STREETSPACE BANGER, installation view / TICK TACK @ Kunsthalle Recklinghausen

ROKADE: TICK TACK and Kunsthalle Recklinghausen – Dialogues Between Contemporary Art and Museum Collections

In chess, castling is a rare and strategic move that allows players to safeguard their king while simultaneously bringing the rook into a more central, active role. It’s the only time two pieces can move at once—shifting the king two squares toward the rook and positioning the rook on the square the king crossed.
As part of the ROKADE project, the institutions TICK TACK (Antwerp) and Kunsthalle Recklinghausen (Germany) have organized an exchange of exhibition spaces from August to November 2024. The title ROKADE refers to the chess move known as castling, in which the king and rook swap positions, a metaphor for the transition of context and the reworking of each institution’s curatorial approaches within new spaces.

The first part of the project materializes with the exhibition STREETSPACE BANGER, organized by TICK TACK at Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, opening on August 24, 2024. The exhibition spans three floors of the building, a former World War II bunker, and features the work of over 80 artists from 20 countries. This exhibition reflects the curatorial work carried out by TICK TACK over the past five years and celebrates the international network of artists with whom the institution has collaborated. The exhibition aims to explore the relationship between urban space, site-specific interventions, and new collaborations, through the work of: Adriano Amaral, Alex McQuilkin, Alexandre Bavard, Alexey Shlyk, Allen-Golder Carpenter, Andrew Pierre Hart, Anselm Reyle, Ayoung Kim, Benjamin Cohen, Benny Van den Meulengracht-Vrancx, Bertrand Fournier, Boy & Erik Stappaerts, Celia Hempton, Chris Drange, Chris Lipomi, Clara Brörmann, Daan Gielis, Duncan Poulton, Eddie Peake, Florian Baudrexel, Flurin Bisig, Frédéric Platéus, Gina Beavers, Guy Van Bossche, Hannah Perry, Hyun Dekempe, Jakub Rehak, Jason Gringler, Joep van Liefland, Joke Hansen, Jonas Maas, Jon Rafman, Julia Krewani, Koen van den Broek, Lenz Geerk, Leo Gabin, Liliane Vertessen, Lisa Junghanß, Lucas Dupuy, Marcus Jefferson, Marie-Jo Lafontaine, Marilyn Minter, Martin Eder, Max Frisinger, METAHAVEN, Mevlana Lipp, Mia Middleton, Michael Sailstorfer, Michael St. John, Michael Weißköppel, Mike Ballard, Miyeon Lee, Monsieur Zohore, Narcisse Tordoir, Nik Nowak, Patrick Vanden Eynde, Philippe Van Wolputte, Rachel Hobkirk, René Spitzer, Richie Culver, Sally von Rosen, Sara Carter, Sarah Slappey, Signe Pierce, Stine Deja, Theo Triantafyllidis, Thomas Scheibitz, Tilman Wendland, Timothy Segers, Tom Van Puyvelde, Tom Volkaert, Umut Yasat, and Vivian Greven.

The exhibition unfolds through a series of interventions combining both new and existing works, blending conceptual approaches and techniques ranging from sculpture to painting, and including multimedia installations. Special attention is given to the interaction of the works with the exhibition space, both at the architectural and historical levels. The result is a complex reflection on the evolving role of art institutions, with a focus on the long-standing relationships between TICK TACK and its network of artists.

Parallel to the STREETSPACE BANGER exhibition at Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, the second part of the ROKADE project unfolds with the exhibition “STORAGE SPACE,” hosted in the brutalist space of TICK TACK in Antwerp. Opening on September 13, 2024, “STORAGE SPACE” features a curated selection from Kunsthalle Recklinghausen’s extensive collection, which includes over 5,000 works.

“STORAGE SPACE” spans eight weeks, with a different constellation of works presented each week. Selected by museum director Nico Anklam and curatorial assistant Pauline Ganns, the works range from historical pieces to recent acquisitions, allowing the public to observe the collection’s evolution and diversity. Featured artists include Josef Albers, Noémi Barbaglia, Marianne Berenhaut, Erich Bödeker, and Gerhard Richter, among many others.
A central theme of the exhibition is the exploration of the life cycles of artworks within collections. Some works, such as Otto Piene’s “Sleepwalker” (1966/67) and Heinz Mack’s “Hommage à Yves Klein” (1965), serve as conceptual anchors, remaining on display throughout the exhibition. Other works rotate weekly, offering new configurations that provoke thought on the dynamics of conservation, exhibition, and visibility within museum collections.

The artworks in “STORAGE SPACE” experience a dual life: initially as “Schaulager,” visible through the large ground-floor window, and later as the stars of the weekly exhibitions upstairs. This dual exhibition cycle raises questions about the fate of works that often remain unseen in museum storage, waiting to be displayed again.

Like in a chess game, the castling of ROKADE is not merely a physical shift but an opportunity to rethink curatorial perspectives and institutional dynamics:

“This exchange of venues is not just a change of context, but a dialogue between artistic visions that enrich each other, challenging geographical and cultural boundaries.”

Through ROKADE, the Kunsthalle Recklinghausen collection enters a new spatial and public context, offering fresh interpretations of works that are rarely shown together.

This cultural and curatorial exchange between the two institutions prompts broader reflections on the role of public collections and their transformative potential when placed in new, stimulating environments.