Introduction

For the second exhibition since the launch of Cloud Seven, and third exhibition in the building, private collector
Frédéric de Goldschmidt presents Rooms of Resonance, curated by Benedicte Goesaert and Chantal Pattyn. In order to conceive the show, the curators travelled through the collection with the ambition to present works that hadn’t been part of an earlier presentation. This was the start of a journey about connecting with specific pieces of artists known to them and investigating the work of emerging and less familiar artists. The concept unfolded during different stages of editing the selection and interacting in conversations with the collector about relationships between the works. This process resulted in
the selection of 62 artworks by 54 artists on view. Rooms of Resonance celebrates beauty and life and examines how to connect with oneself, others and the world in these disruptive times. The journey unfolds through four different stages, from the sensuality of earthly matters to the exploration of metaphysical energy.

A celebration of life and beauty

Rooms of Resonance celebrates life and beauty, while questioning how to connect with the self, the other and the world in these disruptive times. Through stages of pleasure, discomfort, regeneration and contemplation, Rooms of Resonance is conceived as an upward movement that starts from the body and gradually journeys into a transformative mental process.

The exhibition’s title was inspired by the work of German sociologist Hartmut Rosa (Resonance, a Sociology for the relation to the World, Polity Press, 2021). Rosa developed his resonance theory as an alternative to the alienation of materialism. Resonance can be achieved when we are driven by empathy, compassion and understanding.

The note from the curators 

The title of the exhibition is inspired by the thinking of the German sociologist Hartmut Rosa (Resonance, a Sociology for the relationship to the World, Polity Press, 2019). Hartmut Rosa is convinced that it is the kind of relationship to the world that defines the quality of life. Herewith he values the mode of being in the world higher than the impact of the availability of options and resources as a condition for a successful relationship to the world. Etymologically, the word ‘resonance’ comes from the verb ‘to resound’, and refers to the specific relationship between two bodies when the vibration of one body stimulates the other to produce in turn its own frequency.

Rooms of Resonance is a journey that can be different every time you walk through it: perhaps your company has changed, your feet walk a different path or the weather is sunny or rainy that day. Each room in the exhibition is a vessel that holds different kinds of resonance between the artworks themselves. However, another kind of resonance is possible the moment
you enter each room. Here, your questions are vital: where and how do you find resonance with what you see? What happens if you don’t experience such resonance? Rosa describes a full spectrum of ways, from physical and emotional to cognitive, to establish our relationship with the world. Rooms of Resonance is conceived as an upward movement that starts from the body to gradually depict a mental process. It starts from the exploration of one’s true self and embracing one’s own way of
being. Discomfort, regeneration and transformation can then help us reach contemplation and get a sense of metaphysical energy.

The selected works tell us something about how Frédéric de Goldschmidt and the curators relate to the world. More importantly, we invite you to enter the exhibition and reflect on your own relationships with a more heightened consciousness. Feel free to decide how you walk through the exhibition. We recommend that you absorb the atmosphere in each room and only start reading when you first take a moment to look from your own perspective. In this way you can
investigate where you see points of resonance between works following your own thoughts or emotions. It will be more surprising to later find out if your observations are aligned with the voice of the curators and artists. Keep in mind there is an infinity of possibilities in reading and interpreting a work of art. The title Rooms of Resonance highlights the intimate and semi-private spatial context of Cloud Seven. Every room brings together a particular selection of artworks that are curated following a connecting theme.

54 artists

Adriano Amaral, Joël Andrianomearisoa, Gabriele Beveridge, Cecilia Bjartmar Hylta, Mohamed Bourouissa, Lucia Bru, Giorgio Andreotta Calò, James Castle, Mathew Cerletty, Julian Charrière, Clément Cogitore, Laurent Da Sylva, N. Dash, Jacqueline De Jong, Michael Dean, Svenja Deininger, Edith Dekyndt, Daniel Dewar & Grégory Gicquel, Fernanda Fragateiro, João Gabriel, Alexis Gautier & Max Pinckers, Dimitar Genchev, Nadia Guerroui, Camille Henrot, Hudinilson Jr., Krištof Kintera, Maria Kley, Ícaro Lira, Ella Littwitz, George Henry Longly, Luciana Magno, Gohar Martirosyan, Rachel Monosov, Michèle Morgan, Musa N. Nxumalo, Gabriel Orozco, Richard Prince, Laure Prouvost, Louis-Cyprien Rials, Ry Rocklen, Ed Ruscha, Anri Sala, Tomás Saraceno, Raja Babu Sharma, Lucie Stahl, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Ayesha Sultana, Jirō Takamatsu, Wolfgang Tillmans, Cléo Totti, Margo Wolowiec, Trevor Yeung, Yunyao Zhang.