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".

Middle Gate Geel '13

Privécollectie, image: (c) Luc Vuegen
Wheelchair to cross the stairs in Odessa, 2000
Installation
Rolstoel

Early on in his works, Andreas Slominski started the sculptural possibilities of a trap (Falle, Wasp trap). He sees a large complex structure with many variations, but calls it a metaphor for today’s reception of art. Slominski’s trap are not set up to catch unwanted rodents, but rather to make the viewers conscious of the dangers of perceiving images. Today’s image culture seduces and misleads, and this is also the case for today’s art world. To this day, Slominski uses the concept of traps in most of his installations. His work is filled with a healthy dose of irony, but also playful creativity.  His work Wheelchair to cross the stairs in Odessa depicts a strange obstacle for viewers trying to use the stairs. They are confronted with an object that they do not expect to see there. Slominski tries to get into direct contact with the viewer.