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Belgian curator Jan Van Woensel presents the exhibition (post-)System: painting and photography on the border of control, which connects artists from the Faculty of Design and Art of Ladislav Sutnar University of West Bohemia in Pilsen with European artists. The exhibition is based on the curator's text, which explores the relationship between the system and the resulting artwork. In an interview, Van Woensel outlines the concept of the exhibition, the selection of artists and the benefits of this international collaboration.

Can you briefly introduce the exhibition (post-)System? What can visitors expect?

On the one hand, the exhibition (post-)System: painting and photography on the boundary of control is based on a text I wrote in March 2000, when I was a Master degree art student about to transition to being a student of Philosophy. The text marked the end of my early-stage artist career, and points out how all artworks always follow a certain system that is controlled by the artist. It steers away from using metaphors to describe art in preference of an austere and prohibiting approach. The image that a painting depicts is not that image; it is a manmade construction created by means of paint. As such, in (post-)System I propose a different way of looking at artworks. In some cases, artists expose their system and an onlooker can identify it while also analyzing the image that the artworks presents. In other cases, the image of the artwork obscures the system of the artwork and a forensic investigation of the artwork is required. On the other hand, (post-)System deals more broadly with systems, control and dysfunctionality as inherent qualities of the system. All systems are limited by their own set of rules. In the current time, political systems – as we knew them – are failing, and we have entered into an anxious stage of unpredictability and vulnerability. We find ourselves in the common space of re-building and re-inventing systems that can provide us with safety, stability and certainty. We can turn to artworks and their systems to find alternative contexts, inspiration and community. The visitors of (post-)System will enter an exhibition that experientially displays both systems and control, which also includes their opposites: dysfunctional systems and chaos. Logically, the exhibition includes moments of calmness and harmony, likeness and consolidation. 

How did you select the exhibiting artists for this exhibition? What criteria did you follow?

The participants of Sutnarka have presented specific projects and artworks out of which I made selection based on relevance, volume and quality of the work. Already last summer when I curated the large-scale exhibition ASPL in Pilsen, the works of Iullia Sysoltseva, Adéla Mitová, Michaela Munzarová and Jaroslav Vančát spoke to me, and partly, they have contributed to the initial concept development of (post-)System. The group of artists that I added to the Sutnarka selection are professional artists from Belgium, Ukraine, The Netherlands and the USA. To put together that group of participants, I tapped into my international and local network and invited specific artists whom I’ve known for a long time, such as my former art professor Hans Segers who in 2000 created a series of paintings that I remember to this day, and that equally have shaped my ideas as a curator and philosopher. Each time, I conducted studio visits to enter in a dialogue about the ideas of the exhibition, to dig deeper into the world of the artist, and to select artworks that support or oppose my curatorial concept.

In your opinion, how is the cooperation between the Czech art school and the Belgian art scene beneficial for both parties?

The Belgian art scene doesn’t know much about the Czech art scene. In this context, the works by artists from Sutnarka that will be presented in (post-)System will serve as an introduction to Czech art, via a professionally curated exhibition. Presenting artists who no one knows needs local connection. Therefore, the group of Belgian artists will draw automatically an audience of art enthusiasts who, in my experience, are eager to learn and exchange ideas with people from a different region. Sutnarka students and teachers who are included in (post-)System, and thus also the school Sutnarka, will receive an international art exhibition in Belgium that will be seen by many. The interest that I receive for my exhibitions from local politicians and culture workers, can serve as an opportunity for future projects and exchanges. Simultaneously, (post-)System isn’t about Czech versus Belgian art, but about presenting a strong international exhibition in Mechelen. The art scene of Mechelen needs local connection. Local artists are often underexposed and feel alienated from the art scene of their own city. With my exhibitions in which I traditionally mix nationalities and cultural backgrounds, I try to build bridges between the local and the international. Presenting Czech artists who are unknown locally serves as an opportunity to offer a shared platform to both emerging and professional artists, and vice versa in the case of the second edition that will take place in Pilsen in July 2025.

What is the difference between the exhibition in Mechelen and the one that will follow in the summer in Pilsen?

The main difference will be in volume. The B7 artspace in Mechelen that I work for is a 17th century building with three floors. The Ladislav Sutnar Gallery is a much smaller space. The challenge will be to present a similar exhibition experience with less artworks. At B7 artspace, I will include more than 140 artworks. This is impossible in Pilsen. During the period of (post-)System in Mechelen, I will make selection of artworks for the Pilsen edition of the project. Some artworks must be included because they are exemplary of the exhibition concept. Simultaneously, I will work with the graphic designers Ondřej Zámiš and Vojtěch Liebl to discuss exhibition scenography solutions that will reflect in the graphic design. While I don’t foresee changes to the concept of the Pilsen edition of (post-)System, I am aware that the project has to have relevance to the local public. There, the non-Czech artists will be introduced for the first time to a Czech audience. Some of the non-Czech artists will attend the exhibition opening in Pilsen which will hopefully contribute to dialogue and exchange of ideas. 

The (post-)System exhibition will be on display at the Ladislav Sutnar Gallery in Pilsen from 10 July to 27 August.