Marcel Broodthaers: still from La Pluie (Projet pour un texte) (16 mm film, b/w 1969)In his talk Koen Brams will focus on five recently discovered – and so far unreleased – audiotapes in which Marcel Broodthaers speaks about his art, his poetics and his political ideas. The first set consists of two audiotapes which were made during the congress about art and its cultural context. The congress, initiated by Fernand Spillemaeckers (theoretician, gallerist MTL, Brussels), took place in La Cambre in Brussels in 1973 and featured among others Carl Andre, Hans Haacke, Lawrence Weiner ànd Marcel Broodthaers. The second set of three audiotapes consists of interviews with Marcel Broodthaers, on the occasion of his exhibition in the Palais des Beaux Arts (Brussels, 1974), after having received the Prix Robert Giron. The tapes are of great importance since they allow to further define Broodthaers’ singular artistic position in the international art scene of the seventies.

Koen Brams (°1964, BE) studied psychology at the Catholic University in Leuven (BE). He is director of the Jan van Eyck Academie (Maastricht, NL), and former editor of the Dutch-language journal of art theory, De Witte Raaf. He also edited De Encyclopedie van Fictieve Kunstenaars [The Encyclopedia of Fictive Artists] (Amsterdam, Nijgh & van Ditmar; Frankfurt, Eichhorn Verlag, 2002; Zürich, JRP Ringier, 2010). Together with Dirk Pültau he conducts a research project about Belgian art since 1945, of which the project about Belgian television maker Jef Cornelis forms an integral part (see: http://jefcornelis.janvaneyck.nl/)

Index shows works by Marcel Broodthaers (Belgium, 1924-76) and Karl Larsson (Sweden, born 1977) in an exhibition entitled Parrot. Three works by Broodthaers create an associative context which is commented on by the second artist exhibiting in Parrot, Karl Larsson. In his works Broodthaers are exercising his personal method of playing with an understanding of words and text references. These works are sided by Karl Larsson's interventions in terms of spatial constructions and sculptural objects. An integrated series of lectures puts the light on Marcel Broodthaers activities, both as poet and visual artist.

Coming events:
6 October, 6.30pm
Helena Eriksson, poet, Jonas J Magnusson, editor OEI magazine and Karl Larsson

16 October, 5pm
Lecture by Sabine Folie, director Generali Foundation, Vienna

More detailed information will follow separately and by e-mail.


Index exhibition programme is curated by Mats Stjernstedt and Helena Holmberg.