Expo New Melancholy – Van Abbemuseum x Lidewij Edelkoort x Kazerne

The pandemic has made it clear that social injustice, racial divisions and ecological evils are increasing, with possible consequences such as civil war and economic crisis.

The feeling of emptiness is nourished by the social distance and digital communication, the grief of farewells of parents who are dying alone and students who have to take exams in isolation. The joy of being together and the discomfort of confinement alternate in a game of cat and mouse. There is love and grief, there is loneliness and togetherness, people are sad and witty.

These complementary emotions will lead to a feeling of melancholy that will influence our culture near future, with sometimes even sentimental manifestations. We search for the right word, the flawless note, the perfect dance step and the best bread to express the poetry of the ordinary.

The double exhibition in Kazerne and Van Abbemuseum will show desolate work from my own and the museum’s collections, that on both locations express a feeling of melancholy, a melancholy carried by humour and distance to the subject.

– Lidewij Edelkoort