New Acid © Bassim Magdy
The Moussem Collection project is a long-term trajectory with our partners Mu.ZEE and M HKA.
Together with M HKA, Moussem continues to build on the multifaceted joint project Zonder Titel (Without Title) that was realised in 2007. This resulted, among other things, in the inclusion of work by 6 artists from North Africa in M HKA's permanent collection. Both partners are committed to a far-reaching cooperation around collection building in the coming years. Every year, an artist is supported, followed by an exhibition in the museum. Moussem and M HKA subsequently purchase work in co-ownership.
With Mu.ZEE in Ostend, Moussem focuses on young artists with a link to the MENA region, with extra attention for those who are active in Belgium. A young artist is invited every year as part of the Enter project, to show work in Mu.ZEE. A purchase of her/his work for the permanent collection will then follow.
Basim Magdy’s multi-faceted practice – spanning video, painting, photography and text – brings to light a hallucinogenic and satirical universe, where notions of past, present and future float within the same realm. His depictions of dreamlike scenarios propose alternative realities, often reflecting on the presence of dogma and authoritarianism. With these rather colourful otherworldly situations, Magdy’s body of work mirrors events and advancements in our own world — whether diplomatic, civic, technological or ritualistic. Neither utopian nor dystopian, and somehow occupying a more ambiguous domain, the images tell us about the literal inability of the human psyche to offer new paths into the future, rather repeating the same ideas and mistakes, over and over, in a banal yet violent cycle of action and defeat.
His solo exhibition at M HKA, titled Asleep in Another Dimension, considers human behaviour, in particular of individuals, but also within societies as perceived from the outside looking in. The configuration of works comprises Magdy’s recent film New Acid (2019) as the central component, together with two wall texts and a selection of new and recent paintings which provide extensions to the ideas of the film. Animals depicted in New Acid engage in an abstract dialogue, asking questions, contemplating their existence and human behaviour, as well as more intrinsic questions about the human constructs of racism, nationalism and tradition. These potent forces are central points of attention for Magdy in this exhibition, as we encounter a cast that display characteristics of fragility and disillusion.
Basim Magdy’s exhibition is organised within the framework of IN SITU/Moussem Collection. In this new innovative collaboration, M HKA and MOUSSEM work together on the development of a solo exhibition with an invited artist, supporting them with the production and joint acquisition of new artwork.
The Moussem Collection project is a long-term trajectory with our partners Mu.ZEE and M HKA.
Together with M HKA, Moussem continues to build on the multifaceted joint project Zonder Titel (Without Title) that was realised in 2007. This resulted, among other things, in the inclusion of work by 6 artists from North Africa in M HKA's permanent collection. Both partners are committed to a far-reaching cooperation around collection building in the coming years. Every year, an artist is supported, followed by an exhibition in the museum. Moussem and M HKA subsequently purchase work in co-ownership.
With Mu.ZEE in Ostend, Moussem focuses on young artists with a link to the MENA region, with extra attention for those who are active in Belgium. A young artist is invited every year as part of the Enter project, to show work in Mu.ZEE. A purchase of her/his work for the permanent collection will then follow.
Basim Magdy’s multi-faceted practice – spanning video, painting, photography and text – brings to light a hallucinogenic and satirical universe, where notions of past, present and future float within the same realm. His depictions of dreamlike scenarios propose alternative realities, often reflecting on the presence of dogma and authoritarianism. With these rather colourful otherworldly situations, Magdy’s body of work mirrors events and advancements in our own world — whether diplomatic, civic, technological or ritualistic. Neither utopian nor dystopian, and somehow occupying a more ambiguous domain, the images tell us about the literal inability of the human psyche to offer new paths into the future, rather repeating the same ideas and mistakes, over and over, in a banal yet violent cycle of action and defeat.
His solo exhibition at M HKA, titled Asleep in Another Dimension, considers human behaviour, in particular of individuals, but also within societies as perceived from the outside looking in. The configuration of works comprises Magdy’s recent film New Acid (2019) as the central component, together with two wall texts and a selection of new and recent paintings which provide extensions to the ideas of the film. Animals depicted in New Acid engage in an abstract dialogue, asking questions, contemplating their existence and human behaviour, as well as more intrinsic questions about the human constructs of racism, nationalism and tradition. These potent forces are central points of attention for Magdy in this exhibition, as we encounter a cast that display characteristics of fragility and disillusion.
Basim Magdy’s exhibition is organised within the framework of IN SITU/Moussem Collection. In this new innovative collaboration, M HKA and MOUSSEM work together on the development of a solo exhibition with an invited artist, supporting them with the production and joint acquisition of new artwork.
