Every academic year, S.M.A.K, Ghent University and Curatorial Studies of KASK & School of Arts jointly organize the series of Curatorial Lectures. Jessy Koeiman’s opens under this year's theme of ‘Working with Communities’.
Curators connect communities with cultural institutions. They engage with communities, ensure accessibility, address social issues, and build trust between different stakeholders. This year’s series ‘Working with Communities’ invites practitioners to discuss the role of curating in shaping communities and relationships. How can curatorial work reveal power dynamics and offer alternative social imaginaries?
Artist and curator Jessy Koeiman, has been a programer for Collective Learning at Kunstinstituut Melly since 2018. The program is dedicated to creating experimental and collaborative learning opportunities that bring together diverse voices. Collective Learning challenges traditional hierarchies of thought and action, empowering young individuals and communities to become cultural agents equipped to effect positive change in their immediate surroundings. The ground-floor gallery, MELLY, serves as the central hub for the program’s wide range of collective learning events, workshops, and presentations.
During her studies in Lifestyle & Design (2013-2017) at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, Jessy Koeiman specialized in styling and photography while maintaining a keen interest in visual culture and critical studies. Her work as a visual artist primarily explores socio-cultural intersectionality, identity, and spirituality. In 2020, Jessy completed the "Inclusive Leadership" course at the Academy for Cultural Management. In 2021, she curated her first exhibition titled "BACK IN THE DAY IS OUR FUTURE," which was exhibited at the Melkweg in Amsterdam.
