Opening: 4 juni 19:00 uur
In the exhibition 'Tenir dans le déluge' the artists respond to our fast-paced world in which we are constantly overwhelmed. Flooded by an unrelenting stream of information, questions, news, work, worries, and objects. The word 'deluge' carries a duality: it means to overwhelm or inundate with something in both a negative and positive way. Because of its Latin roots, it means particularly an overwhelming amount of water.
The idea of the deluge recurs across many human cultures. In the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh – among the oldest written narratives known – the gods send a great flood to destroy humanity, sparing only Utnapishtim, who builds a boat and preserves life within it. Centuries later, the Genesis flood narrative (Genesis 6–9) tells of Noah, chosen to survive a world cleansed by water, his ark coming to rest on the mountains of Ararat. These stories share more than water: they speak of chaos and destruction, but also of renewal and continuation.
Living in our own deluge, how do we understand and cope with this overwhelming feeling? There is no single answer, just as there is no single way to weather a storm. Some may seek calm, breathing through the anxiety, while others surrender to the flood, facing it without fear. Some search for order, for structure amidst the chaos, finding peace in the rhythmic or cyclical. And others cling to what they can hold, grounding themselves in the tangible.
In this exhibition, the artists explore the theme of deluge through diverse materials and processes, both individually and collectively. Their work invites us to recognize this 'universal experience' of being overwhelmed – and to approach it from a multitude of perspectives. How we navigate the flood may differ, shaped by our backgrounds, upbringings, or cultures. Yet in this diversity, we find a shared understanding: the deluge is not just something that happens to us, but something we all learn to endure and live with.