MaMA 

In the last decade, art that engages directly with architecture and the language of architecture has received a lot of international attention. Artists like Atelier Van Lieshout and Rachel Whiteread have gained international acclaim whilst a younger generation such as Jan de Cock, Klaus Weber, Dirk van Lieshout and Rob Voerman continue to gain attention with their works tackling architecture and architectural languages head on.

Other artists working today, however, engage with architecture in a more lateral way. More accurately, architecture and architectural detail may be one of the features -together with furniture, set design and even costumes- that plays a key role in their work. In short, they use mise en scène to communicate their ideas. As can be expected with those using this notion from the world of film or stage, often the works have a poetic, narrative quality in which the building of a mood or emotion is a key element.

Mise en Scène will explore the way in which a handful of artists working today use the complex interaction of elements – architecture, decoration, lighting, costume, staging, tricks- to build their discourse.