Finissage and presentation of the Friends of the S.M.A.K. Award

With this award, S.M.A.K. and its association of friends, the Friends of S.M.A.K., recognize the importance and relevance of the new generation of artists. An international jury selected three laureates from 112 submitted portfolios: Jimena Chávez Delion, Mark Grootes and Angyvir Padilla.

Due to the coronapandemic, the award ceremony was postponed, but Sunday 3 October 2021 is the day. The jury will examine the work presented in the exhibition of the Friends of the S.M.A.K. Prize and choose the winner. This Prize comprises 5,000 Euros in cash and an invitation to hold a solo exhibition in the Friends of the S.M.A.K. area. The artist with the most preference votes from the public will receive the public prize.

With this prize, we want to reward a young artist who addresses relevant, contemporary themes in his or her presentation, uses a distinctive visual language and makes optimal use of the space in which the presented work is displayed.

The jury consists of:

• Philippe Leeman, chairman of the Friends of the S.M.A.K.
• Sébastien Delot, director-curator, Musée LaM, Lille
• Anne Wetsi Mpoma, curator and founder of Nouveau Système Artistique, Brussels
• Eva Wittocx, curator and head of department for contemporary art, M-Leuven
• Lilou Vidal, curator and founder of Bureau des Réalités, Brussels-Turin
• Adriënne van der Werf and Jef Declercq, members Young Friends of S.M.A.K.
• Philippe Van Cauteren, artistic director S.M.A.K. and Ann Hoste, curator S.M.A.K.