< Program overview

What do we add to the world and what happens to it when we are no longer there ourselves? In their art practice, Irene de Boer and Marina Sulima question how we treat the earth, what we leave behind with it. Because humans may be transient, but the chemicals we produce are far from that.
 
What minerals are being mined today to create the conditions to grow a simple tomato? And why is there Potassium in a sports drink? De Boer and Sulima share these kinds of questions with us by translating them into art: large installations, sculptures and films that often incorporate recognizable materials such as industrial machines or everyday objects. In addition, both artists are fascinated by recipes for making things grow: from how to 'grow' crystals yourself to how to make a fermented tomato. The works of art they create provide a unique insight into the world damaged by globalization. A world in which, according to them, man-made objects and materials are fossil spirits, artifacts of our time that carry stories with them.

The name Symbiosis Series is derived from the phenomenon of symbiosis : the prolonged and harmonious coexistence of two or more organisms of different species, whereby coexistence in itself is beneficial or even necessary. This exhibition format provides two artists with space, resources and support to experiment and create new work. Participating artists are encouraged to interact with one another in various ways, similar to the natural process of symbiosis. During this interaction exchange and collaboration are possible, while (re)shaping the individual practice. Sometimes the selected artists’ work differ in medium or conceptual positions, resulting in an exhibition based on a visual dialogue. Other times their practices are more aligned, making the exhibition itself a single entity.

The artists are free to experiment, explore and break up their modus operandi. It is a collaborative process where artists previously unknown to each other exchange visions, working methods and vim and vigor.