Chapter 5IVE
“Can you be urban and rural at the same time?
Was the countryside ever romantic?
Was mankind once better?
Why did we embrace the Market Economy at the exact moment that science knew Climate change was upon us?
Does A.I. offer help?
When did we cease to meander?
Is it too late?
Where did the cows go?”
Samir Bantal / Rem Koolhaas
The extensive study ‘Countryside’ by our Guests Samir Bantal & Rem Koolhaas is the starting point of Chapter 5IVE. This study, started in 2012, delves into contemporary rural developments all across the globe. According to architects Samir and Rem, cities have long ceased to be the locus of major transformations in our lifestyles, instead, these changes are happening in the areas outside of cities. The works in this exhibition make us aware of these paradoxes and creates space for a critical and reflective view on our relation to rural life and nature, now and in the future.
These observations from Bantal and Koolhaas do not exist in a vacuum, rather they are part of a larger paradigm shift, characterized by an increasing awareness that humanity will have to forge a different relationship with its (natural) environment if it wants to survive on this planet.
The notion that we can exert complete control over our environment – characteristic of western capitalist thinking – is increasingly making way for the realisation that we must (re)discover a balanced relationship with nature and that a radical system change is needed to safeguard our future.
Chapter 5IVE gives space for artists who make us aware of the disastrous consequences of a western capitalist lifestyle, while at the same time exploring how we might relate to the greatest challenge of our times. The works in this exhibition make us aware of these paradoxes and give space for a critical reflection on our relation with rural life and nature, now and in the future.
Quote Samir Bantal:
“Globalisation’s initially glamorous image seems to be rapidly losing its shine in various parts of the world. Increasingly, mechanisms of the modern city seem to make life more uniform and upset our balance with nature. To enable sustainable life on earth, we must look to the countryside. The countryside is situated on the frontline in our battle against climate change, our fight for food security and an inclusive balance with nature. In the exhibition, curator Rieke Vos displays various works that look critically at our relationship with the countryside and nature, now and in the future.”
Participating artists: Ian Cheng, Jasper Coppes, De Onkruidenier, Agnes Denes, Cathy van Eck, Futurefarmers, Christian Jankowski, Suzanne Husky, Gerard Ortín Castellví, Musasa & Maarten Vanden Eynde, Rembrandt van Rijn, Agnes Waruguru
Chapter 5IVE starts May 7 and continues until September 25. This Chapter is curated by: Rieke Vos
Chapter 5IVE: Samir Bantal & Rem Koolhaas is supported by: Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie, Mondriaan Fund, Fonds 21 and Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds.