Middle Gate

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".

Sergey Bratkov / Сергій Братков

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Fayur - Soyuz, 2002

Sergey Bratkov / Сергій Братков

Photography , 5 x ( 90 x 60 cm)

The title of the series *Fayur-Soyuz* refers to a company based in the tiny Caucasion region of Ossetia known for producing Russia’s cheapest brand of vodka, and the work was conceived in parallel with an actual advertising campaign for the company: in Bratkov’s parodic take on the genre, local vodka distributors pose inside a storage room alongside the campaign’s leading lady, the former clad in military outfits, the latter sporting a glamorous red dress. This series is a good example of Bratkov's suspicion towards clichés and tropes, which are used to manipulate an audience; in this case, the propaganda-like language of advertising and mass media.

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