FEBRUARY

Off the Grid is delighted to welcome its new residents this month, who will be developing their practice at Cas-co until the end of May! 

The artists, Stans Vrijsen & Sofia Boubolis, as well as the collective p.o.l.e (with Matilde Bassetti, Darius Dolatyari-Dolatdoust, Marcos Nacar and Mallaury Scala), were selected from 213 applications. We warmly welcome them!

RESIDENTS

Off the Grid

p.o.l.e is an inter­dis­ci­pli­na­ry col­lec­ti­ve dedi­ca­ted to expe­ri­men­tal artis­tic research at the inter­sec­ti­on of per­for­man­ce, visu­al arts, and cura­to­ri­al prac­ti­ce. Founded in 2024 by Matilde Bassetti, Darius Dolatyari-Dolatdoust, Marcos Nacar and Mallaury Scala, the group ope­ra­tes bet­ween Belgium, Germany, and France. They cre­a­te tem­po­ra­ry labo­ra­to­ries during resi­den­cies, whe­re mate­ri­al expe­ri­ments and artis­tic metho­do­lo­gies can be tested col­lec­ti­ve­ly and then sha­red with an audien­ce.

Stans & Sofia is an artis­tic col­lec­ti­ve for­med by Stans Vrijsen and Sofia Boubolis. Working bet­ween mate­ri­al imita­ti­on and spe­cu­la­ti­ve research, they use pain­ting, dra­wing, instal­la­ti­on, and archi­val frag­ments to explo­re the rela­ti­ons­hip bet­ween mat­ter and memo­ry. For their resi­d­en­cy at Cas-co, they inves­ti­ga­te the reser­ves of Museum M, focu­sing on over­loo­ked or undo­cu­men­ted objects. Through recon­sti­tu­ti­on and inven­ti­on, their work ques­ti­ons how his­to­ries are pre­ser­ved, silen­ced, or reimagined. Where some see rem­nants of the past, Stans & Sofia are inte­rested in their poten­ti­al for pro­jec­ti­on: what the­se objects can still acti­va­te, dis­pla­ce, or bring into being.

These artists will present the outcome of their residency on May 13th. Both presentations will be on view until May 31.

Studio Vaartstraat & Minckelers

The new year begins with the arrival of three new artists at Cas-co: Pol Olivier Matanda, Frances Joossens, and Iffy Tillieu. The Cas-community is delighted to welcome them to Leuven and looks forward to working with them!

Pol Olivier and Frances will have their studio in Studio Vaartstraat, while Iffy will be staying at Minckelers as a resident until the beginning of April. She will then move to a larger studio in Studio Maakleerplek. Over the coming weeks, we will be introducing them on our website and social media.

Feel free to visit Cas-co during our public events to meet the new residents. Welcome!

ACTIVITIES

Off the Grid - Residency Soft Launch

On Wednesday, February 18, artist-in-residence Stans & Sofia and collective-in-residence p.o.l.e will launch the start of their residency at Off the Grid. We will learn about their artistic practice and the objectives they want to achieve during their residency. There will be room for interaction, dialogue, and exchange. Drinks will be served!

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 – Soft Launch

6:00 p.m.: Doors open, reception at Cas-co

6:30 p.m.: Introduction & conversation with artists Stans Vrijsen & Sofia Boubolis

7:30 p.m.: Conversation with collective p.o.l.e, founded by Matilde Bassetti, Darius Dolatyari-Dolatdoust, Marcos Nacar, and Mallaury Scala

Cas-co, Vaartstraat 94

Public programme

A new season also means a new program of lectures and studio visits, tailored to the needs of our residents. As always, the invited curator will present his or her practice during a public lecture at 12:00 noon, followed by a communal lunch at 1:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome! And if you want a preview of our future residents, you can find it on our website 👀

Rosa Tyhurst is a cura­tor from South Wales and based in South London. She cur­rent­ly works as a cura­tor at Gasworks, London, whe­re she col­la­bo­ra­ti­ve­ly devi­ses and deli­vers a pro­gram­me of exhi­bi­ti­ons, resi­den­cies, public pro­gram­mes and par­ti­ci­pa­ti­on pro­jects. Prior to Gasworks, she wor­ked at Nottingham Contemporary and at Spike Island, Bristol. 

GRAPHICAL LAB

New season

Every Thursday evening between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., you are welcome to drop by to print and experiment with printing and photography techniques. The Graphic Lab offers introductions and guidance by artists. This season, the Graphic Lab is organising six new introductory programmes and workshops!

Discover the full programme of activities here.