Michel François

Online: Interview on reinstalling Résidence Terrestre

Résidence Terrestre, a work by Belgian artist Michel François, occupies the spotlight at the back of the Middelheim Museum's collection pavilion. When it was purchased in 1997, it was put briefly on display in the Braem pavilion and then disappeared in storage. Now it is shown to the public again for the first time in 22 years.

Presenting Résidence Terrestre entails far more than unpacking, to wit re-installation, conservation and updating, whereby museum staff, conservators, the artist and visitors as well, have a role to play. You can see how the artist goes about and hear his explanations in a film produced specially for this presentation.


Changing presentations in the collection pavilion

At the back of the pavilion there is room to focus in depth on a single artwork and to examine it from different angles. Among other things, it is possible to show additional documentation and artistic context, relating it to other works of art. These may be works from the museum’s own collection, but works of art from other museums or collectors may also be presented there temporarily. The aim is to discover, together with the public, how works of art collect additional meanings and sometimes evolve physically.

Artists: Michel François

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