Image Shelter Zero Killed

Image Shelter Zero Killed was a temporary sanctuary for disused artworks. A platform where artworks that are no longer used or appreciated by their maker could meet a potential adopter.

— Many artists have them laying around; artworks they made a long time ago, artworks they no longer show, artworks they no longer appreciate, artworks who no longer receive admiring looks ... In Image Shelter Zero Killed, these works of art got a new chance to be looked at, to be taken care of, to be loved, to find a home.

Artists could submit their abandoned works via an open call. At the exhibition there were cages in which the works were placed. Visitors were invited to open the cages, hold the works and take a closer look.

All images could be adopted. In this case, the visitor was invited to the desk of Image Shelter Zero Killed, where all information about the work could be consulted. As next, the visitor signed an adoption contract asking to take good care of the work and explaining exactly what this care entails. Upon completion, the visitor went home with the work, a passport of the work, and a signed contract. As the exhibition progressed, the cages became increasingly empty. In this way the remaining works elicited additional compassion through their loneliness.

In total, more than 100 artworks received a new home through Image Shelter Zero Killed.

Image Shelter Zero Killed was born out of;

— A fascination for exploring ways of presenting. Artworks that have nothing to do with each other are placed together in a cage, similar to animals in an animal shelter. What does this evoke? Do they become more or less alive? How is the relationship between image and viewer? To what extent does communication shift between the two? Is the image still taken seriously?

— A love for the artwork in the domestic environment. The work of art that - occasionally - by accident - catches your eye when you’re lying on the couch, when you’re doing the dishes, when you’re looking for your shoes and have to leave for work urgently,... A spontaneous viewing. A signification that grows with the inhabitant of the house and shifts and changes over the years.

— An animistic view of the artwork. A compassion for all the ‘lost' images; the images that no longer catch a glance - only dust - sparked the childlike desire to give all those artworks a warm and loving home.

Shown at

On (Déca)/de/ans/ce (BE, 2019)

20 years of S.M.A.K. (BE, 2019)

Etcetera (BE, 2019)