POPPOSITIONS art fair — Bruxelles — Capital of Woke — Fair — Slash Paris

Past: April 25 → 28, 2019

Founded in 2012 by Liv Vaisberg, Edouard Meier and Pieter Vermeulen, POPPOSITIONS presents its 8th edition, Capital of Woke, which takes place from 25 to 28 April 2019 during Art Brussels Week, under the direction of Rachelle Dufour and the artistic direction of Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk.

For the third year in a row, Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk, curator and writer at The Office for Curating (NL), has been artistic director and for this edition, has devised the framework Capital of Woke towards which participants had to make a proposal.

The following international selection committee has signalled the most relevant proposals stemming from 26 international galleries, artists’ initiatives, project spaces and non-profits supporting emerging artists, from Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, the UK and the USA. Those proposals will result in 26 solo shows assembled into one single exhibition.
POPPOSITIONS changes its location every year. This year’s edition will take place in Le Centre Tour à Plomb-Hageltoren, in the Anneessens district in the heart of Brussels. A former gun powder factory, this year’s venue forms an important part of Belgium’s cultural heritage. POPPOSITIONS invited artist and scenographer Mathias Prenen will conceive the scenography, and the art fair has also launched a new graphic identity designed by artist and developer Christelle Bonnet.

POPPOSITIONS has increased its visibility and attendance every year and this year promises to be no exception, as it has become a hotspot for key art collectors, curators and art aficionado’s from all over the world.

ABOUT POPPOSITIONS

Conceived as an experiment with the art fair format, POPPOSITIONS aims to trigger experimental and innovative approaches to the art market, while promoting acquisition. More than an art fair, it takes the shape of a curated exhibition and an ongoing critical dialogue. Considering the difficulties emerging galleries and art organisations are encountering, POPPOSITIONS constantly adapts its business model; with its low participation fee, it offers an effective answer to the current art market climate.

ABOUT THIS EDITION’S FRAMEWORK

POPPOSITIONS strongly believes in a collaborative approach and works together with initiatives that grapple with the complexity of our current social and political climate.
The 8th edition of POPPOSITIONS will revolve around the term ‘woke’ and how its mainstream popularity intersects with corporate and capitalist structures. The idea of being ‘woke’ is related to raising social awareness around topics such as feminism, queer identity, gender, race, migration and post-colonialism. It includes taking actions in response to dominant paradigms, acknowledging one’s privileges and giving space to social bodies that have been silenced, unacknowledged and underrepresented.
Feminist slogans such as “The future is female,” “Don’t underestimate the power of a woman”, and “We should all be feminists”, for example, have increasingly permeated the public realm through global fashion companies ranging from Topshop, Asos, Monki and Dior, the latter advocating this motto on a €620 t-shirt. These seem to evoke a statement by philosopher Rosi Braidotti: “We have feminism without women as political agency, racism without races, ecology without nature.”
With its forthcoming edition, POPPOSITIONS invites us to think collectively about what forms of response and resistance can be formulated when ideologies have become trendy and ‘woke-washing’ brands cash in on social justice.

*SELECTION COMMITTEE

Diana Campbell Betancourt, artistic director at Samdani Art Foundation (BD) and chief curator at Dhaka Art Summit (BD)
Jessica Gysel, founder of Girls Heart Brussels (BE) and editor at Girls Like Us (BE/NL)
Hana Miletić, artist (BE/HR)
Christophe Veys, owner of Collection Veys-Verhaevert (BE)
Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk, curator and writer at The Office for Curating (NL) and artistic director of POPPOSITIONS (BE)

PARTICIPANTS

1646 (NL)
Artist-run space
Tamy Ben-Tor (IL)
https://www.1646.nl/

Archiraar Gallery (BE)
Gallery
Camille Leherpeur (FR)
https://www.archiraar.com/

Billytown (NL)
Artist-run gallery
Artist to be determined
www.billytown.org/

Broodthaers Society of America (US)
Artist-run space
Alice Sparkly Kat
http://www.broodthaers.us/

Diamètre (FR)
Curatorial collective
Nefeli Papadimouli (GR)
http://diametre.org/

DMW Art Space (BE)
Project space
Dries Segers (BE)
www.dmw-artspace.be/ 

Drop City (BE)
Project space
Jani Ruscica (FI)
https://drop-city.net/

ESPAI TACTEL (ES)
Gallery
Luis Úrculo (ES)
https://www.espaitactel.com/

etHALL (ES)
Gallery
Sinéad Spelman (IE)
http://www.ethall.net/

feeelings (BE)
artist-run boutique
Clara Pacotte & Richard John Jones along with a group presentation of the boutique
http://www.feeelingsfeelings.com/

HORIZONT (HU)
Gallery
Julia Gryboś (PL) & Barbora Zentková (SK)
http://www.horizontgaleria.hu/en/

JOEY RAMONE (NL)
Gallery
Roi Alter (IL)
https://www.joeyramone.nl/

L.E.M.O.W. Editions & Multiples (FR)
Gallery
Solanne Bernard (FR)
https://www.lemow.com/

Lily Robert (FR)
Gallery
Margaret Haines (FR)
https://www.lilyrobert.com/

MAMA (NL)
Project space
Caetano (BR)
https://thisismama.nl/

Manoevre Kunstenplek vzw (BE)
Artist-run space
Grace Ndiritu (KE/UK)
http://www.manœuvre.org/

Onomatopee Projects (NL)
Gallery and bookshop
https://www.onomatopee.net/

Pierre Poumet (FR)
Gallery
Alice Hauret-Labarthe (FR)
https://www.pierrepoumet.com/

Salón ACME (MX)
Artist-run space
Marco Esparza (MX)
http://salonacme.com/

SUPERDEALS (BE)
Artist residency & gallery
Ecole Mondiale — artistic project by Filip Van Dingenen & Ive Van Bostraeten (BE)
http://superdealsbrussels.org/

Syndicate (US)
Gallery
Cole Lu (TW)
http://syndkt.com/

The fridge (BG)
Non-profit organisation
Voin de Voin (BG)
https://the—fridge.blogspot.com/

The Self Luminous Society (nomadic)
Non-profit artist-run initiative
Bernice Nauta (NL) with David Bernstein (US) and Juan Pablo Plazas (CO). 

VITRINE (UK/CH)
Gallery
Jamie Fitzpatrick (UK)
http://www.vitrinegallery.com/

Vleeshal (NL)
Center for Contemporary Art
Alexandra Phillips (US)
https://www.vleeshal.nl/

wildpalms (DE)
Gallery
Mauricio Limon (MX)
http://wild-palms.com/

PUBLIC PROGRAMME

POPPOSITIONS aims at stimulating discussions and encouraging dialogue between visitors, exhibitors and other stakeholders by extending its exhibition programme to a curated selection of events on-site, such as performances, artist talks, conferences, concerts and round tables, as well as a bookshop, a café and restaurants. The Public Programme is curated by Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk, in collaboration with RoSa. It will be announced shortly.