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".
Philippe Van Snick’s 10 Days – 10 Nights consists of a series of twenty canvases mounted on cardboard. The work represents an early example of how the artist brings together certain fundamental principles in his practice, thereby occupying a key position within his oeuvre. Drawing on the decimal system (0–9), Van Snick creates ten pairs of paintings in this work. Each pair combines a light blue and a black area, referring respectively to day and night. Around these areas, he applies a border in one of the ten colours from his characteristic colour palette: the primary colours red, yellow and blue; the secondary colours orange, green and violet; the non-colours white and black; and the metallic colours gold and silver. Throughout his practice, Philippe Van Snick shows how setting a small number of constraints can give rise to endless variation.