Middle Gate

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    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".

    Maryam Najd

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    ©Collectie M HKA, Antwerpen, Schenking Vrienden van het M HKA, 2016
    I was raised to be covered III, 2014
    Maryam Najd
    Leaflet , 150 x 110cm
    oil on canvas

    Maryam Najd flips norms and values upside down. Does the presence of a veil disrupt the sexuality of an elegant woman's body? Shedding it does not lead to balance; the eroticism is tensed by a covering up that borders on the aggressive. It seems to be an exercise between virtue and sin. The work's title completes this sense of ambiguity − it does so with incredible subtlety.

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