(NO) MORE OPIUM FOR THE MASSES

This was the first large exhibition by the artist Johan Muyle to take place in Belgium. A real spectacle, the exhibition allowed the public entry into Muyle’s artistic universe.

Johan Muyle (born in Charleroi, 1956) is one of the most active con­tem­po­rary Belgian artists on the inter­na­tion­al scene. His primary focus is assembling mis­cel­la­neous objects, sometimes within large instal­la­tions. The common themes of these instal­la­tions are ironic situations or popular expressions, as these often feature derision and attempts to understand the complexity of the world and human rela­tion­ships.
The title of the exhibition (No) More Opium for the Masses, Plus d’opium pour le peuple in French, is a distortion of Karl Marx’s famous quote on religion. The use of the adverb ​‘plus’ in French lends the quote a new ambiguity as it can express an increase but also cessation. This title immediately illustrates the conceptual and ethical concerns of the artist, such as the sub­servience of the masses, the connection between popular and high culture, and creolisation.

Exhibition Curator: Pierre-Olivier Rollin