The flag has a long tradition of different uses and meanings. Flags are commonly used to transmit signals, to identify countries, regions or cities, or to visually demarcate a territory. Flags are also frequently used to represent political ideas and beliefs. The artists participating in the What the Flag!? project are asked to respond from their own work and vision of the medium flag. What the Flag!? is well-established in Heerlen, being organized each year by Greylight Projects. In the past few years the project was expanded once more, crossing borders and now including Very Contemporary’s art institutions as partners, each one presenting a flag, which was previously commissioned by another partner in the network and randomly assigned to yet another partner.
Now, shaking things up even more this year, all participating artists have to fulfil the rules of NAK and STAWAG’s Young Art Euregion series. Hence they cannot be older than 40 years and have to have a strong connection to the Euregion. Again, those artists are chosen by the Very Contemporary institutions, art organizations and museums in the Euregion. Whereas beforehand the flags would be directly exchanged between the institutions, NAK Neuer Aachener Kunstverein presents all flags grouped together in one exhibition, taking place at the Kunstverein.
After the exhibition at the NAK the flags will be traveling through the region. The artist’s flags will be handed over to the member institutions of the Very Contemporary network. Hence the exhibition gains a second life within the public space, connecting all of VC partners in the process, underlining the importance of art literally not knowing any boundaries or borders.
