In this research phase, I open myself as a curator to the thought that I do not possess the knowledge of the daily precarious survival mode in which people, even in the streets of Brussels, find themselves. Daily, we exist in a world upheld by invisible labor. These are thousands of hands building houses, stocking shelves, or keeping the streets clean, but doing so in the shadows without appreciation or recognition for a much too low or even no income. As an artist/curator, I strive to develop creative alternatives that reach beyond the dominant systems of control and exclusion we face. This means I establish collaborations with groups and individuals who possess experiential knowledge to critically reconsider our future together.

Beuys stated that every person has the potential for creative expression and that art should not be confined to galleries or museums but should permeate all aspects of life. For Beuys, creativity was a means of social and political transformation. He believed that through creative acts, individuals could awaken their potential for personal and societal change. His belief in the universal ability for creative expression and its transformative potential for both individuals and society together.

With Joseph Beuys’ concept “Everyone is an artist,” I, as a curator, seek out experiential experts who, from their survival mode, are forced to perform labor in the shadows of regulated society. To build stable contact with this group of people from the idea of initiating an intense collaboration within the BNA-BBOT project, I search for organizations in Brussels that offer their services to people without legal residency documents.

Through the book “Propaganda In Slow Motion” by Zin TV, Samenlevingsopbouw Brussel, and Pigment vzw, I gain a better understanding of the media portrayal of people without legal residency. Their critical questioning prompts me to contact them. Pigment vzw is an ally of people without legal residency to address the inequality and exclusion they experience. They always strive together for accurate representation and better access to fundamental rights. They do this by building a safe space for dialogue and encounters through education and awareness-raising, political action, and resistance. Every Monday, Pigment organizes their weekly reception in the spaces of Globe Aroma, where everyone is welcome. People who visit are invited for coffee or tea, and for those who are hungry, which is everyone who enters, breakfast is provided with a meal later in the day prepared by volunteers. In the meantime, Ellen and Ronnie, the regular staff of the organization, offer their services to people, which can include helping to find stable housing, informing them about their rights within healthcare, and labor rights, even if their undocumented status places them in the shadows of the labor market. Every Monday, I work there as a volunteer, allowing me to get to know people and their stories.

“The encounter with another person who shows me their face is the first experience that awakens my consciousness: an ethical discovery that is also the true foundation for a theoretical explanation of reality.” – Emmanuel Levinas –

maarten De Vrieze