The exhibition project Middle Gate II – The Story of Dymphna is a collaboration between M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp) and the cultural centre de Werft in Geel. Middle Gate II is the follow up to the exhibition Middle Gate, curated by Jan Hoet in Geel in 2013. The exhibition concept is closely tied to the legend of the holy Dymphna, saint of the possessed, the mentally ill and patroness against epilepsy and insanity. The legend of Dymphna shares a strong connection to the identity of Geel, "the charitable city".

Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven / AMVK

(c)image: AMVK
Belgisch Spleen: Et Dieu créa la femme, 1992
Mixed Media , 18.5 x 37.5 x 2.5 cm
silkscreen on two layers of Plexiglas with magnetic back

(Belgian Spleen: And God Created Woman)

"In 1992, I collected all the ideas and reflections that I wrote down from 1974 up till then in a Brepols bookkeeping agenda for income and expenditure. I classified all the notes per day in the month, to find out whether the occurrence of certain spontaneous thoughts is subject to the specific moments in a year. I hoped to discover an evolution or system in the seemingly chaotic storm of thoughts and inspiration. The overwriting and listing inspired me to work on a series of works about the struggle between concept, language and image."

− AMVK