Understanding Reality Through Art?

The Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst’s exhibition Chambres d’Amis made history in 1986: 51 international artists exhibited their works in the living rooms, stairwells, and bedrooms of private homes throughout Ghent, thereby fundamentally redefining the conditions under which art can be experienced. Intimacy and unpredictability became decisive factors in an art exhibition. In the years that followed, the S.M.A.K. organized further similar exhibitions in urban spaces. To mark its 40th anniversary, the institution has invited the three artists Heike Pallanca, Haim Steinbach, and Susanne Kriemann—who once participated in such shows—to each design a gallery within the museum dedicated to their artistic practice and to reinterpret artworks from several years ago. Chambres d’Amis turn 40 opens on May 30 and closes on January 10, 2027.

At the same time, the exhibition Carole Vanderlinden. Keep a promise opens on May 30. In this solo show, she presents works from the past five years. The work of this artist, born in Brussels in 1973, is difficult to pin down: At first glance, her paintings and paper-based works appear simple, but they then reveal themselves to be a complex interweaving of diverse cultural spheres: elements of everyday objects, philosophy, and music merge with abstract patterns and references to art history. Vanderlinden explores the seemingly inextricable web of human culture and relationships. This exhibition ends on October 11.