C
Chambres d’amis:
Chambres d’Amis was an historical
exhibition conceived by curator Jan
Hoet with SMAK (Ghent) in 1986. He
invited artists (such as Boltanski,
Kosuth, Thek, Buren, Weiner, Graham…) to show their works in 58
houses or apartments in the streets
of Genth. It is still the most inspiring
exhibition in domestic context.
“Intriguingly titled
‘Chambres d’Amis’
–-‘guest rooms’,” or, literally, ‘friends’ rooms’-–
the show places art in
58 houses belonging to
everyday townspeople,
carrying the work outside the separate universe, the total institution, of the museum, to
bring it within the private zone of the private
home, an asocial place
insofar as it is removed
from the public arena.
His [Hoet’s] project
takes the exhibition
structure off its hinges,
goes beyond the limits
of the frame and spills
over, whole, into an
interior. Art here no
longer offers a mirror
or a window, nor constitutes the privileged
sign of a choice, but is
an actual, provocative
presence, confirming
its difference both from
the museum space,
which has lost its sanctity, and from the contextual frame in which
the object serves as a
fetish.”