BLOCKBUSTERS

For its Fall exhibition, TUR Contemporary Space for Art invited Antwerp-based artist-run space AAIMACHINE to collaborate on BLOCKBUSTERS, an exhibition bringing together 100 artists, 50 from Riga and 50 from Antwerp. Artists from different generations and artistic backgrounds were asked to imagine a documentary about their own life and work as an artist, and to answer one question: “What would the title of that documentary be?” The documentaries themselves do not exist. Their titles reflect 100 individual perspectives, each shaped by the artist'ss personal experiences, artistic practice and the way they see themselves in relation to their work. The responses range from personal reflections and ambitious declarations to jokes, clichés and seemingly unrelated observations. Some artists take the question seriously, others respond with humour or self-irony, while some appear to avoid answering it altogether. Combined, the titles represent a diversity of voices, attitudes and approaches within the artistic community, and the different ways an artist might choose to present themselves and their practice. The titles form the material for an installation by AAIMACHINE artists Lieven Segers and Johanna Trudzinski, who will hand paint them directly onto the walls and other architectural elements of the space at TUR. Using different typefaces, sizes and orientations, they will create a composition in which the individual contributions become part of a larger work. Visitors will encounter the titles throughout the space, discovering 100 different responses to the same question. Bringing these individual perspectives together also reflects something about the nature of an artistic community. Artists work from their own experiences, interests and circumstances, often with very different ideas about what their practice means or how they wish to present it. Yet they are also part of a wider community that extends beyond their immediate surroundings and national borders. In BLOCKBUSTERS, the contributions of artists from Riga and Antwerp occupy the same space, with individual differences remaining as present as that which brings them together. The installation offers a reflection on a shared European cultural identity, shaped by different histories and individual circumstances, but connected through a common engagement with art. About TUR TUR is a space dedicated to contemporary art shaped through an ongoing exchange between artists, curators, and the space itself. Located within a large post-industrial building in Tallinas ielas kvartāls, TUR approaches exhibition-making as a process of dialogue with the site’s volume, acoustics, light, and changing atmosphere. Rather than functioning as a neutral container, the space actively informs the development of each exhibition. TUR’s annual programme follows a seasonal rhythm: three solo exhibitions in winter, three in summer, and a collaborative Fall exhibition developed together with a partner art space from another European city. The programme places a strong emphasis on long-term collaboration with artists, often beginning months before an exhibition opens. Alongside exhibitions, TUR regularly organises artist talk-concerts, performances, and public events that create additional ways for audiences to engage with artistic practices. In April TUR’s artistic director Edd Schouten was awarded the Annual Art Award of Latvia as Curator of the Year for 2025. About AAIMACHINE AAIMACHINE is an independent, artist-run art space in Antwerp's Berchem neighbourhood, led by artists Lieven Segers and Johanna Trudzinski and journalist Frank Olbrechts. Operating from a former sewing-machine repair shop, the organisation develops a non-commercial programme of exhibitions and artistic projects, bringing together artists from different generations, backgrounds and disciplines. Its exhibitions, presented as a series of VOLUMES, are conceived as individual artworks, often involving collective contributions and collaborations that extend beyond the conventional exhibition format. AAIMACHINE maintains close connections with its surrounding neighbourhood while actively engaging with the wider artistic community. Its projects include Salon de la Muse (2024), a collective work involving contributions from professional artists, students and children, which became part of Antwerp's City Collection in 2026, and Ashimoto and the Giant Leap (2025), an exhibition developed with Japanese footwear label GROUNDS. Through its programme, AAIMACHINE brings together artistic experimentation, humour and encounters between people whose practices and experiences might otherwise rarely intersect. Installation concept and execution: Lieven Segers and Johanna Trudzinski Project Manager: Kristīne Ercika Production Manager: Ada Ruszkiewicz Light Design: Romans Medvedevs Graphic Design: Andris Kaļiņins Text editing: Jānis Štālbergs Technical Support: Shaila Barros Dherajlal, Laura Melbārde, Andrei Purec, Marija Šatalova and Patrīcija Māra Vilsone Mediation: Laura Melbārde and Patrīcija Māra Vilsone The exhibition is made possible with the support of State Culture Capital Foundation and Flanders Government Department of Culture, Youth and Media