K9

The IKOB is pleased to announce Roman Selim Khereddine’s first museum exhibition. This presentation also marks his first institutional solo exhibition outside of Switzerland and is the result of an intensive process in which the artist uses the museum’s own collection as the starting point for his work.

For Khereddine, who earned a master’s degree in history before studying art, historical contexts are central. In the case of the IKOB, this means reflecting on the history of Eupen—shaped by shifting borders and changing affiliations—as well as the museum’s own history. Since its founding in 1993 as the International Art Center of East Belgium, the IKOB has supported and helped shape a distinct East Belgian art scene like no other institution. It was precisely these artists and their works that Khereddine sought out in the collection.

This marks Khereddine’s first time taking on the role of curator for a museum collection. He has deliberately selected works from the collection—including pieces by Henrike Naumann, André Butzer, Irmel Kamp, Sophie Nys, and Francis Feidler—to create his own “field.” This curated ensemble of historical positions and contemporary references forms the framework within which Khereddine’s own site-specific video works unfold. Here, the collection functions not merely as a backdrop, but as a mirror of the institution’s and the site’s history, into which the new production is embedded.

Particular emphasis is placed on the spatial staging of these dialogues: The IKOB is transformed into a scenographic landscape in which the curated collection pieces and Khereddine’s videos intertwine. Thus, within the cross-border context of the IKOB, a space emerges that reexamines questions of identity, memory, and cultural attribution.

We thank Pro Helvetia for its generous support of this exhibition.