125 However, as Raffaele Alberto Ventura recounts in the opening act of this issue of Ossigeno, respect has its etymological roots in the gaze of others, and therefore also in the acceptance of the judgement of others (a minimum of dutiful selection provided, I would like to say). Given, then, the sacrosanct freedom of the artists and their being immersed in a series of relationships (more or less sound, cf. an art system that all too often tends to contract to the dimension of the market, cf. the wild presentialism of that fauna that can be defined as the post-vernissage refreshment herd, cf. the toxic and immoral practice of artwashing), I ask her about her relationship with the gaze of others – that is, how much respect for the judgement of others counts in her art making: «In the creation process, it is certainly not my main concern – or at least it does not come in the shape of a set of conscious moral guidelines or limitations I impose on myself. But I do value the feedback of my audience. The process of translating the source of inspiration into an actual sculpture is marked by a great sense of responsibility that I feel towards the work itself and to the way I confront the viewer with it. The reactions of the people who reach out to me and share their experience to me can sometimes be confronting, but at the same time they strengthen my conviction to create. I see the work as a meeting point, a place where people are stimulated to get hold of things deep inside them, emotions that cannot be brought to the surface through words». There it is, the sister of respect: responsibility. Taking charge of the self, having self-respect. This is all the more true for an artist like Berlinde De Bruyckere, whose fame would have allowed her to rest on her laurels. Instead, as a painter, she felt the urge to make sculpture. As a sculptor, after having seen the staging of Pitié! by Alain Platel and his Ballets C de la B in 2008, she felt the need to investigate physicality in movement and co-signed with the same dancers powerful performances such as Romeu, my deer (2013) and Sybille (2014). As a leading figure in art venues, she entered the theatre, becoming a set designer for Platel's latest productions. And when the stylema of her sculpture seemed to be abstraction, she returned to the figurative with the Arcangeli – I am reminded of what Gilles Deleuze wrote in Proust and Signs: «There is no great artist who does not make us say: the same, and yet different». And taking charge of the other from the self, paving the way with a willingness to confrontation and dialogue. Responsibility in presenting her work passes through respect for cultural diversity and public space: «In my own practice, I do reflect about how my work will be received in a specific context. Not as a restriction, but as a dialogue with the surrounding space, with the viewer. Public space calls for a different approach than museum space. In public space, people are involuntarily confronted with something they weren’t expecting and often don’t know how to contextualise. Cultural differences also make for different readings, a different understanding of what is presented. I will give you an example: in 2012, I had my first solo exhibition in Istanbul, at Arter, then located at Istiklâl Caddesi, one of the largest shopping streets in Istanbul. The space had a large window on the street side, allowing passers-by to see part of the exhibition. Putting one of my wax figures, a deformed naked body in this window, is something I would never do. Muslim culture has different sensitivities, and to brutally ignore them and set out to provoke is not my approach. When I am invited in a place like Istanbul, I consider it an honour to be accepted, to be given access to a new world. It inspires me and energizes me to create new works that can give something back. Accepting certain cultural boundaries can also be liberating; it allows you to question what you take for granted, and opens the gates to new insights. I find great value in that. This crosspollination of cultures is what interests me, and has long been a defining trait of the city itself. I will not shy away from the uncomfortable, the message will still be the same, but I try to make sure it is understood, rather than rejected».
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