BRUSSELS.- Taboo for some, but not for others. Forbidden here, but not elsewhere.

ta.bu. Maison Particulière’s 16th exhibition endeavors to approach a few of our taboos freely and liberally.

Banned, proscribed, prohibited, censored, feared, dreaded, transgressed, trespassed… taboos are inherent to society and to mankind. The word taboo exists in every civilization and culture. It touches the universality of the human condition. No matter what they are, taboos invariably stem from fear of danger.

Thus, they range from social danger to prohibition; what one cannot do, show or say because of fear, respect, modesty or decency; from those imposed unto oneself to those enforced upon us, from selfcensorship to censorship… They may pertain to a particular relationship with the body or to cleanliness, money, religion, death, old age, suicide or certain sexual practices… We live in a world where, assuredly, certain taboos have weakened, while others have gained in strength and power.

Three collector couples and one artist, Wim Delvoye, have provided a selection of works of art which reflect their own interpretation of taboos.

This was a perilous exercise indeed, as not all conceded to having taboos that are obviously rampant when living with or producing such strong and complex works of art.

Wim Delvoye is irreverent, his works are subversive, and he does not appear to have any taboos. Indeed, this is why he was invited to be the guest artist of this exhibition; his interests spread far and wide, his spirit is free, unbound, and fearless. As to the collectors, they too are fearless: “outside of danger, no salvation”; without their inherent excesses, the works of art they collect would be meaningless.

List of artists: Carlos Aires, Helena Almeida, Nobuyoshi Araki, Atelier Van Lieshout, Richard Avedon, Shoja Azari & Shahram Karimi, Stephan Balleux, John Bock, Monica Bonvicini, Alvin Booth, Balthasar Burkhard, Chang Qing, Nathan Chantob, Choi Xooang, Larry Clark, Jacques Courtejoie, Wim Delvoye, Elmgreen & Dragset, Tracey Emin, Gerald Förster, Simon Fujiwara, Kendell Geers, Adrian Ghenie, Nicolás Guagnini, Ramin Haerizadeh, Aspassio Haronitaki, Thomas Israël, Oda Jaune, Regina José Galinda, Rachel Kneebone, Gabriel Kuri, Michael Kvium, Liu Ding, René Magritte, Robert Mapplethorpe, Filip Markiewicz, Mateo Maté, Jean-Luc Moerman, Youssef Nabil, Ernesto Neto, Nguyen Thai Tuan, Ronald Ophuis, Justine Pluvinage, Bettina Rheims, Antoine Roegiers, Jean Rustin, Santissimi, Andres Serrano, Dash Snow, Christine Spengler, Helmut Stallaerts, Larry Sultan, Sue Williams