Filling the Void: Johannes Equizi – As Common As Well
Presented by The Grey Space
Artist and researcher Johannes Equizi interested in questioning and re-imagining how humans inhabit environments, invites you to his latest exhibition: AS COMMON AS WELL.
The research project titled ‘Dowsing across Fields’ is an ongoing investigation into how scientific logics and privatisation pose a threat to informal practices related to water. By examining the figure of the dowser – an individual capable of locating underground water using unconventional methods like forked twigs or pendulums – Equizi explores how the dowser’s role has evolved over time within various social contexts. The dowser is seen as an archetypal practitioner essential for making water accessible by creating wells, thereby influencing the transformation of human settlements.
The current focus of the research centers on the ways in which communities interact with wells and water infrastructure. It seeks to understand how power structures and collective responsibility handle a common, limited resource. The research also questions whether the prevailing scientific paradigm today poses a threat to the survival of dowsers. These inquiries foster discussions that bridge different economic, political, and belief systems. Can this controversy lead to new possibilities where humans perceive and share water in a more equitable and self-sustaining manner?
Johannes Equizi is a cross-disciplinary artist and researcher interested in questioning and re-imagining how humans inhabit environments and come together as a society. With an architectural background, his world-building practice combines storytelling, architectural installations, Live Action Role-play games to create counter-narratives and speculate on alternative forms of co-existence. His research focuses on post-capitalistic architectures, political models and unconventional dwelling practices where social life within a territory is considered in ways other than hierarchical. What drives Equizi is a need to collectively reflect on how things could be otherwise.
During the build-up of the exhibition on the 28th and 29th of November you, as visitor have the chance to share your personal stories and anecdotes related to wells, dowsers, water, and the community. Each story will be recorded and these stories are potential for future artistic documentary. Before, during, or after this storytelling session, red bricks with various carved shapes will be positioned in front of the visitors. They will combine and utilise these bricks as molds to create imprints on paper pieces. If the visitors desire to engrave additional shapes for printmaking, they are welcome to do so. Later, the recorded stories will be sewn into brick shapes and placed within the under-construction wells. The tools utilised for this creative activity will be organised and showcased. In the end, the overarching goal is to craft a well that conveys glimpses your collective stories and visions.
The exhibition is part of Hoogtij, an event where, four times a year, several galleries in The Hague open their doors to the public. It features a wide range of art, from the white cube to the underground; from established art in galleries and institutions to installations and performances at artist initiatives.
On Friday, the exhibition opens at 17:00, and the performance takes place from 19:00 to 20:00.
On Saturday, the exhibition is open from 12:00 to 17:00.
Entry to the exhibition is free of charge.
