A message from our director
September 25, 2020
The culture of culture can change.
The past few months have influenced many lives. In many families huge losses were felt. Others saw or are seeing their business collapse. In our case this period of silence has lifted a veil that hung lately over our horizon. For over two decades FLATLAND was part of a rather enclosed system in the art world. An ingredient for FLATLAND was missing. That of having and bringing dialogue. As we all are truly as humans hard-wired to connect, relationships and resonant experience are manifest. This time of lockdown has made clear for us that in being in closer contact with the FLATLAND community, the gallery can be more focused, more profound. In this sense FLATLAND is very sensible to keep certain values that are not fluid such as the importance of humility of who we are and what is important in life. FLATLAND therefor hopes to offer a comfortable setting and ample room for life’s simplest pleasures, the dialogue. To continue and refresh the culturally significant role of the dialogue, that nourishes our minds, hearts and eyes.
The current crisis has prompted Director Fiona van Schendel, a former historian who recently stepped up to the position of owner of the gallery, to signal the wealth of the gallery. „FLATLAND has an enormous credibility amongst a very large group of sophisticated clients who are in strong connection with the works of the artists FLATLAND represents. The way forward is the obvious, to accept that if we cannot travel, we go local. In this light FLATLAND shall present its ‚Capsule Presentations’, transcending the expected gallery shows”.
“Capsule Presentations are smaller and more condensed exhibitions, shorter in period, following or partly overlapping the main gallery shows, with different art works presented. Sunday 27th of September we start with ‘uncut material’ from David Verbeek, little films that are implicitly at the base of his oeuvre. Aside our presence on the digital level of Ocula and Artsy, we started to re-publish our bimonthly journal, the FLATLAND journal. The first re-edited copy arrived to everyone’s home in the midst of the first Covid lockdown. We took the opportunity of this silent moment that was there, to give support with our journal that focused on issues as ‘going back better in the future’; matters of sustainable and resilient relations.”