What if we stopped thinking we were the center of the universe?
From that equally necessary and liberating starting point comes We Thought We Were Alone, the new catalog by Koen Vanmechelen, bringing the soul of Vanmechelen's major solo exhibition at the historic Palazzo Rota Ivancich in Venice (running until November 22) straight to your hands.
Published by Lannoo Publishers, this book gathers an exceptional group of contributors – including curator James Putnam, senior writer Peter Dupont, cosmologist Thomas Hertog, art historian Laura Bardier, evolutionary biologist Menno Schilthuizen, glassmaestro Adriano Berengo, human rights expert Manfred Nowak, journalist Kirsty Wark, and social entrepreneur Chido Govera – who each share a sharp essay from their own discipline. Interwoven with intimate reflections from Koen’s parents, Mieke and Toon, and rich, striking imagery, it creates a world where nothing stands alone. The catalog concludes with a chapter on the Wild Gene Festival, Vanmechelen’s collaboration with Senegalese musician Youssou N’Dour.
The book is an invitation to explore the foundations of our time, asking what it truly means to be part of a complex, shared world.
Decades ago Venice shaped me as an artist. I felt the paradox of an island that looks like paradise but behaves like a laboratory. You can stay and be seduced by the surface, or you can break through it and discover what Venice is really made of: exchange, crossings, contamination.
On September 9, the book will be officially presented at The Battery, Vanmechelen’s studio at LABIOMISTA, featuring a live debate between curator James Putnam, Carmen Willems (general director KMSKA), and cosmologist Thomas Hertog.
204 pages | hardcover | English | 1st edition
Published by Lannoo Publishers
Available worldwide
Graphic design Bart Luijten
Texts
Adriano Berengo, Chido Govera, Mieke, Toon & Hilde Vanmechelen,
James Putnam, Kirsty Wark, Koen Vanmechelen, Laura Bardier,
Manfred Nowak, Menno Schilthuizen, Peter Dupont, Thomas Hertog
Exhibition imagery
Francesco Allegretto & Kris Vervaeke
Have a look at the preview
Buy it in your local bookstore, at the Ark - LABIOMSTA or online