WITH /IN/OUT THE MARGINS

The categorical opposition between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ is typically defined from within the crowd, when those who are part of a given structure, community, movement or era point their fingers at those who reside in the margins. The principle of membership and, contrariwise, the principle of exclusion define the rules of a power game that is played-out at the social, political and cultural levels.Without necessarily referring to the romantic notion of the artist as a marginal figure, there is seemingly a renewed need in the making of contemporary art to step aside and look at things from a distance - or from a different angle- in order to make a strong, artistic statement. This selection of works compiled by Argos-Centre for Art and Media is evidence of the efficiency of such a position when it comes to commenting on contemporary issues such as social marginalisation and unbalanced power relationships in the postcolonial context.

Sarah Vanagt, First Elections, 2006, 14’ 22", Swahili, French and Kinyarwanda spoken.
Ria Pacquée, Inch’Allah, 2005, 18’ 40", English spoken.
Vincent Meessen, N 12°13.062’/W 001°32.619’ Extended, 2005, 08’ 25", sound.
Roy Villevoye, Beginnings, 2005, 18’ 40", Dutch and English spoken.