PROPJECTS at Scheltens & Abbenes

On January 21st, 2025 the exhibition PROPJECTS will open in the Shenzhen Art Museum in China, showcasing a substantial overview of the work of Dutch artists Maurice Scheltens and Liesbeth Abbenes. The title PROPJECTS - an invented word by the artist - in a way reflects their artistic practice. The word is a fusion of props, objects and projects. For Scheltens & Abbenes objects are starting points to create carefully crafted photographical images in which playfulness is combined with discipline and sheer realism merges with optical illusions with often abstract qualities. The objects are merely an excuse for proper image-making, a prop in a play to create a new artistic reality that consists solely within the borders of the photographical frame. For the exhibition in Shenzhen every single image that is included in the show is seen and treated as a prop, as part of an attempt to create a new reality. So the whole exhibition is one big installation combing photographs, video work and objects.

The exhibition is curated by Marcel Feil and Liu Gang and represents the first full-scale presentation of Scheltens & Abbenes work in China.