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Artist Monster Chetwynd's “A Friends Making Machine” exhibition at the Middelheim Museum in Antwerp presents a captivating collection of monumental sculptures that invite interaction and contemplation. This immersive display transforms the museum's outdoor space into a dynamic arena for storytelling and engagement, featuring a series of fantastical installations. Among the highlights are the striking “Salamander Portal” and the enigmatic “Proscenium Arches,” each designed to spark conversation and connection among visitors. The exhibition runs from May 16th to October 11th, 2026, offering a unique blend of art, performance, and community interaction.

A focal point of the exhibition is Chetwynd's “Salamander Portal” (2026), a grand arch adorned with three colossal, fuchsia-colored salamanders. These creatures, with their large, dark eyes, seem to guard the entrance, their padded toes gripping a stone-like ring that appears ancient and weathered. The artwork evokes a sense of timelessness, reminiscent of archaeological discoveries or scenes from adventure films. This portal serves as a symbolic gateway for visitors entering the Middelheim Museum's sculpture park, one of the world's oldest open-air museums located in Antwerp, Belgium. The installation connects the artistic works within the park to a broader audience, including local residents, hospital patients, and university students, fostering a sense of shared experience.

Beyond the “Salamander Portal,” the exhibition also features “Proscenium Arches” (2026), a series of arches constructed in a distinctive collage style that reflects Chetwynd's background in theater and performance. These arches create an array of myth-making scenes, inviting viewers to ponder their meaning. One segment of “Proscenium Arch” showcases a glossy, red salamander with black spots, contrasting sharply with the pink salamanders of the portal. This creature, more menacing in appearance, is positioned beneath a bust of a woman with a hollowed-out nose, resembling a skull-like cavity. Another headless woman in lace-adorned robes stands nearby, and above this dismembered tableau, a grainy, full-color image of writhing, eyeless baby moles adds to the unsettling atmosphere, highlighting the artist's exploration of the grotesque and the absurd.

Another notable piece is “Hellmouth 5” (2026), a towering, turquoise, anthropomorphic arch through which visitors can pass. This sculpture, resembling the gaping mouth of a beast, features a padded upper lip like a lion's and large, spherical eyes. Inspired by Ingmar Bergman's 1975 film adaptation of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute,” “Hellmouth 5” explores the boundary between good and menace. Despite its threatening V-shaped eyebrows and alert, upright ears, the work possesses a cartoonish quality, making it appear as a whimsical, almost silly antagonist from a fable, blending fear with playful absurdity.

Completing the exhibition is “Tears” (2021), an installation of Zorbs—inflatable, human-sized hamster balls. Visitors can choose to enter these transparent spheres and spin within them, or simply observe the playful commotion. The Zorbs are intended to symbolize tears, prompting a dialogue about human emotions and how individuals confront or avoid them. Collectively, “A Friends Making Machine” acts as a threshold to the sprawling Antwerp garden, blurring the lines between reality and imagination. When experienced with friends, or new acquaintances, it cultivates a unique magic, scattering seeds of creativity across the museum's grounds.

Monster Chetwynd's exhibition offers a profound artistic journey through an array of vibrant and thought-provoking sculptures. Her works, from the sentinel-like salamanders of the portal to the theatricality of the proscenium arches and the emotional depth of the 'Tears' installation, create an engaging and interactive environment. This collection encourages visitors to delve into themes of connection, myth-making, and emotional exploration, transforming the Middelheim Museum into a space where art inspires dialogue and fosters a sense of shared human experience, leaving a lasting impression long after the visit.