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".

Guy Rombouts

image: (c) Jürgen Addiers, Courtesy Annie Gentils Gallery
Uplifting Things, 2018
Installation
Paper

For Middle Gate II Guy Rombouts creates a hat alphabet. The folded hats are made of unprinted newspaper – once intended for the Geel newspaper Nieuwsblad van Geel – from the old French standard paper size, a half Colombier. Each hat is folded different; 13 times a fold sharper. Repeating the process in the opposite direction. A letter in the corresponding shape of Rombouts’ ‘Azart’ alphabet is attached to each hat: ‘angular’ for ‘A’, ‘bairnsteel’ for ‘B’ and so on. The hats are presented on the chairs in the church.