When they leave art college, it is usually hard for artists to find their way into the professional art world. The ‘Friends of S.M.A.K. Prize | Coming People’ is intended to play a mediating role by providing a regular platform for up-and-coming talent.
If you graduated at the end of the 2015-16 or 2016-17 academic year and you would like to take part, you will find all the necessary information here.
There is a long tradition behind the competition. From 2001 to 2011, S.M.A.K. and the Friends of S.M.A.K. presented an annual selection from all the graduation shows at Ghent’s art colleges under the title ‘Coming People’. Since 2014, the competition has only taken place every two years, but is now for all artists who have graduated in Belgium.
The selection of the best 5 entries is made by an international jury familiar with the Belgian scene. This year its members are Sonia Dermience (director of Komplot, Brussels), Antony Hudek (director of curatorial studies, KASK, Ghent), Pierre-Oliver Rollin (director of BPS22, Charleroi – to be confirmed), Niels Van Tomme (director of De Appel Arts Centre, Amsterdam) and a representative of S.M.A.K.
On 22 June, the ‘Friends of S.M.A.K. Prize | Coming People’, a cash prize of €5000, will be awarded to the winner and a group exhibition of work by the best 5 entries will also be opened.
In 2016 the prize was awarded to Diana Tamane. The runners-up were Chloë Delanghe, Joëlle Dubois, Tom Hallet, Vedran Kopljar, Stefan Nestoroski and Cléo Totti.
