1999

S.M.A.K.: The Opening. In 1999, I was invited by then Director, Jan Hoet, to re-install my sand work Failure, Apology and Redemption (1996), for the opening of the new contemporary art museum, Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst or SMAK in Gent, Belgum.

The Museum owns this work (see 1996) but I thought re-installing exactly as it was originally might be a little boring. I was able to convince Jan Hoet that not only was the work "ephemeral" but it was also "dynamic" in that it could alter slightly each time it was realized in order to reflect current political or social concerns.
While the written text Apology square section is the same, along with the red wedge Redemption, the circular Failure part has a different central element, a two-headed eagle derived from the Serbian national flag replaces the Rwandan motif.

I had tried to get Jan Hoet to allow me to do the sandpainting Trinity, (see 1998) but no luck. I was, however, also able to realize a new, small work related to that work, the impeachment of Bill Clinton and its relationship to the war in Bosnia.

Patrick Baele posts a video of the grand opening of SMAK in 1999:
SMAK Opening
Incredible hors d'oeuvres and a glimpse at an amazing work by the very under-appreciated (in the US) Panamarenko.

(Clicking on the image will enlarge it in a new JavaScript popup window.)

Failure, Apology and Redemption, (1999 Version), 6M circle, 6M square and 6M triangle.
Sand, tinted sand, and gilded wood balls.

Novus Ordo Seclorum, 1999, 1M x 1.5M sand and tinted sand.

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