OPENING: Saturday 18 JANUARY FROM 17.00 - 19.30H

Upstream Gallery proudly presents Jeroen Jongeleen's new solo exhibition, Grey Zone Tactics: Black Ops, White Noise. The works in this exhibition build on his earlier running-based projects but are more than ever imbued with a political layer. The crises of our time, such as war conflicts and the looming threat of climate change, are palpable in a series of works employing various media, including video, sculpture, and text.

Jongeleen's work almost always originates in public spaces, where he leaves traces that he documents. Through his interventions, he encourages the free use of public space, driven by his belief that freedom of expression and movement lies at the heart of a truly democratic society. From this perspective, he examines his role as an individual and citizen within broader political issues. Without passing moral judgment or pointing fingers, he exposes the power dynamics at play in public spaces.

With the exhibition's title, Jongeleen refers to the gray area between peace and war in international relations. It is an ambiguous space where (as yet) no direct conflict occurs, but tactics such as espionage, disinformation, and cyberattacks are employed. These forms of hybrid warfare are often invisible to the individual but play a crucial role in contemporary global conflicts. Jongeleen himself also operates in a grey zone: the liminal space between legality and illegality. He ventures into places where he is not permitted to be and leaves traces that sometimes verge on vandalism. This in-between space, where rules blur and actions become ambiguous, forms the playing field for his work and reflects the complex dynamics of modern conflicts. 

Banner image: still from Running Between Works At Night, Jeroen Jongeleen (2023)

Grey Zone Tactics: Black Ops, White Noise | Jeroen Jongeleen 
18 January - 1 March, 2025