Tweet31-08-2011 om 12:00 by Amanda Potter

If you’ve ever wondered what art museums don’t have on regular display, then you should check out the “Out of Storage” temporary exhibition at the Timmerfabriek in Maastricht. The largest temporary art museum in Europe, “Out of Storage” is an exhibit drawn from the FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais collection. The exhibits give you a little look behind the curtain to see artworks that otherwise are hidden away as well as a look at the issues curators face when preserving and transporting contemporary art.

My own visit to “Out of Storage” was driven by my old interest in museums and preservation. It is always fun to see things that are typically hidden away or difficult to care for. With a nice mix of installation pieces and contemporary works made of delicate materials, the show didn’t disappoint. A particularly impressive collection of chairs entitled “Copy Right” really represents the balance between preserving the original items (chairs, cut away pieces) and the original intent (layout, sawdust).  If you want to learn more about the various pieces, there are several self-guided booklets you can pick up.



Also worth a mention is the Timmerfabriek itself. This space reveals its roots as a factory with metal and concrete walls and a dilapidated (but well cared for) appearance. For an exhibit about items in storage, the space is perfect. The large rooms also allows for interesting justopositions of various artworks. One of my favorite combinations was the “wall bra” which growled in time with the MGM TV playing a roaring lion over and over again. I have no idea if this is how these items were originally displayed but the placement was interesting and fun.



You can visit “Out of Storage” from now until December 18, 2011 at the Timmerfabriek (Boschstraat 7-9). They are open Wednesday to Sunday 11am – 5pm, Thursday 11am – 9pm. Tickets are 10 euros per person.

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