Handel Street Projects is commissioning contemporary artists to make work for a
number of special vitrines. These custom-built and found cabinets are a contemporary
interpretation of the traditional cabinet of curiosities with a history dating back
to the 17th century, the last period in which claims to universal knowledge could be
made. They will bring together a diverse selection of works by contemporary artists.
The Cabinets of Art question our relation to knowledge and encourage a critical
reflection on objects, the mutable nature of context and meaning, and the effects of
time and history.
The cabinets will be present in a variety of institutions, museums, galleries and
shops where the contents will be configured in order to spark reflection upon the
specifics of their location. These may include objects from a museum or private
collection, ‘curated’, arranged and contextualised in order to articulate specific
thoughts, ideas, positions and open up questions of display, possession and meaning.
HSP's cabinets can be hired for a specific period of time or permanently acquired
for display in public or private spaces.