking pieces of bodies—created in accordance with the artist’s concept of “self-portrait as a building”—both delve deeply into complex psychological states and relationships.
In Double Silence, Borremans and Manders invite viewers into a space and time in which the artists themselves engage in dialogue through their work. The word “double,” meaning twice as much, twofold, but also two together, different aspects (e.g., “dual personality”), and the formation of a pair, organizes their artistic exchange.