On Friday 3 July, Kunsthal Extra City, Lichtekooi and Out of Sight join forces for a conversation hosted by Out of Sight.

The starting point of this informal conversation is the acknowledgement that many actors – individuals and institutions – in the visual arts in Flanders are caught in a constant race to secure dwindling public funding.

Among the questions the exchange wishes to address:

• What impact do the divisions inherent in public funding for the visual arts in Flanders – between art and heritage decrees, artists and institutions – have on art practices and organisations?

• ‘Bottom-up’ initiatives and ‘grass-roots’ organisations are currently encouraged, but to what extent do these terms align with a celebration of artistic precarity. In other words: who benefits from the celebration of DIY initiatives?

• In an Antwerp context, how do we – artists, cultural workers and arts organisations – come to terms with the uncertainty surrounding M HKA’s future. How much space is there to truly reinvent a new model of interaction between a contemporary art museum and its various ‘ecosystems’?

Participants are invited to speak from their position as artists, cultural workers and as persons regardless of professional role concerned with the future of the visual arts in Flanders.

This conversation is part of a broader series of gatherings taking place across Flanders that reflect on the future of the visual arts field. The initiative is initiated by Kunstenpunt and FARO in collaboration with Kunsthallenoverleg (Argos, Kunsthal Extra City, Kunsthal Gent, Kunsthal Mechelen and Netwerk Aalst). Together, these conversations contribute to a broader trajectory that will culminate in a General Assembly of the Visual Arts.

An overview of all conversations can be found on the website of Kunstenpunt.

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION

• The fishbowl conversation takes place at Out of Sight.
• Languages spoken: Dutch, English & French
• Participation is free, upon registration through this form.

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Photo: Brent Mertens