Participants:
Daniel Eatock (GBR) with KEMO
FUEL (GBR) with De Geus Jachtbouw
Marti Guixé (ESP) with Kompak
Tod Hanson (GBR) with Vlisco
Damien Poulain (FRA) with Jamin
Joachim Schmid (GER) with NPN Drukkers
Erik Steinbrecher (SUI) with Sundaymorning@ekwc / European Ceramic Workcentre
Koen Taselaar (NED) with Metaalplan

Curator: Erik Kessels
Coordination freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL: Elisabeth Hajek
Coordination MOTI: Niels Engel

For the traveling exhibition "Graphic Detour - Crossing Borders in European design" of MOTI, Museum of the Image in Breda, the Netherlands, curator Erik Kessels brought together eight international graphic designers with eight companies of the Province of Brabant. The results of these collaborations are shown from September 29 to November 25 at freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL. The exhibition opening takes place as part of the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK on September 28 at 18:30. A preview will be presented at 10:00 in a press tour.

Graphic design is not what it used to be. The time when art and design was still about ink on your fingers and individual skills seems to be far behind us. Current techniques have made these professions more transparent and accessible. This means that a lack of professional knowledge is no longer a problem; a lack of good ideas however, is. Disciplines such as fashion, photography, painting, architecture, advertising and graphic design have become porous. Artists and designers no longer work within one discipline but instead branch out into different domains. In this way, fascinating cross fertilizations arise. Artists now regularly make detours to graphic design while graphic designers move increasingly in the direction of art.

To celebrate this diversity "Graphic Detour"shows the work of artists who have crossed the boundaries of their discipline. These innovative talents work with different media and are modernizers with distinctive ideas.
By offering various companies a ‘blind date' with these creative thinkers, new designs have emerged. Graphic Detour has become a meeting between artists and ceramicists, printers, carpenters and even candy manufacturers. The result is a collection of detours that lead us to a completely new territory.

Guest curator Erik Kessels selected and connected the eight companies with the eight artists: The British designer Daniel Eatock worked with KEMO, a company that makes models and prototypes. Damien Poulain from France is linked with confectionery company Jamin. Dutch artist Koen Taselaar works with metal manufacturer Metaalplan.
Other combinations are Marti Guixé (ESP) with packaging factory Kompak, Joachim Schmid (GER) with NPN Printers, Erik Steinbrecher (SUI) with the European Ceramic Workcentre, Tod Hanson (GBR) with textile manufacturer Vlisco and FUEL (GBR) with De Geus woodworking.

In addition to exhibiting the work that the artists made with the companies, "Graphic Detour" also shows their recent work. In this way, the exhibition provides an overview of the increasingly blurred boundaries of graphic design, developing into a completely new way of art.

The exhibition is part of the quartier21 exhibition series "freiraum quartier21 INTERNATIONAL" in cooperation with the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the Dutch Embassy in Austria and other partners from Austria and abroad.