Niko van Stichel & Lut Vandebos
Sculpture in dialogue with space and vulnerability
For Antwerp Art Weekend 2025, they present the sculpture 'Give me Shelter' in the Zuidpark, near the Museumstraat and the M HKA. The work explores themes of protection, boundaries and vulnerability,
'Give Me Shelter' is an installation of 3 card houses arranged like a tent camp. In the surfaces are glazed motifs, inspired by the classic card deck with a logo in the middle each time. The logos refer to fictional NGOs and aid organizations that provide shelter and assistance to refugees in tent camps. You will find NGO logos on tents, flags, food packages, wagons,.... They use the same strategy as large multinationals to increase their brand awareness to generate sufficient funds for their operation.
'Give Me Shelter' is a multilayered work. On the one hand, the fragile house of cards stands as a metaphor for the situation of refugees; on the other hand, it refers to our Western society. We feel safe, we have it good, but this situation is also fragile. War, natural disasters or the effects of climate change are just a few aspects that can quickly collapse our world, our house of cards.
'Give Me Shelter' suggests protection but the lasered motifs strip the sheets of their protective function. When you shelter below you are exposed to the elements of nature.