ING presents Coll/nnection (since 2013) and Flex Desk (2015) by Pierre Bismuth

ING strives to provide sustainable support for ART Brussels and the arts scene. As a major sponsor, it is our role to bring contemporary art to the wider public and give them the tools they need to refine their perception. To reinforce this relationship ING presents Flex Desk, a continuation of Coll/nnection.

Coll/nnection (2014), created for ING by Pierre Bismuth (b. 1963), is a unique interactive project between the ING Belgium Collection and the bank's employees, each of whom has an opportunity to connect with one of the 2500 works of art in the collection. By being linked to an employee, the work of art becomes a social and dynamic element. It reveals the way art lives and evolves through the individual’s experience.

The employees let the artwork circulate through their social networks – possibly outside the strict perimeters of the bank – and in return, the work highlights the employee's role within the bank. A label accompanying each work provides explanations about both the artist and the work, as well as any information that the employee connected with the work decides to provide about his own role within the bank. In this way, rather than simply inviting employees to take an interest in the art, the works are also expected to draw attention to the employees. Both the work and the employee should benefit from one another's networks.

Pierre Bismuth chose an entirely random method of assigning the works. Employees do not choose the works themselves, but in order to avoid the combination being decided by personal taste, a computer programme determines the pairings between the two. The display of the works in the bank buildings reflects this relationship. Only those works connected to employees are displayed. As far as is possible, the placement of each work corresponds to the employee's place of work. Over 400 ING employees are already participating in the project.

For Art Brussels 2015, ING has decided to continue the adventure and give visitors an overview of the project underway at ING. But that is not all. ING is also offering them an opportunity to take part and connect with one of the works of art in their collection.

In the same interdependent manner as he employed for Coll/nnection, for Art Brussels, Pierre Bismuth has created Flex Desk, an installation in which the mobility of the works of art requires the mobility of a section of the bank. The ING offices at Marnix Avenue are being exported to Art Brussels, together with the works, and the personnel connected to the works presented will continue to work at their desks, as if they were still at the bank.

ING Belgium is proud to present Flex Desk, which is a testament to its open-mindedness, eagerness for dialogue and close ties with the wider public.

Pierre Bismuth’s Biography

Pierre Bismuth was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1963. He currently lives and works in Brussels and Los Angeles. By means of a wide variety of different mediums (collages, videos, paintings, installations, etc.), he explores the conventions that rule our perception of and attitudes towards the different manifestations and products of our culture. Creativity and the infinite possibilities of transformation are major themes in his work. With Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, he received the Oscar for the best original screenplay in 2005 for the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

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