Dear visitors, friends and colleagues,

The closing of the exhibition Omnia Communia Deserta by Mona Vǎtǎmanu and Florin Tudor brings this eventful year to an end. When I started my tenure here as director, in early 2020, a programme was prepared that would reflect the continuity of activities while also laying the foundations for the future development of La Loge in light of the changing social context. The Covid-19 crisis has revealed the transitional character of our current era, bringing some pressing social issues to the surface in the process.

The current crisis has forced us to reflect on, and challenges us to build, a future environment in which innovative forms of artistic production and debate are discussed. In times when physical encounters are impossible, the exchange of ideas between artists, architects, thinkers and the public remains crucial. And so we developed the public online programme In Between Utopia and Failure, which aims to reconsider the concept of modernity. I cordially invite you to visit our new online platform in order to experience once more the events that took place in this programme as well as our exhibitions.

When the lockdown began in March, we presented Uriel Orlow's exhibition Learning from Artemisia. Among other things it discussed colonial appropriation and the dubious role of the pharmaceutical industry. At the time, we could not have imagined that we would be overtaken by today’s events: in fact, the reflection on the future meaning and sense of La Loge already started then. For other reasons too, Learning from Artemisia meant a transition: it was the last exhibition realized by Laura Herman. In tandem with former director Anne-Claire Schmitz, Laura has played an important role in La Loge's success. We are very grateful to her and wish her all the best in her new position as coordinator of the Curatorial Studies programme at KASK in Ghent.

Finally, I wish to thank our partners, funders and First Sight members for their support and loyalty throughout this difficult period. My thanks also go to you, the public, for your interest and confidence. From 23 January 2021 onward, we will gladly welcome you back for the exhibition by Hana Miletić.

Season’s greetings to you all!

Wim Waelput, director