Artist Michael Blum speaks with curator Regine Basha. Blum’s work Exodus 2048, commissioned by the Van Abbemuseum for Be(com)ing Dutch, is installed on the fifth floor as part of Museum as Hub: Be(com)ing Dutch at a Distance. The multipart project presents an “Imagined Future” in the year 2048, in which the state of Israel has dissolved and the Van Abbemuseum serves as a temporary camp for Israeli refugees. The project’s “what-if” scenario addresses the role of the host and the refugee far into the future. In the context of the New Museum, the U.S.’s own particular history in relation to emigration and its strong relationship with Israel are reflected.

This artist talk is in conjunction with Museum as Hub: Be(com)ing Dutch at a Distance, on view on the fifth floor until March 29, 2009.