Uitnodiging/Invitation: THE HISK AFFAIR. Vernissage 24/06/2021 18:00 > 22:00, Gosset site, Brussels

 

Although art fairs and postgraduate shows may seem quite different at first, they do have much in common. Degree shows have become the picking grounds for gallerists and curators eager to spot new, young talent. In contrast, however, over the past few decades, several art fairs have abandoned an overtly commercial model and gradually adopted a curatorial format. So why not combine the best of both worlds and use the scenography of the art fair – with its booths of various sizes, colored carpets, screening room, performance stage and champagne bar – as a conceptual backbone for a midterm exhibition that brings together the work of 23 current candidate-laureates of the HISK? While Art Brussels, the second oldest contemporary art fair in Europe, had to cancel two of its subsequent editions due to the pandemic, we propose to fill this void with a mini-fair in the Gosset building, the Brussels exhibition space of the HISK at a stone’s throw from the Tour & Taxis site where the fair traditionally takes place.