Crisis Of Masculinity (Cut No.10)

‘Crisis Of Masculinity’ is an installation consisting of a replica of the striking blue fence from Muscle Beach in Venice, Los Angeles. The fence, in its entirety, was part of the opening exhibition ‘Endless Exhibition’ (2019) at Kunsthal Gent. Since then, the work has been gradually cut into pieces to live a new life in other locations.

Muscle Beach is considered the birthplace of the fitness craze and played an important role in popularising and legitimising today’s body culture. Arnold Schwarzenegger started lifting weights there long before he was world famous. Still today, Muscle Beach is synonymous with toned, glistening (masculine) bodies. On both sides, there is a game of seeing and being seen. In doing so, the fence forms both a physical and a mental barrier: whoever enters, steps into the circus arena, so to speak. From behind the massive frame, the viewer watches the outward display.

Lifting the fence out of its original context like a readymade serves to draw attention to the materiality of the structure. This in turn causes its obstructive character to stand out: the visitor is restricted in their freedom of movement and forced into a certain relationship with the obstacle.

The notion of labour played an important role in the creation process of ‘Crisis Of Masculinity’. The realisation of the piece – from pouring concrete to welding – was done entirely by the artists themselves. The two artists committed to this feat without the training and routine that experienced builders would have to fall back on, but made up for it with their perseverance and dedication. This provided them an avenue through which to discover the beauty of a well-designed object.

‘Crisis of Masculinity’ is part of a long-term collaboration between Thomas Min and Egon Van Herreweghe. Both artists explore the coded language and stereotypical symbols attached to the concept of masculinity. A changing Western society is beginning to question masculinity. At the same time, social media provides yet another platform for the cult of the body. 

Kunsthal Gent is an experimental presentation and development platform for contemporary art. It has been housed in a monumental fourteenth-century Carmelite monastery in the centre of Ghent since 2018. In the ongoing exhibition programme ‘Endless Exhibition’, curators and artists add exhibitions without an end date. This creates an ever-changing environment in which (traces of) previous interventions interact with new additions. Kunsthal Gent functions not only as an exhibition space, but also as a meeting place and artistic hub

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