iA solo show by Otobong Nkanga, one of KANAL's ten opening exhibitions.
معاينة: كُتبت قبل افتتاح المعرض
In Hall 2 stand wooden looms, built for this commission by designer Jan Van den Bossche, with people sitting side by side weaving at them. They are participants trained beforehand, and what they weave becomes the artwork, growing over the months the show runs.
Kanal asked Otobong Nkanga, who lives and works in Antwerp, to turn one of its huge open halls into a place for meeting and making things together. In a building that used to be a Citroën garage, the looms are her way of asking about labour, the economy and what a museum is for. You walk in among the weavers rather than past finished pieces on a wall.
It is free, with no ticket or registration, and sits in the public part of the building. On opening day, 28 November, a workshop called "Feel like weaving along?" runs from 11:00 to 19:00.
The looms in Hall 2
Look for the wooden looms designed by Jan Van den Bossche, with trained participants weaving side by side.
The growing weave
The cloth on the looms is the artwork itself, and it changes as the weavers keep working through the run.