SMAK

Coming People 2014

21 Jun - 14 Sep 2014

COMING PEOPLE 2014
21 June - 14 September 2014

'Coming People 2014' is a biennial exhibition of work by artists who have recently graduated from a Belgian School of Art. One of the participating artists will also receive the Prize of the Friends of the S.M.A.K. (the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent). This award, which brings with it a cash prize of 5,000 euro.

Despite quite a few great initiatives for young artists, it remains difficult for new graduates to find a career in the arts. Many movements remain underground and organizers often choose artists who have already been working for several years.
S.M.A.K. wants to focus on a selection of artists who have graduated just recently, but already have sufficient maturity to form part of an institutional platform. In this way 'Coming People' aims to build a bridge between the academic and the professional domains.

The artists will be selected in a rigorous procedure by an international jury including Lorenzo Benedetti (director of De Appel, Amsterdam), Martin Germann (senior curator S.M.A.K.) and Hilde Teerlinck (Director FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais, Dunkerque). The jury will make a selection based on the portfolios of the new graduates. The artists will then professionally advised by the curators with regard to presentation and framing, with a view to a full-fledged museum group exhibition.

The selected artists 'Coming People 2014':

Magda Amariorarei (°1988, Romania)
Leyla Aydoslu (°198, Belgium)
Kasper Bosmans (°1990, Belgium)
Karolien Chromiak (°1989, Belgium)
Lisette de Greeuw (°1990, the Netherlands)
Thomas Gilissen (°1987, Belgium)
Nadia Guerroui (°1988, France)
Bert Huyghe (°1989, Belgium)
Margarita Maximova (°1990, Russia)
Max Pinckers (°1988, Belgium)
Jura Shust (°1983, Republic of Belarus)
Jóhanna Kristbjörg Sigurdardóttir (°1982, Iceland)
Lut Vanautgaerden (°1960, Belgium)

New concept 'Coming People'

The concept of 'Coming People' has a long tradition. During the previous editions (2001 - 2011), SMAK and the Friends of the S.M.A.K. showed a selection from the year-end presentations of the two Ghent Schools of Art, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) and Sint-Lucas College of Science and Arts, campus Visual Arts (LUCA).

SMAK decided to upgrade the project and went looking for needs in the broader field of art. The growing supply of exhibition venues for young artists in Ghent partly meets the ambition of 'Coming People' to offer a forum for young artists. Therefore, starting this year, the project will be opened up to all Belgian Schools of Arts.
 

Tags: Kasper Bosmans