It is very difficult to be an island of perfection in a sea of misery, but please do not doubt our sincerity, 25/09 — 01/11

A group art show initiated by Simon Wald-Lasowski for W139, with contributions by Kasper De Vos, Serge Onnen, Ryan Gander, Mire Lee, Aline Bouvy, Julius Heinemann, Maya Brauer & Annabelle Broos, Simon Wald-Lasowski, Bas de Wit, Thomas van Linge, Andrea Éva Győri and Dodi Espinosa.

What is your relationship to excess? Are your rituals of intoxication a means to numb yourself? Or a way to celebrate life against a collective feeling of existential dread? In the ruins of late-stage Capitalism, consumption and hedonism function as a means to escape the body — your body. You are invited to consider the beauty and horror of these daily practices.

Experience an atmosphere of all things fleshy, shiny and morally ambiguous. An abundance of colours, animatronics and visual stimuli that explore themes of digestion, bodily cravings, erotic grotesque nonsense, sex as a matrice of power and the commodification of pleasure. Minimal yet grandiose gestures challenge the monumentality of W139’s backspace with sensory, detailed work; as well as erasing whiteness to reveal hidden traces of past exhibitions.

Situated in the red light district, oozing with debauchery, W139 becomes a space to navigate these flamboyant and decadent practices, with humorous uncanny interventions.

Opened on September 25th, ended Sunday, November 1st.

w139amsterdam

Hᴏᴘᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏᴏɴ⁣
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Even though we're closed now, you, the public, stay in our minds and hearts. What you see here is the whole W139 team, working hard to keep us open. Want to support us in a simple and tangible way? Scan the QR code in the second image or follow this link 🧡 https://bit.ly/2Jejf9o 🧡 — and also: share #supportingW139!⁣
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Photo by @konstantin_guz in front of 'Hope to see you soon' (2004) by @iris_kensmil. Pictured: Nadia Benchagra, Sam Geer van der Klugt, Jowon van der Peet, Annette Wolfsberger (@annettewerkt), @george_korsmit, Iris Kensmil, @fadwa_naamna, Sam Samiee (@aarsaam) and @margaritaoooo. Not in the picture but loved all the same: Bart Stuart & Laurence Scherz (@lothememeho).⁣
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#supportingW139 #W139artvenue #artvenue #amsterdam #W139amsterdam #culturalfield #artworks #banner #standingstrong #artistsandfreedom #culturalheartamsterdam #hopetoseeyousoon

JUST MISSED

It is very difficult to be an island of misery, but please do not doubt our sincerity

25 Sep 20

1 Nov 20

W139 FIGHTS FOR ITS EXISTENCE

W139 will not receive funding from the city (AfK) from next year on. This means it is threatened in its existence, and so is the beating, cultural heart of the city centre. Read more here and help us by signing the petition here.

VACANCIES

We currently have two open vacancies: Penningmeester Bestuur Stichting W139 and Development Director Supporting W139. Both positions are Dutch-speaking.