Statement HISK - The museum as muse, driving force and magnet
16 October 2025 - 10:25 am – Statement of SupportAntwerp, which profiles itself locally and internationally as artistic and avant-garde, cannot do without a museum of contemporary art. Such a museum functions as a muse and driving force for the local artistic biotope. It also is a magnet for international artists, art students, art workers and art lovers. Removing this museum would have the effect of a lobotomy. The link between the past, present, and future would be severed.
Statement HISK
The museum as muse, a motor, and a magnet
Art collections are the working memory of current and future artists and art workers. They help determine the discourse and practice of contemporary art. That is why we must permanently activate and validate these collections. This can only be achieved through high-performing public institutions that build, house, study, and unlock these collections.
Antwerp, which profiles itself locally and internationally as artistic and avant-garde, cannot do without a museum of contemporary art. Such a museum functions as a muse and driving force for the local artistic biotope. It also is a magnet for international artists, art students, art workers and art lovers. Removing this museum would have the effect of a lobotomy. The link between the past, present, and future would be severed.
The renewed HISK, an interdisciplinary post-master program to which we are currently committed, sees the M HKA as a necessary partner. Together we will strive for a powerful and dynamic urban arts landscape. The museum acts as a fertile place of memory for new art. Art education, including HISK, guarantees its future. One cannot exist without the other.
We call on policymakers and representatives from the visual arts field to engage in dialogue and work together towards an ambitious and feasible plan for contemporary art in Antwerp and Flanders. Imagination is one of the few internationally valued resources in our region. The closure of an art museum will have a disastrous impact on this.
On behalf of the board of directors of the new HISK,
Nico Dockx, Pascal Gielen, Michaël Goris, Ann Laenen, Wim Lambrecht, Johan Pas, Jan Rombouts, Annick Schramme
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