MUDAM Explores Language and Space in 'The Space of Words'

Curated by Christophe Gallois, 'The Space of Words' at MUDAM in Luxembourg (February 19 to May 25, 2009) examines the intersection of language and physical space through works by eleven artists. The exhibition borrows its title from a lecture by Jacques Rancière, which itself referenced Marcel Broodthaers's 'Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard', based on Mallarmé's poem. Gallois organizes the show around two themes: the spatialization of language and the evanescence of meaning, highlighting gestures such as erasure, alteration, memory loss, and transposition from page to exhibition space. The display opens with a striking juxtaposition of Broodthaers's work and Ed Ruscha's 'Trouble your Way if You Insist on Ratting', both obscuring meaning and language. Beyond these historical figures, the exhibition features less established artists, notably Ryan Gander and Aurélien Froment (both born in 1976), whose practices illustrate the possibilities of spatializing language. The resulting dialogues create a fluid, harmonious exhibition that demonstrates how neo-conceptual and post-minimalist approaches can engage in alternative correspondences.