Event

Museum in Motion - Allan Sekula
16 September 2022 - 08 January 2023

M HKA, Antwerp

Allan Sekula

Allan Sekula (1951− 2013) was a visual artist, filmmaker, writer and activist. Deeply rooted in both conceptual and socially engaged art, his practice interwove critical texts and documentary photography into complex structures of meaning. Taking the form of sequential narratives, his work consistently addressed the economic and social consequences of neoliberal ideology and globalisation. During his career, Sekula repeatedly returned to the theme of maritime space, paying particular attention to the issue of working conditions at sea. Having grown up in a port city in the harbour area of Los Angeles, the artist felt a special connection with Antwerp. He was fascinated by local stories of the town of Doel and the Internationaal Zeemanshuis, and these are reflected in some of his projects, including his film The Forgotten Space.

In 2010, M HKA organised his solo exhibition Ship of Fools, conceived in dialogue with the artist’s subsequent invitation to participate in the São Paulo Biennial in Brazil. M HKA also curates the artist’s unique collection of artefacts: The Docker’s Museum, an extensive project that critically rethinks the idea of collecting. Through the stories of minor objects and the idea of motion (the movement of mass over a distance), he connects miners and dockers, nuclear plants and ports in a narrative that reflects on the functioning of the economy and our human world at large.

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About M HKA / Mission Statement

The M HKA is a museum for contemporary art, film and visual culture in its widest sense. It is an open place of encounter for art, artists and the public. The M HKA aspires to play a leading role in Flanders and to extend its international profile by building upon Antwerp's avant-garde tradition. The M HKA bridges the relationship between artistic questions and wider societal issues, between the international and the regional, artists and public, tradition and innovation, reflection and presentation. Central here is the museum's collection with its ongoing acquisitions, as well as related areas of management and research.

About M HKA Ensembles

The M HKA Ensembles represent our first steps towards initiating the public to today's art-related digital landscape. With the help of these new media, our aim is to offer our artworks a better and fuller array of support for their presentation and public understanding.