The Essence of Home Exhibition
The English language alone has many idioms about home, most of which express a sense of belonging or safety: “There’s no place like home,” “be home and dry,” “a man’s home is his castle” etc. Once, I spotted a humorous card that’s stuck with me all these years later. “Home is where you fully understand how the shower works.”
For many around the globe “home” is a very transient and abstract idea. Whether by choice, force, or desperate need, millions of people have uprooted their homes, built new ones, longed for old ones, or don’t really have a simple answer for the meaning of home.
The Moon Gallery is a foundation whose very mission challenges the idea of home. We look to a future where “home” doesn’t simply mean our blue planet, but perhaps its satellite and planetary neighbours. How will humans make new homes on these off-planet outposts? How will our habits, cultures and languages evolve without the gravitational anchor of earth, both literal and figurative?
The Essence of Home Residency: Artists at Risk
In 2022, not long after the invasion of Ukraine, we launched a residency program for Ukrainian artists at risk. We asked the three residents (artists: Anna Kakhiani and Katerina Lymar, as well as a curator: Anna Buyvid) to consider the meaning of home at a time of profound upheaval. What makes a home?
In March of 2023, we hosted the final presentation of the artists’ work, which was a culmination of months of research and prototype development of their artworks. Kateryna’s piece toyed with the very base, chemical essence of a tangible and tactile representation of home: concrete. Anna’s piece explored the traces of five mass extinctions.
But this was not the end of the exploration of these questions of home.
The Essence of Home Exhibition
Thanks to generous funding from AFK and the support of ALab in Amsterdam we ventured further. In addition to the works from Anna and Kateryna we invited six other pieces from international artists.
The artists examined notions of belonging, displacement, and the impact of migration on artistic expression and practice.
It explored how these experiences shape artistic language and expression, offering new perspectives on the concept of home away from home through a socio-cultural lens.
The Essence of Home exhibition steers away from the traditional gallery setting, offering a unique perspective on the concept of “home” as a dynamic journey comprised of diverse experiences, encounters, and locations.
The visitor journey begins at the “Rotor Home” — an innovative creation by a multidisciplinary design studio “Avenue & Plume.” This adaptable, tiny habitat platform serves as the initial focal point, strategically positioned at the entrance of ALab’s creative space on Overhoeksplein. There, the visitor would be introduced to the project concept, encounter the three works of art, and be handed a map to guide them through the rest of the experience.
Moving deeper into the exhibition, the setting blends with the creative atmosphere of ALab. Unlike a conventional exhibition, the Essence of Home was stretched throughout several building spaces, creating a meandering narrative for visitors to explore. Each distinct spot was united by a common thematic thread, offering a captivating journey that encouraged visitors to immerse themselves in the multifaceted notion of “home.”
The Essence of Home project culminated with a 90 minute online discussion between diverse artists and artistic practitioners about ideas of home. The lively discussion scrutinised our relationship with language, our human need to possess land, and how sometimes expressions of home don’t reflect political reality.
You can view the discussion here.
For us at the Moon Gallery Foundation it was deeply moving and enlightening to dig deep and finally play with themes and ideas that have sat at the core of our mission since the beginning. We connected with artists and artistic practitioners from all around the world — some whom we have worked with before and others completely new to our project and mission.
We extend our deepest gratitude to all those who participated in the project since its inception. We hope all artists, exhibition visitors and others find their roots across the soils of our blue planet.
