De Appel Curatorial Programme Navigates Crisis After Director's Dismissal
In August 2015, the de Appel arts centre in Amsterdam encountered turmoil when Lorenzo Benedetti was removed from his position as director during the 2015-2016 Curatorial Programme. This action sparked considerable backing for Benedetti within the Dutch art community, prompting open letters and calls for the board to resign. Following this, all official tutors stepped down, leaving participants Jussi Koitela, Renée Mboya, Asep Topan, Laura Amann, Kateryna Filyuk, and Alessandra Troncone to partake in public discussions with curators. The programme featured trips to various biennials and memorable events, including breakfast with Tino Sehgal. The concluding exhibition, "Untitled (two takes on crisis)," presented works by several artists alongside a series of performances and workshops.
Key facts
- Lorenzo Benedetti was dismissed as director of de Appel arts centre in August 2015 without explanation.
- All official tutors of the Curatorial Programme resigned in protest.
- The 2015-2016 cohort included Jussi Koitela, Renée Mboya, Asep Topan, Laura Amann, Kateryna Filyuk, and Alessandra Troncone.
- Participants initiated a public debate series called Encounters.
- The programme included trips to Istanbul, Lyon, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Copenhagen, and Arles.
- The final exhibition was titled 'Untitled (two takes on crisis)' with two sub-projects.
- 'Rien ne va plus? Faites vos jeux!' featured eleven artists including Danilo Correale and Adelita Husni-Bey.
- The programme concluded with visits to Documenta in Kassel and Manifesta.
Entities
Artists
- Lorenzo Benedetti
- Charles Esche
- Chus Martinez
- Ann Demeester
- Hendrik Folkerts
- Maria Hlavajova
- Tino Sehgal
- Christian Jankowski
- Pedro Reyes
- Tania Candiani
- Yoshua Okon
- Minerva Cuevas
- Joaquin Segura
- Martin Soto Climent
- Arturo Hernández Alcázar
- Daniel Guilar Ruvalcaba
- Sandra Sánchez
- Jussi Koitela
- Renée Mboya
- Asep Topan
- Laura Amann
- Kateryna Filyuk
- Alessandra Troncone
- Danilo Correale
- Adelita Husni-Bey
- Adrian Melis
- Artun Alaska Arasli
- Brendan Anton Jacks
- Yang-Hae Chang Heavy Industries
- Adrien Tirtiaux
- Arseny Zhilyaev
- Oto Hudec
- Gluklya
- Antonio Picascia
Institutions
- de Appel arts centre
- Rijksakademie
- de Ateliers
- Louisiana Museum
- Luma Foundation
- Bard College
- Saint-Martin
- Le Magasin
- Biquini Wax
- LULU
- Documenta
- Manifesta
- Artribune
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- Lyon
- France
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- Guadalajara
- Coyoacán
- Copenhagen
- Denmark
- Arles
- Kassel
- Germany
- New York
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Grenoble