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".

MIGRATIE | MIGRATION

© Babi Badalov. Photo: M HKA
I am Euromental, 2015
Installation , variable dimensions
27 sheets, ink on cotton

Babi Badalov’s I am Euromental is an installation of works in ink on textile that is dedicated to linguistic explorations and associations. Badalov’s word games and text images transcend the normative language system. Writing becomes a form of drawing. Sound and pronunciation cause a shift in meaning. However, it is not about this game in itself. Badalov uses his visual poetry to address broader political and social issues, such as nationalism, cultural integration, consumption, gender equality and globalisation. The nomadic life of an artist (or traveller, migrant, refugee) does not only cause him or her the struggle of an adaptation period of cultural integration but can primarily turn him or her into a prisoner of language. Thereby, the artist covers current geopolitical topics that echo his personal experiences as a person from a minority group in his own country of origin.
In the current context of Ukraine, millions of IDPs from Ukraine have faced the integration problems that Badalov touches upon in his work. They have become even more relevant, given the history and unique geographical position of Ukraine.