In the context of the exhibition Magical Realism: Imagining Natural Dis/order, WIELS invites participating artists to take part in a conversation that begins with an object of their choice — something personally meaningful that resonates with the themes of the exhibition.
"I'm beginning to understand why they wanted us to be in conversation." — Elizabeth Povinelli
In the first part of a series of conversations, Bianca Baldi and Elizabeth Povinelli explore how the natural materials from which their objects are made — gum and wood — carry not only physical qualities, but also historical, social and political significance. Their exchange touches on colonial traces, ecological extraction and the ways in which matter can embody memory and myth.
In the second part, Ade Darmawan and Jota Mombaça reflect on art as a space to embrace the uncontrollable — where material and memory are deeply intertwined. Their thoughtful conversation reveals the complex connections between migration histories, ritual meanings, and centuries of knowledge.
"The artworks are part of a journey or path that leads to something else: what we are really trying to do — which is to reconnect with those histories. Those things do not end or begin in the museum space, which is the space that's supposed to hold us." — Jota Mombaça
The exhibition Magical Realism is on view at WIELS until September 28, 2025.
Camera & editing: Simon Cools Fierlafijn
