offspace.xyz project#1 ran from January 15 - February 28, 2016.
Join us at http://offspace.xyz for our new and improved website!
Offspace.xyz is an online exhibition space, creating a critical discussion about new media and digital culture.
All shows are visible via the website 24/7, for inquires please contact maxime@offspace.xyz
Manifesto
offspace.xyz is a construct challenging the notions of the traditionalist experience within the space between the artist and audience.
offspace.xyz enables artists to explore their practice through a virtual portal.
offspace.xyz controls the perception of the audience via the gaze of the camera, excluding the physical experience.
offspace.xyz functions as a social experiment of the participatory relationship that exists between artist, curator and audience.
Maxime Van Melkebeke Biography
Maxime Van Melkebeke is a digital curator and project manager living in New York. Throughout his career as a digital project manager, Mr. Van Melkebeke has applied his expertise in digital design and user experience on ground breaking initiatives, including the European Commission’s massive anti-tobacco campaign “Ex-smokers are Unstoppable,” which is the European Commission’s most comprehensive and successful health campaign in history.
Mr. Van Melkebeke’s passion for the arts drove him to develop a new medium for how the public accesses and experiences works of art, exceeding the gallery model. Together with Tom Van Hove, Mr. Van Melkebeke founded Belgian Art House (“BAH”), which has exhibited the work of renowned artists, such as Luc Tuymans, Raoul De Keyzer, Michaël Borremans, Hans Op de Beeck and Berlinde de Bruyckere, among others, and emerging artists, such as Vadim Vosters and Hilde Overbergh, among others.
Having lived and worked in the art scenes in Belgium, London and New York, Mr. Van Melkebeke has experienced promoting the arts on an international level. His latest endeavor, Offspace.xyz, is recognized by renowned artists, curators and critics in New York and abroad for its groundbreaking presentation of art. Mr. Van Melkebeke’s extraordinary knowledge of digital project management, combined with his distinct creative vision, allowed him to transform the way we view and experience art, creating a new art exhibition format that enables the world-wide distribution of an art show in real time. Specifically, Mr. Van Melkebeke has curated exhibitions using Offspace for renowned artists, such as Robin Cameron, Tomaso De Luca, Anouk Kruithof and Vadim Vosters, among others. His recent exhibition, A Stay in the Paphos Loop, is particularly noteworthy because of its combined aspects of the visual arts, audio and literature. Brilliantly engaging the work of prestigious artists, such as Patrick Berran, Federico De Francesco, Kai Franz, Frank Heath, Shawn Kuruneru, Florian Meisenberg, Benoit Platéus, Ilana Savdie, Yves Scherer, Emily Shanahan, Travess Smalley, Clement Valla and Nicole Wittenberg, through the audiobook of Mark von Schlegell’s acclaimed sci-fi story, Venusia (2013), Mr. Van Melkebeke executed a flawless, complex group exhibition that demonstrated the capabilities of his new platform.
Further exhibiting the global significance of Mr. Van Melkebeke’s Offspace is the fact that it allows artists to reach a broader audience than ever before. In fact, distinguished Slovenian artist, JAŠA, who represented Slovenia at the Venice Biennial in 2015, recently performed on Offspace, reaching viewers in over 40 countries simultaneously.