On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, S.M.A.K. is presenting ‘The Collection (1), Highlights for a Future’. This exhibition includes about 200 works from the collection and, like the opening in 1999, it will occupy the whole museum. In this exhibition, S.M.A.K. wants to look mainly at the present and the future.
The underlying dimension of the exhibition – as the title suggests – is the need to create a proper building for contemporary art in Ghent so that the collection can be permanently displayed and housed under the best circumstances both in the museum and the reserves. In this sense, this exhibition in the present museum building is a bridge between the past – with the presentation of three works e.a. ‘The Aeromodeller’ by Panamarenko, ‘Wirtschaftswerte’ by Joseph Beuys and ‘Le Décor et son double’ by Daniel Buren in the MSK – and the future; a new, full-fledged accommodation for these ‘highlights’ of the S.M.A.K. collection both old and new.
Campaign #smakshouldbebigger
For that reason, we created a range of actions to underline this need. More than 2452 artworks remain in storage and we can't put them on display in the museum. We bring the hidden works of art to the shopping windows of Ghent’s merchants, so that anyone who is wandering through Ghent will see large posters of these work of arts. Also, as a resident of Ghent, you can help fulfil that dream of a new museum and hang a poster on your window to support us. You can find more information (in Dutch) and subscribe via this link.
And become a member of our association - Friends of SMAK @vriendensmak - and help fulfil that dream of a new museum, so that SMAK will no longer be too small in the future.
