Faith No More. Rituals for Uncertain Times
group show in Belgium
An exhibition “Faith no more. Rituals for Uncertain Times” at Abby in Kortrijk (Belgium) is about apocalyptic thinking, (despair) hope, and consolation in the Middle Ages and today. It will be featuring artworks by Hermann Nitsch as well as Marina Abramović, Francis Alÿs, Michaël Borremans, Pieter Bruegel, Lucas Cranach, Thierry De Cordier, Otto Dix, Marlene Dumas and many others.
Abby is housed in a former abbey: a place steeped in history, suspended between faith and superstition. Here, people once gathered for prayer, miraculous healings, and ritual exorcisms. The architecture and history of this site, combined with carefully considered scenography, create a deeply affecting exhibition experience. A descent into the underground galleries immerses you in late-medieval and contemporary art about doom and dawn, despair and consolation.
We are living in dark times. Climate change, wars, geopolitical tensions, technological disruption, and social uncertainty make it difficult to find direction or peace of mind, fueling apocalyptic thoughts. It echoes the (late) medieval worldview, shaped by chaos, threat, instability, and surrender to higher powers.
For centuries, religion provided collective guidance and meaning—though it also carried dogmas, exclusions, and extremes. Faith was the way to understand the world, to find solace and structure amidst the elusiveness of daily life. – Where, in today’s secularized and fragmented society, do we find new ways to relate to the world and to each other? How do we give form to our fears, our longing for connection, hope, and grounding?
This exhibition departs from that search. It shows how artists, past and present, respond to existential uncertainty, how they shape grand narratives and small rituals, and how art can offer new perspectives for collective anchoring. Perhaps therein lies a key for our times: not in ready-made answers, but in the shared search, experience, and imagination of what it means to be human in a world in flux.
Faith No More. Rituals for Uncertain Times was curated by Sarah Keymeulen and Klara Rowaert in collaboration with co-curator Kendell Geers. The artworks by Hermann Nitsch in the exhibition by courtesy of Tallieu Art Office.