Confessions of the Imperfect. 1848 – 1989 – today

Confessions of the Imperfect is an exhibition curated by Steven ten Thije and Alistair Hudson on art, design, life and work structured as an experimental survey of modern life. The exhibition brings together historical material, design and contemporary art projects to reflect on but also to use. Its title is taken from the romantic critic John Ruskin, who presents a holistic and ecological view of the relationship between art and life as a perpetual and necessary struggle with human imperfection in The Stones of Venice, published in 1869. Ruskin develops this vision as a criticism of industrialised and capitalist societies that aim to solve human imperfection with standardised forms of production and government, more concerned with the result than with the process. How can we live ingeniously and work not only as a means of financial reward but as an organic form that is part of a social and ecological system of living and working? This exhibition is an unusual visit through modern times that sets out to answer this question.

Set in an impressive architectural structure created by Liam Gillick, it features the work of artists such as Constant, Jeremy Deller, Ruskin himself and the Spaniards Fernando García Dory and Antoni Miralda, among others.