The Shaking Societies conversation will take a look at the role of contemporary art institutions in today’s society. Four curators from the Benelux region will discuss the work and agendas of art institutions in the midst of current global crises by presenting a selection of their own projects.
How can an art institution act as a force that changes the world, and our views on it? What kind of potential risks are there when a project dealing with the concept of societal change is realized inside an art institution? How could an art institution react responsibly to such risks, or to failures they may cause?
The guest speakers are Nav Haq (curator, M HKA, Belgium), Zoë Gray (Senior Curator, WIELS, Belgium), Sophie Lauwers (Head of Exhibitions, BOZAR, Belgium) and Enrico Lunghi (Director, Mudam, Luxemburg). The discussion will be opened by Director Leevi Haapala, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, and guests will be introduced by Annukka Vähäsöyrinki, Head of Projects at The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux. The discussion is moderated by Anna Virtanen, Head of Programme at Frame Contemporary Art Finland.
Guest Speakers
Nav Haq, Curator at M HKA in Antwerp, has organised numerous solo and group exhibitions with renowned international contemporary artists. This spring, Haq was appointed as the curator for Göteborg International Biennial of Contemporary Art (GIBCA).
Based in Brussels since 2012, Zoë Gray is the Senior Curator at WIELS, a prominent contemporary art centre in Brussels. WIELS is an international laboratory for the creation and diffusion of contemporary art, combining a set of complementary functions, such as exhibition, production and education.
Sophie Lauwers works as the Head of Exhibitions at BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts. Located in Brussels, BOZAR offers a variety of boundary-crossing programming in the fields of music, performing arts, visual arts, cinema and literature.
Art historian and writer Enrico Lunghi is the Director of Mudam (Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean), a high-profile contemporary art museum and international art collection in Luxemburg.
Shaking Societies is part of an expert visit to Helsinki, organized by the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux and Frame Contemporary Art Finland. During their visit, the curators working in the Benelux region will visit museums, galleries and artist-run spaces, and meet artists and art professionals in Helsinki.
Friday 28 October at 10am–12noon
Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art
Mannerheiminaukio 2, Helsinki
Seminar room
Welcome!
Photo: Jaakko Uoti / The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux