BHVU stands for Basket House Village Universe, a term coined by Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck* in reference to the way of life of the Dogon people of Mali. By charging each material object that sustains their daily life, from the smallest to the largest with equal importance, the Dogon express their affinity to the ‘totality of creation’.
The name seemed apt for a small artist run gallery beginning out of the shell of a building where each and every stage of its renovation and development marked an important step towards a greater, though uncertain, vision. Since opening in February 2010, Basket House Village Universe has kept growing, developing a reputation for showing challenging and innovative exhibitions, screenings, and performances.
In 2012 BHVU is undergoing a transformation. While the heart of the gallery keeps beating, its artists are quietly rolling back into their shells to make some work of their own. The hub of artists who have contributed their energy and vision to BHVU will continue to work together and all those who have played an important role in the gallery’s consciousness are listed on the ‘Artists’ page, with links to their work and the BHVU exhibitions they were involved in.
We will be working on future off-site projects and anticipate many new movements arising from this quiet period. To stay in touch and on our radar join the mailing list and we will let you in on our future developments. Please keep listening, we are grateful for all the support we have recieved from the many different people who have come and visited.
