WIELS

Last month I went to Specific Objects without Specific Form, a Felix Gonzalez-Torres retrospective here in Brussels at Wiels, a contemporary art exhibition space, artists' residency and work space. Wiels is an old brewery that brewed its last beer in the 1980s and has been a contemporary art space since 2007. 

 A pic of a pic of the brewery, which hangs in a stairwell. Just to give you an idea of the building, which is a totally inconspicuous art project.  

The exhibition was impressive, but it also had an element of experiment - the exhibition was reinstalled halfway through it's three month viewing. I was only able to view the reinstallation by the artist Danh Vo and not the original Wiel's curated show. I noticed a few pieces were not on view. Perhaps this had something to do with logistics or another show? I was not disappointed by any means, I just can't help but think what I would have, could have seen  had I showed up two weeks earlier.

Walking through the exhibition, I had feelings of loneliness, of mortality and of celebration. It was somber and quiet. One gallery had a time line stenciled in silver close to the ceiling. I like the idea of timelines, especially in relation and reflection of events that have taken place in my life. It's a simple way of looking at the past, yet it was a revelation as I had not thought to look at one life that way. 

There were many works by Felix Gonzalez-Torres that I had not seen before. I have tried to find the titles of the pieces I saw, unfortunately and stupidly, I did not write them down. 

Untitled (Beginning), 1994

Untitled (Perfect Lovers), 1991 

Untitled (Placebo), 1991

The view above:

and below:

Read more about the exhibition, here.

Learn more about Wiels, here.