Very soon, VRT MAX will gain an rather artistic 'Aanwinst'

From 23 February, in the eponymous documentary series 'Aanwinst', we follow seven contemporary artists whose work was recently added to the Flemish Community's art collection. Following the series, an exhibition will open in C-Mine Genk from 24 February to 26 May, where you can admire the works of art from the series in real life.

The seven-part 'Aanwinst' series takes a fascinating look at seven contemporary artists: Leyla Aydoslu, Denicolai & Provoost, Maika Garnica, Frederik Lizen, Karl Philips, Laura Nsengiyumva and Thomas Verstraeten. They all have one thing in common: work by them has recently become part of the Flemish Community's collection. This documentary series shines a unique light on the artists themselves and everything that inspires them.

Every year, the Flemish Community invests in a lot of art acquisitions, but only a fraction of them are ever exhibited. Most of it ends up in museum depots behind closed doors. And in terms of technical infrastructure, they are the perfect place to store art. But there is one important thing missing: the public. In each episode of 'Aanwinst', a different artist experiences a personal reunion with their artwork in one of the depots. As a result, we also get an exceptional glimpse of the 'backstage' in various Flemish museums such as MUHKA, SMAK, Mu.ZEE, M Leuven and Middelheim Museum. There, the artists reveal their own deeper connection to the works and how the purchase by the Flemish Community influenced their careers.

The artists from 'Aanwinst' do not limit themselves to one medium: they break the boundaries between different art disciplines. From an impressive recording during a performance with 300 volunteers to a melted statue, cakes commemorating historical events or a sculpture to be carried by at least ten people. The huge variety of artworks in the museum's repositories, naturally gives the docu-series a distinct added value.

'Aanwinst' offers a rare insight into the artists' lives, revealing their sources of inspiration, new projects and creative processes. At the same time, the series also highlights various artistic media such as painting, sculpture, installation art, video and performance. Thus, 'Aanwinst' immediately portrays the versatility of the contemporary art scene in Flanders and the people behind the artworks finally step forward.

Exhibition Aanwinst in C-Mine
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Parallel to the launch of the series, an exhibition will be organised in C-Mine Genk where you can view the artworks from 'Aanwinst'. In addition, to highlight some of the strengths and themes within the collection, each artist from the series will select their favourite work by another artist from the Flemish Community's collection. The artists in 'Aanwinst' chose works by Pelagie Gbaguidi, Jacqueline Mesmaeker, Francis Alÿs, Kasper De Vos, Liliane Vertessen, Pascale Marthine Tayou and Adrien Tirtiaux. The result is a fascinating and unique exposition that forges additional overarching links between artists, across all the different museum depots and art disciplines.

Everyone's art collection
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Ralph Collier, scriptwriter of 'Aanwinst, combined his experience as an artist and curator for this series. He thought it was a shame that many artworks ended up in museum depots after purchase and rarely reached a wide audience again, and wanted to change that with 'Aanwinst'. Together with director Robin Stevens, they very consciously strive to not only show the artworks themselves, but also tell the stories behind them. With the ultimate goal of bringing art and artists closer to the public, and highlighting the value of these works to all of us.

Aanwinst: on VRT MAX from the 23th of February
Or visit the exposition in C-Mine Genk from the 24th of February.

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'Aanwinst' is a production by Borgerhoff & Lamberigts in co-production with VRT Canvas.
This project came about with the support of VAF/Innovatielab, Sabam for culture and the Belgian federal government's tax shelter measure through Flanders Tax Shelter.