What does it mean to build a museum in the name of artists?
In this talk, Philippe Van Cauteren, artistic director of S.M.A.K. (Ghent Museum of Contemporary Art), reflects on the museumโs history and distinctive identity through pivotal exhibitions, the development of its collection, and the long-term relationship it has built with the city.
Trained in sociology and art history at Ghent University, Philippe Van Cauteren co-curated the Belgian Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale with Berlinde De Bruyckereโs Cripplewood, and was commissioner of the Iraqi Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. He has curated exhibitions for the Kathmandu Triennale and the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, and is the author of Letters to Artists, a collection of correspondence written over 15 years of close collaboration with artists.
Following an inspiring (and fully packed!) talk in at Art Encounters at the end of 2025, Philippe Van Cauteren returns to continue the conversation.
The talk will be held in English
Art Encounters Foundation
Friday, 20 February
6:00 PM
Free entry
