[spectre] (fwd) Be[com]ing Dutch, Eindhoven/NL 26 - 28 January 2007

[Andreas Broeckmann]

Van Abbemuseum - Be[com]ing Dutch


VAN ABBEMUSEUM
BILDERDIJKLAAN 10
EINDHOVEN - THE NETHERLANDS
31 [0]40 238 1000
info at vanabbemuseum.nl
<
http://www.vanabbemuseum.nl/gatherings>http://www.vanabbemuseum.nl/gatherings



Be[com]ing Dutch seeks to put our ideas of national identity under 
pressure and to examine and challenge the processes of inclusion and 
exclusion in The Netherlands today. As questions of cultural identity 
and normative 'national' values become ever more of an issue in 
political and cultural debate the concept behind Be[com]ing Dutch is 
to move the agenda of multiculturalism from notions of toleration and 
difference towards building a shared but agonistic democracy on a 
cultural level through the use of one of the few remaining public 
sphere institutions left to us - the museum. It requires wide public 
participation, that is encouraged, prepared and committed to over a 
longer term than a single exhibition.

Be[com]ing Dutch
Be[com]ing Dutch is a two year project developed both inside and 
outside the museum, which consists of debates, reading groups, 
artists’ projects, exhibitions, residencies, and other forms of 
collective participation and production. To begin Be[com]ing Dutch, 
the Van Abbemuseum launches a three day 'Gathering' between the 26 
-28 January. After that the project leads up to an intensive three 
week international Caucus [meeting] in November 2007. The final phase 
will be a large scale exhibition of newly commissioned works in the 
Van Abbemuseum in May 2008.

The Gatherings 26 - 28 January 2007
To begin the project Be[com]ing Dutch we are issuing a call to join 
us in Eindhoven for a three day ‘Gathering’. We invite you to come 
together to listen, debate and discuss with a variety of invited 
artists, thinkers and activists including (a.o.) Babak Afrassiabi, 
Abdellatif Benfaidoul, Bik Van der Pol, Igor Dobrovici, Surasi 
Kusolwong, Sarat Maharaj, Sohelia Najand, Maria Pask, Mario Rizzi, 
Superflex, Nasrin Tabatabai, Abdelaziz Taleb, and Aline Thomassen. 
They will present ideas and models of art practice that challenge and 
critique our various understandings of identity and visibility and 
offer imaginative possibilities for organising ourselves collectively.

For a complete overview of the programme, go to:
<
http://www.vanabbemuseum.nl/gatherings> http://www.vanabbemuseum.nl/gatherings

JOIN US!
Entrance is free. If you would like to participate in any or all of 
the days of The Gatherings, register now on< 
http://www.vanabbemuseum.nl/gatherings> 
http://www.vanabbemuseum.nl/gatherings as space is limited. 
Registration closes on 22 January 2007. Please specify which date[s] 
you will attend. More information on reservation and dinner can be 
found on< http://www.vanabbemuseum.nl/gatherings> 
http://www.vanabbemuseum.nl/gatherings .

Be[com]ing Dutch is being developed by Charles Esche and Annie 
Fletcher and many others in- and outside the Van Abbemuseum. 
Institutional partnerships: BAK [Utrecht], New Museum of Contemporary 
Art [New York], Goldsmiths College [London], Kosmose [Eindhoven], 
Stichting Interart [Arnhem]. The project Be[com]ing Dutch by the Van 
Abbemuseum has been awarded the Development Award for Cultural 
Diversity 2006 by the Mondriaan Foundation