Concept
What we remember, and what is overlooked, is embedded in the spaces we inhabit. An Institution is not an Island open call invites artists to create site-specific interventions reacting to different spaces of KASK & Conservatorium. It is an opportunity to question institutional, infrastructural, historical and spatial hierarchies and collectively reflect on spaces as sites of resistance and transformation.
“An institution is not an island,” Chantal de Smet wrote in a reflection of a decade of KIOSK, where she emphasised the cruciality for art students to be confronted with society and the broader responsibilities of art institutions, which are deeply influenced by historical contexts.
Which histories of KASK & Conservatorium are made visible within its current infrastructure, and which narratives are hidden, forgotten, or erased? How do we engage with and position ourselves in the layered histories and spatial politics of the school and the Bijloke site? If we consider the institution as soft power and space as hard power, how might we reclaim both?
In The Production of Space (1974), Henri Lefebvre argues that space is never neutral. Spaces are designed, occupied and controlled, often favoring dominant ideologies. This open call encourages artists to intervene in KASK & Conservatorium’s spaces, much like how Lefebvre suggests urban space should be claimed by those who inhabit it. We aim to (re)activate these different spaces, either existing in the margins or occupying the center, in ways that are reflective of and critical toward their history, current use, and imagined future.
SPACES
The intervention proposal can take place in one out of five potential spaces at KASK & Conservatorium. Each intervention should engage with, interpret or react to a space’s spatial, historical, or social context, treating the space as a conversational partner rather than an exhibition backdrop.
If you would like to learn more about the history of the institution and the Bijloke site, view photos and maps of the specific spaces, or find links to archival material and other resources, click here.
We will also host a tour of the spaces on the 26th of March starting at 17:00 accompanied by the curators to have a first encounter with the spaces and ask potential questions. Applicants are encouraged but not obliged to attend. Please contact aninstitutionisnotanisland@gmail.com by March 23rd to register for the tour.
DEANERY MEETING ROOM
This small space located next to the deanery is used for staff and dean meetings, and should retain this function as a meeting room during the intervention. It’s often referred to as the ‘Malfait’ room, after Hubert Malfait, a Belgian painter who studied at KASK during World War I. The room holds a collection of portraits depicting previous deans of KASK & Conservatorium from the school’s archive, among others — all male, except for one: former director Chantal De Smet by Anne-Mie Van Kerckhove.
GARDENS
Once a hospital and monastery, the Bijloke is now a hybrid site housing several cultural institutions, including KASK & Conservatorium. In the past, its gardens played integral roles in the community. While some of these gardens are open and used recreationally, several are hidden away in between buildings, underused and overlooked.
CORRIDORS
KASK & Conservatorium is said to house the longest corridor in Flanders and can often feel like a maze of endless echoing hallways and corners. These liminal in-between spaces are used for passing through and lingering on a daily basis, but rarely imagined as central spaces to the school’s infrastructure.
ATTIC
The school’s attic exists above the institution yet remains inaccessible to students and staff — guarded and empty, except to store some pieces from the school’s archive and collection. Unlike the classrooms, studios, and corridors below, the attic holds no daily rhythm, only a suspended and undisturbed atmosphere. While this space is not accessible for a live audience, it would be an option for the intervention to be recorded or broadcasted.
CIRQUE
The Cirque is a restored anatomical auditorium which functioned as part of the polyclinic in the late 19th century. For several decades, medical students followed lectures in this characteristic, semicircular auditorium. Its tiered rows host a different kind of audience today — one that gathers for artistic talks and screenings.
APPLY
-
You can apply by filling in the form via this this link
-
We welcome all artistic disciplines, including visual arts, audiovisual arts, drama and music. Proposals for events, workshops, other participatory works and public programming are also encouraged.
-
Artists may submit proposals for multiple spaces, but each must be in a separate application form.
-
Proposals can be adaptations of existing works or new creations, as long as they can be completed within the given timeframe.
-
This open call is for Belgium-based artists, duos, or collectives, with a special invitation to KASK & Conservatorium students, alumni, and affiliates.
-
Selected projects will receive a €500 participation fee, including production costs.
-
To apply, submit the application form by Friday, April 11th 2025, 23:59, including: a short artist bio (max. 300 words), a portfolio (PDF file), and a project proposal (PDF file, max 2 pages). Up to three proposals will be selected based on their relevance to the space, feasibility, and connection to the overall concept. Applicants will be notified by April 19th, 2025. ‘An Institution is not an Island’ will unfold as a series of interventions in May 2025. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out at aninstitutionisnotanisland@gmail.com or find us on instagram @not_anisland.
ABOUT US
We are a group of curators currently participating in the Curatorial Studies postgraduate program at KASK & Conservatorium: Maartje Claes, Flora Vanclooster, Tuta Chkheidze, Bethan Burnside, Miranda Pastor, and Hanna Julia Erdosi.
Graphic design by Minne Piot.
