Expected in 2021

Guido van der Werve –
Palpable Futility

May – August 2021

Eye is organizing a ‘mid-career’ exhibition devoted to the work of Dutch artist Guido van der Werve. Over the past fifteen years he has built up a remarkable body of work that explores timeless and universal themes about the human condition. Romance, nature and the sublime are never far away in the universe of Guido van der Werve, who often dryly pokes fun at the beauty and pointlessness of human existence. His wonderful oeuvre reflects both his personal and philosophical approach to grand dreams as well as the banality of the everyday.

The exhibition includes a generous selection of works, with a focus on film and video and on the books that Van der Werve regards as an intrinsic part of his oeuvre. New work is also included. Accompanying the exhibition is an extensive publication, and a film programme will be compiled in collaboration with the artist.

Ivo van Hove & Jan Versweyveld –
All about Theatre about Film

Sep 2021 – Jan 2022

Unexpected connections between cinema and other art forms is a subject of interest at Eye. That is why the museum has invited Ivo van Hove and Jan Versweyveld to compile an exhibition based on the many theatre performances they have made from film scripts. They often draw inspiration from major figures of film, among them Marguerite Duras, Michelangelo Antonioni, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Ingmar Bergman, John Cassavetes, Luchino Visconti and Sidney Lumet. Van Hove did not rewatch their films but reread the scenarios and turned them into stage plays. Together with scenographer Jan Versweyveld, Van Hove now examines the relationship between film and theatre in more depth. With film projections, models, photographs and an array of associative atmospheres, the plays acquire a new dimension in the exhibition space. Eye is also compiling a film programme together with Ivo van Hove and Jan Versweyveld.

Eye Art & Film Prize

Meriem Bennani, Kahlil Joseph (and the 2021 winner)
Winter 2022

This exhibition features work by the last three winners of the Eye Art & Film Prize. All three effortlessly cross the boundary between film and visual art, revealing their commitment to engagement in art. Born in Rabat in 1988, video artist Meriem Bennani is unsurpassed in her ability to translate contemporary issues – and taboos – of gender, identity, migration, biotechnology and religion into a high-tech idiom of augmented reality with inventive 3D animations, installations and environments. Born in Seattle in 1981, the 2020 winner Kahlil Joseph is renowned for his pioneering video clips for musicians like Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, FKA twigs and Beyoncé. Since 2015 he has also become renowned for his large video installations that combine cinema, visual art, fashion and music. His overwhelming work examines the way in which black lives are perceived.

Many exhibitions at Eye explore the intersection of film and visual art. To underline its importance, Eye and the Paddy and Joan Leigh Fermor Arts Fund established in 2015 an annual prize to stimulate new work by an artist filmmaker who is making a significant contribution to this area. The winner of the Eye Art & Film Prize 2021 will be selected in February 2021.