Spanish artist’s postcards and empty cases explore meaning of exhibiting

His meta approach becomes clear when you enter the room housing the installation “Without Distinction”. Some 35 empty display cases, on loan from various museums, libraries and archives in Belgium, ask questions not only about the act of exhibiting but also about the way visitors see and process what’s there. By explicitly showing only the empty cases in what he calls “a material choreography”, they are no longer neutral.

It’s an ambiguous situation, because through repetition, including displaying a large number of empty frames, they become generic. The same is true for “Anything, Everything”, Vilanova’s biggest in situ installation in Leuven. It’s made from more than 2,800 postcards (pictured), collected through the years at flea markets. The cards depict objects, often from museums, against a coloured background.

Instead of classifying these according to museum standards – like chronologically, geographically or thematically – he focuses on the background colour. So, at a distance, the space appears to be filled with coloured panels, and the objects disappear, swapping roles between background and objects.

“It seems like a magic trick,” says Vilanova, illustrating why At First Sight is the perfect name for this exhibition.

Above all, curator Valerie Verhack likens the poetry in his installations with “found objects”, brought together by coincidence and the intuition of the moment, rather than by a strict goal. “He can never precisely control the final result,” she says, which makes it an engaging experience for both artist and visitors.

Until 5 June, M Museum, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28, Leuven

Photo: Dirk Pauwels