Vrienden van SMAK Friends of SMAK

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België
Ghent
Vrienden van SMAK Friends of SMAK

Vrienden van S.M.A.K. hebben sinds 1957 een ledenwerking, verzamelen kunstwerken en organiseren tal van activiteiten in binnen- en buitenland.

23/09/2026

Some images from the book launch KUNST IN MEERVOUD - July 5th 2026

Each year, Friends of S.M.A.K. invite artists to create a limited edition artwork. This longstanding tradition dates back to 1960. The selection of artists is often closely linked to S.M.A.K.’s exhibition program. One copy of each edition is added to the museum’s collection.

Art editions are artworks produced in a limited run, signed and numbered by the artist. By publishing these editions, we offer our members and followers the opportunity to acquire artworks at an accessible price.

This year, we are placing special emphasis on our editions with the publication of the book KUNST IN MEERVOUD (Art in Plural) presenting an overview of all S.M.A.K. editions from the period 2000–2025.

By purchasing an art edition, you support the activities of the Friends of S.M.A.K. and the continued growth of the museum.

The book is for sale for 50 euro, members get a 10% discount. Come and get your number!

Images by Bultynck Seppe Seppe Bultynck

15/09/2026

New limited edition by Maud Gourdon

Deux chants de blé, 2026
65 + 8 AP
two Jacquard-woven ribbons with nuts, wrapped around a cardboard wiht printed UV text
2 x 1m50

order your number > www.smak.be

Maud Gourdon (b. 1991, Beauvais) makes installations based on a range of media such as publications, texts, drawings and sculptures. Her practice explores possible points of contact with history and old traditions by means of intimate stories and trusted objects. Language and coincidence play a leading role in Gourdon’s artistic process. Slips of the tongue and homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings – are important components of the narratives in her work.

This edition consists of two jacquard-woven ribbons that pay tribute to two activist movements, the English Diggers (1649, Surrey, EN) and the San Francisco Diggers (1966, Sans-Francisco, USA). The English Diggers opposed the privatisation of the common lands. The San Francisco Diggers, meanwhile, promoted a free economy and defended public spaces as common places of freedom. Although separated by several centuries, the adoption of the name “Diggers” by the San Francisco activists signals an explicit alignment with the legacy of their English predecessors.
Each ribbon bears one of their respective slogans—“Our commons are free” and “Do your own things.” This edition utilises the limited space of the ribbon as a place of protest, memory, and storytelling.

The artist has work in the S.M.A.K. collection.

Maud Gourdon | ABC DNA, 2019
mixed media, variable dimensions
2021 on long-term loan from the Flemish Community Collection

Last image.

10/09/2026

This was our travel to Ruhr area in Germany: Manifesta Biennial Museum Folkwang Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden MKM Museum Küppersmühle Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg MUSEUM ABTEIBERG and an exclusive artist talk by Jitka Hanzlová.

07/07/2026

New limited edition by Joëlle Dubois

Joëlle Dubois | Milo, 2026
40 + 5 AP
15 x 22 x 4 cm, hand-painted ceramic. Price: 935 euros | 850 euros (members) Joëlle Dubois’s (b. 1990, Ghent) recent work reveals a more introspective approach, centering on themes of memory, grief, loss, and the search for solace. While her earlier paintings were characterized by vibrant colors and sensual figures, she now opts for a more subdued palette and restrained compositions. This new chapter serves as an intimate reflection on the loss of her mother and the accompanying grieving process. The fading—and ultimate loss—of individuality and identity forms the central thread; Joëlle witnessed the person within her mother gradually slip away due to Alzheimer’s disease. Dubois has delved into the symbolism surrounding life and death, incorporating elements such as forget-me-nots, crows, lilies, and eggs. The work also features personal references, including the leopard print that was her mother’s favorite, Post-it notes serving as memory aids, and Milo—her mother’s dog, whom Dubois has since taken into her own care.

This edition reflects the spirituality she experienced during her time in Mexico.

The spirituality surrounding the temples of Teotihuacán centers on balance, the cosmos, and the cycle of life. The original builders did not view the city merely as a place to live, but as an exact earthly replica of the universe.

The central thoroughfare running past the temples is known as the Avenue of the Dead (*Calzada de los Mu***os*). In Teotihuacán spirituality, this was a symbolic path connecting three worlds: the underworld (the caves beneath the pyramids), the earthly realm (the avenue itself), and the heavens (the summits of the temples). In Joëlle’s own spirituality, it represents a connection between her mother, herself, and her dog, Milo.

On view S.M.A.K.

24/06/2026

5.Jul.26 | Book presentation KUNST IN MEERVOUD. Edities 2000-2025

Every year, Friends of S.M.A.K. invite artists to create a limited art edition. This long-standing tradition dates back to 1960.

By publishing editions, we give our members and followers the opportunity to purchase artworks at an affordable price.

This year, we are putting our editions in the spotlight with the publication of the book KUNST IN MEERVOUD (Art in Plural), featuring an overview of all our editions from the period 2000-2025.

The book is a limited edition, hand-numbered from 1 to 600.

Most welcome on Sunday July 5th at S.M.A.K.!

11:00 Reception
11:30 Speech by Chair Bruno Matthys, in the presence of artists and the board
11:45 - 13:00 Drink

The book will be for sale for 50 euros, starting July 5th. Members enjoy a 10% discount upon presentation of a valid membership card. Reserve your copy now via [email protected].

06/05/2026

New limited edition by Francisca García & Mario Navarro

Doble soliloquio/double soliloquy, 2026
13 + 2 AP
50 x 70 cm, silkscreen on Munken Rough 300 gr paper with glued felt figure
Every work is unique

> smak.be

Francisca García and Mario Navarro have their solo exhibition ‘Unearthed Conversation’ until September 13th.

Chilean artists Francisca García and Mario Navarro’s exhibition – ‘Unearthed Conversation’ – is inspired by the Atacama Desert. Located at the mouth of the Loa River in northern Chile, this is a landscape shaped by diverse narratives: ancient Chango archaeological sites, a geological resemblance to the planet Mars, home to the world’s largest telescopes, and still scarred by the Pinochet dictatorship.

Motivated by Aquí vivieron (1964), a documentary by Chilean filmmakers Pedro Chaskel and Héctor Ríos, as well as images recorded on Mars by NASA’s Perseverance rover, the artists explore how past, present, and future landscapes converge. Through sculpture, video, sound, textiles and watercolours, they delve into the idea of the surface as a boundary between what is known, when exposed, and the unknown, which lies hidden beneath the ground, and is investigated and discovered. Unearthed Conversation reveals how human ‘discoveries’ are inevitably accompanied by desire, appropriation, and colonization. By focusing on the silent material witnesses of a culture, they contrast fragile early modes of discovery with the optimism surrounding contemporary technological innovation.

In their work, Francisca García (b. 1969, Santiago, Chile) and Mario Navarro (b. 1970, Santiago, Chile) each excavate the visible manifestations of the world around us from their individual perspectives. Although they maintain separate artistic practices, they are collaborating on this project at S.M.A.K. They share a ‘forensic’ approach to image, landscape, politics and utopias.

exhibition views: Dirk Pauwels

Adres

Ghent

Telefoon

0032 9 2407625

Website

http://smak.be/nl/vrienden-v-h-smak

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