We all have an idea of what a museum of contemporary art should be. The founders of Mudam Luxembourg, for example, envisioned a museum that would encompass various areas of contemporary creation such as art, design and architecture. Today, some see the Mudam as an exhibition space for modern art, while others see it more as a showcase for Luxembourgish artistic creation. Still others see it as a space for communality, openness, events of all kinds or experimental practices.
Essentially, the role of the museum is to collect, examine and, if necessary, revise narratives about works of art, artists, eras and places. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) defines the museum as a "non-profit, permanent institution at the service of society that researches, collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Publicly accessible, barrier-free and inclusive, museums promote diversity and sustainability. They work and communicate with communities in an ethical, professional and participatory way. Museums enable diverse experiences in terms of education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge exchange."
Finnegan Shannon, Do you want us here or not? (Mudam), 2023, text on the bench (LUX): Ech si midd. Rou dech hei aus wann s du averstane bass.stainless steel, lacquered, 89 × 184 × 66.5 cm
The exhibition A Model deals with the role of the museum at the beginning of the 21st century. It understands the institution as a lively and sensitive place that is open to contemporary debates. It explores the possibilities that arise when museum collections are understood as active and performative environments. The artists in A Model have been invited to conceive new works or enter into a dialog with selected works from the collection. In addition, A Model invites visitors to discuss their ideas for the museum with the Mudam team.
The exhibition is inspired, among other things, by Palle Nielsen's project The Model - A Model for a Qualitative Society. First shown at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1968, the Danish artist and activist's installation in the form of an adventure playground inside the museum that was freely accessible to children was intended to help open up the institution to the outside world.
Artists
Alvar Aalto, Sophia Al-Maria, James Richmond Barthé, Nina Beier and Bob Kil, Tomaso Binga, Anna Boghiguian, Andrea Bowers, Matilde Cerruti Quara, Ali Cherri, Tony Cokes, Nayla Dabaji, Jason Dodge, Claire Fontaine, Matthew Angelo Harrison, General Idea, María Jerez and Edurne Rubio, Isaac Julien, Marysia Lewandowska, Hanne Lippard, Renzo Martens, Melvin Moti, Oscar Murillo, Palle Nielsen, Khandakar Ohida, Daniela Ortiz, Walid Raad, Finnegan Shannon, Krista Belle Stewart, SUPERFLEX, Rayyane Tabet, Su-Mei Tse, Nora Turato, Dardan Zhegrova, and others.
The exhibition A Model is the second chapter of a three-part project that will take place from December 1, 2023 to September 8, 2024. It follows A Model: Prelude - Rayyane Tabet. Trilogy and will be followed by A Model: Epilogue - Jason Dodge. Tomorrow, I walked to a dark black star will conclude it.
February 9 to September 8, 2024
www.mudam.com
