BRUSSELS.- CAB announces its new exhibition entitled ‘Out of character’, curated by Stijn Maes, which features eight original in situ creations produced by committed emerging artists, all brought together in one place by passionate collectors.Over the course of 2013, eight Belgian and French collectors were invited by CAB to each individually support a project led by an artist of their choice who had hitherto not exhibited at a gallery in Belgium. Each collector thus gave a ‘young’ artist the opportunity to produce a project which they would otherwise have been unable to work on through lack of space or means. The result is an array of eight ambitious and impressive creations, each generously financed by a guest collector.

The ‘Out of Character’ group exhibition is much more than a conventional, lateral set of exhibits but nor does it seek to be a display divided up thematically. It is disjointed yet balanced.

Each artist was given the challenge of being mindful of the space provided while striving to endow their work with its own singular character. Each was offered the chance to express themselves through a work or composition which aimed to break the mould.

The original approaches included hints at journeys made afar. Rare or precious mediums have been put to use in order to showcase artworks of exotic and odd proportions.

This exhibition reveals the close affinity which may arise between collectors and artists. On this occasion, the link between artist and collector is brought down to a human level, with a stark distance taken from any bargaining and haggling inherent to commercial relations. The difference here is that the artwork sprouts from a full use of available resources as well as a true interaction, dialogue and exchange between collector and artist.

'Out of Character' explores the artist's patronage and the resulting relationship. As a private initiative the CAB seems to be the most appropriate environment to tackle this relevant subject. This exhibition aims to redefine the standpoint of collectors in today's society, bringing about a shift in their conventional role and allowing them to directly intervene where necessary. The approach followed is not that of creating a personal collection, but rather to raise awareness and respect for emerging artists' work.