Panel talk POC POC MANIFESTO
What challenges do People of Color (POC) face in the Belgian art scene? POC POC MANIFESTO is a travelling conversation series that brings together POC artists, curators, writers, and cultural workers for an open exchange on structural and personal experiences within the art field.
The series began in 2023 within a mentoring context and has since evolved into a public format hosted by cultural institutions. Each edition features new panellists and a new audience, and starts from quotes drawn from previous conversations, which serve as points of departure for further dialogue. In this way, the MANIFESTO remains a constantly evolving work in progress.
The editions focus on themes such as identity, language, artistic practice, employment, and well-being. The conversation at S.M.A.K. does not offer ready-made answers, but facilitates an intergenerational exchange between personal experiences, professional practices, and institutional contexts. The audience is actively invited to participate through questions and responses, thereby helping to shape the MANIFESTO.
Panellists
Anne Wetsi (curator)
Mounir Eddib (artist and artistic coordinator, The Building)
Mulugeta Tafesse (artist)
Lisa Ijeoma (artist)
Hamza Halloubi (artist)
Ben Benaouisse (artist and performer)
Moderator: Magali Elali (coordinator, The Constant Now)
- Thursday 5.Feb.2026
- From 19:00 to 20:00 during Late Thursday
- Auditorium S.M.A.K.
- Taal: Engels
- Free admission. Registration via reservation@smak.be
About The Constant Now
The Constant Now is a platform that supports artists of color through exhibitions, the POC POC mentoring programme, talks, and collaborations. Previous editions of the POC POC MANIFESTO took place at FOMU Antwerp, Kunsthal Gent, Cas-co Leuven, de Brakke Grond (Amsterdam), and WORM (Rotterdam).
