Museumplein 05 | Veronika Bezdenejnykh: Images from Home

Museumplein invites artists to temporarily occupy Jan Hoetplein. This square connects various museums – S.M.A.K., MSK, and GUM – with each other and also reflects Ghent’s history, with the Citadelpark as the epicenter of the 1913 World Exhibition. Every five months, the project presents new artworks on flags in front of S.M.A.K., with the works seeking connection with the square, the park, the city, and its residents; prompting us to reflect on the role that art can play in public space.

For Museumplein, Veronika Bezdenejnykh (°1990, Almaty – Kazakhstan) develops a series of flags inspired by walks through the Wondelgemstraat, in Ghent's Rabot neighbourhood where she lived for years: an arrival district where an Afghan baker, Romanian delicacies, an Asian Dumpling House and a Turkish decoration shop exist side by side. Bezdenejnykh photographed details of menus, interiors and cake batter, bringing them together with elements from her digital archive and decorative patterns from the facade of the Museum of Fine Arts. With Images from Home she brings a neighbourhood that rarely stands in the spotlight to the heart of the museum quarter.

The richness of Ghent's many cultures and communities is barely visible in public space. Monuments and squares still tell predominantly one story. Images from Home is a tentative step in another direction: by bringing together details from the everyday lives of different communities on this square, Bezdenejnykh makes that invisible diversity briefly visible.

Museumplein is a project by artlead and S.M.A.K, supported by the City of Ghent.