Open Letter in Defense of M HKA Antwerp
20 November 2025 - 3:19 pm – Statement of SupportWe, members of the Ukrainian artistic community - artists, curators, writers and cultural workers, write to express our profound concern regarding the decision to dismantle M HKA as an independent institution and relocate its collection.
Open Letter in Defense of M HKA Antwerp
From the Ukrainian Artistic Community to Caroline Gennez, the Flemish minister for Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, Culture, and Equal Opportunities.
As the future of M HKA becomes a matter of international public debate, we feel compelled to address the proposed changes that carry serious consequences for Belgium's cultural landscape, for the preservation and continuity of an internationally significant contemporary art collection, and for the wellbeing of those who have dedicated themselves daily to this institution's mission.
We, members of the Ukrainian artistic community - artists, curators, writers and cultural workers, write to express our profound concern regarding the decision to dismantle M HKA as an independent institution and relocate its collection.
Belgium and Ukraine have a long-lasting history of cultural connections. Its cultural cooperation has been growing in recent years and now includes exchanges in almost every art field: visual art, music, theatre, cinema, and literature. And M HKA was the first among Belgian and European institutions which opened the doors to Ukrainian artists with trust and hospitality. Key Ukrainian artists of different generations have exhibited their work in M HKA, building bridges between the two artistic communities.
Today, after the full scale invasion, Antwerp hosts a significant Ukrainian diaspora community, maintaining these historical ties through contemporary cultural exchange.
For Ukrainian artists M HKA has been an essential gateway to European contemporary art discourse. This role carries particular weight given that Ukraine itself lacks a museum of contemporary art and the country's infrastructure of cultural institutions is partially destroyed by war. . In times when geographical and political barriers have intensified, particularly following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, institutions like M HKA have become crucial places for cultural exchange and dialogue between Ukrainian artists and Western European audiences, giving visibility for marginalized voices from regions experiencing conflict and displacement, international networking opportunities that transcend borders and political divisions, supporting artists in exile and transit.
The museum's recent exhibition together with the Most Magazin (Poland) Kyiv Biennale (Ukraine) "There Is Nothing Solid About Solidarity" explored how communities find new forms of connection outside established structures and how solidarity and empathy endure under pressure. In 2022, the most tragic moment of Ukrainian recent history M HKA co-organised a series of highly important exhibitions 'Imagine Ukraine' at its own venue, in Bozar (Brussels) and in the European Parliament (Parlamentarium, Brussels).
When the war in Ukraine broke out, M HKA was the first to share the statement of Commitment for Ukraine and take the practical steps of supporting Ukrainian art scene and boycott Russian state-tied institutions.
This institutional bravery is rare and precious. In a moment when many European cultural institutions are choosing silence or complicity with censorship, M HKA stands as a beacon of what museums should be: spaces for difficult conversations, platforms for marginalized voices. The decision to weaken M HKA comes at precisely the moment when such courageous institutions are most needed.
The decision regarding M HKA does not exist in isolation. It follows the closure of HISK (Higher Institute for Fine Arts), Belgium's prestigious postgraduate arts program that for decades provided young local Belgium and international artists with workspace and pedagogical guidance for two years.
The decision to consolidate contemporary art activity in Ghent under S.M.A.K.'s umbrella raises serious concerns:
A healthy art ecosystem requires multiple institutions with distinct identities, curatorial approaches, and programming philosophies. The consolidation threatens to create a monopolistic structure that reduces diversity of perspectives and experimentation. We respectfully urge the Flemish Government to reconsider this decision and explore alternative approaches.
Before implementing changes by 2026-2028, conduct comprehensive consultations with the international art community, including artists, curators, and cultural organizations who rely on M HKA's programming and platform.
We must emphatically state: museums are not commercial enterprises to be evaluated solely through visitor numbers, cost-efficiency ratios, or short-term financial performance. Museums are institutions that produce knowledge, preserve cultural memory, and create dialogues that will work across generations. Their value cannot be captured in quarterly reports or attendance statistics.
M HKA's mission extends far beyond counting visitors through turnstiles.
Museums work outside of time. What seems "underperforming" today may be recognized as visionary decades hence. The artworks preserved, the artists supported, the conversations initiated - these create ripples that extend far beyond immediate measurability. To judge MHKA primarily on efficiency metrics is to fundamentally misunderstand the role of contemporary art institutions in society.
We respectfully ask the Flemish Government to reconsider this path and work with the international art community to find solutions that preserve M HKA's independence, identity, and vital role in the European contemporary art landscape.
With respect and hope for continued cultural exchange
Zhanna Kadyrova, artist, Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine, 2025, participant of ‘Imagine Ukraine’ M HKA project in 2022
Nikita Kadan, artist, independent curator, Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine, 2022, participant of ‘Imagine Ukraine’ M HKA project in 2022
Nikolay Karabinovych, artist and independent curator, participant of ‘Imagine Ukraine’ M HKA project in 2022
Dana Kavelina, artist, participant of ‘Imagine Ukraine’ M HKA project in 2022
Olesya Ostrovska-Luta, deputy director of Mystetskyi Arsenal National Art and Culture Museum Complex
Alona Karavai, founder of Asortymentna kimnata, Kairos Prize 2023
Kateryna Semenyuk, co-founder of Past / Future / Art memory culture platform,
Oksana Barshynova, deputy director of the National Art Museum of Ukraine
Yevgenia Belorusets, artist, writer, Preis Frau Europas 2023
Ksenia Malykh, program director of Promprylad Art Center, co-founder of Closer Art Center
Maria Isserlis, curator, head of international relations of the State Art Collections Dresden, Germany
Yarema Malashchuk, artist, participant of ‘Imagine Ukraine’ M HKA project in 2022
Yevheniia Moliar, art historian, doctoral fellow DFG Research Group Identity and Heritage at the TU-Berlin
Ola Yeriemieieva, artist
Kateryna Aliinyk, artist
Oleksiy Sai, artist
Alina Kleytman, artist and independent curator
Anton Saenko, artist
Lesia Khomenko, artist, participant of ‘Imagine Ukraine’ M HKA project in 2022
Leo Trotsenko, artist, “Kriegsbilder” project co-curator
Anna Zvyagintseva, artist, participant of ‘Imagine Ukraine’ M HKA project in 2022
Yuriy Biley, artist, as a member Open Group collective
Olga Zhuk, curator, ex chief of cultural diplomacy department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Alice Nikitinová, artist, teacher at The Academy of Art in Prague
Yulia Kostereva, artist, curator, co-founder of Platform for Interdisciplinary practice Open Place
Lada Nakonechna, artist
Daniil Revkovskyi, artist, participant of ‘Imagine Ukraine’ M HKA project in 2022
Volodymyr Kuznetsov, artist
Alevtina Kakhidze, artist, “State of the ART(ist)” as Honorary Mentions by Ars Electronica and the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2023), Women in Arts Award - 2023, UN Women Ukraine, the Kazimir Malevich Artist Award winner in 2008
Bogdana Kosmina, architect, artist, co-curator of Ukrainian Pavilion at 19th Venice Biennale, co-founder of “Dzherelo” art space in Kyïv, participant of “There is nothing about solidarity” M HKA project in 2025.
Anastasiia Hurska, artist, researcher and designer.
Tatiana Kochubinska, art historian, independent curator, lecturer, and editor
Olexii Kuchanskyi, independent film programmer, researcher at eikones—Centre for the Theory and History of the Image (University of Basel), lecturer at the Slavonic Studies Seminar at the University of Basel.
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