The Rural: An Exhibition Investigating Urban and Rural Environments in Cultural Production

This book project, "The Rural," investigates the complex relationship between urban and rural environments through texts, interviews, and documentation. It explores the dynamic and multifaceted nature of the rural, challenging the traditional dichotomy between city and countryside.

"The Rural" is an extensive collection of texts, interviews, and documentation that delves into the intricate relationship between urban and rural settings in contemporary cultural production. The project posits the rural not as a fixed geographical entity but as a dynamic concept, a mindset, or a practice that can detach from a specific location. It critiques the historical dichotomy between urban and rural, highlighting their interdependence and the false premise of their separation that served to maintain power structures. Wapke Feenstra, alongside Kathrin Böhm, edited this volume, driven by their own artistic practices as Myvillages. Their work in rural settings consistently questions the cultural dominance of urban perspectives and advocates for greater understanding and recognition of the rural as a site of contemporary culture. The book surveys the work of numerous artists and writers, including Lara Almarcegui, Lina Bo Bardi, Homi K. Bhabha, Okwui Enwezor, and Hal Foster, among many others, offering a comprehensive exploration of the rural in art and theory.