Background
KANAL is a new, interdisciplinary museum of modern and contemporary art in Brussels established by the Brussels Capital Region, developed and managed by the KANAL Foundation in partnership with Centre Pompidou. It will be situated in a converted Citroen factory in Brussels.
Occupying galleries, auditoria and public spaces across and around the building KANAL’s program of collection displays, exhibitions, live events and new productions bringing together established and emerging artists, will be conceived for and with our audiences. The program will embrace art which crosses disciplines from music to film, painting to digital media, sculpture to performance. It will reflect the central position that time-based media, performance, immersive experience and participation occupy in contemporary art, tracing the history of pioneering art practices throughout 20th century. The program and research will challenge traditional institutional formats to mirror the needs of our constituents and artists’ visionary ideas, while also interrogating the established narratives about art and its histories.
Exhibitions and Research Department
Alongside Performing Arts, Public and Partnerships, Collection, Library, Archive and Production teams, the Exhibition and Research department is charged with conceptualizing and delivering the interdisciplinary programme of exhibitions, collection displays, new commissions, research and publication activities that reflect Kanal’s values and the complexity of artistic practices and their histories. The Exhibitions and Research team contributes to the development of the organization’s vision and mission, ensuring that Kanal’s programme aligns with and advances institutional objectives as a center for artistic innovation and forward-looking debates and distinguishes Kanal within the cultural sector and beyond.
Your Role
This post offers diverse experience across all aspects of programming of the institution. The role assists and supports a variety of projects, including exhibitions, collection acquisitions and displays, new commissions, live events and audience-engagement programmes.
What will you do
Programme and Research
- Contribute to the curatorial development and management of a wide range of exhibitions, collection displays, commissions, live, community-based and engagement projects, reporting to lead curator, or act as the lead curator as appropriate.
- Contribute to discussion and critical thinking in the development phase of each project
- Support and contribute to all aspects of the exhibition making process, including but not limited to proposing and developing programme ideas, carrying out research, administration of loan requests, correspondence, negotiating loans, maintaining exhibition checklists, minute-taking, issuing purchase orders
- In liaison with the Registrar and Production Manager, coordinate and collate loan forms and assist in the ongoing administration of loans
- In consultation with the Registrar and Production Manager, coordinate aspects of the Kanal’s future touring exhibitions programme.
- Research provenance information of loaned artworks if required
- Maintain budget commitment logs and contribute to the preparation of budget estimates.
- Liaise with and coordinate external contractors including artists, curators, designers, sponsors and fabricators as required
- Accurately record data on Kanal’s database and exhibition management system.
- Contribute to Kanal’s research framework, maintain and develop active research interests, participate in research events such as conferences and symposia
- Contribute to the work of the team through administrative support, handling general visitor comments, enquiries to the department and general correspondence.
Live and Public programming
- Support and contribute to all aspects of the delivery of engagement and Live projects, including all organizational aspects
- Support and contribute to the delivery of public programme
- Liaise with colleagues in the Audience Engagement and Communication departments on the production, proof-reading and editing of press releases, labels, catalogues, leaflets and other gallery and public-facing information, including selection of images.
- Contribute to briefing future mediators regarding new exhibitions and displays to enable them to answer questions from visitors.
- Lead tours, deliver public presentations and talks as required
Acquisitions
- Research and contribute to discussions about potential acquisitions, as required
- Working with Senior manager, Collection, Library and Archive, support acquisitions process, liaise with artists, artists’ estates, dealers and private collectors as required
- Write short texts and acquisition proposals and provide other types of writings around Kanal’s Collection as required, writing in a clear, accessible style
- Maintain up to date the catalogue files and manage acquisitions information on the Kanal’s database
- Address issues related to conservation, framing, photographing and installation requirements of new acquisitions; liaising with colleagues and external experts
- Respond to public and specialist enquiries about the collection
What will you bring to the team
- Diploma in art history or related field, or equivalent experience.
- Broad knowledge of contemporary art and art history.
- Acute awareness of contemporary debates around art, including discourses around transnationality, legacies of colonialism and community engagement.
- Experience of working on the delivery of exhibitions and commissions in gallery, museum or public space context.
- Highly organized approach to work and ability to work under short deadlines.
- Hands-on approach to work, ability to demonstrate enthusiasm, initiative and to offer solutions.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, ability to work as part of the team.
- Proven ability to work on a number of projects at the same time with meticulous attention to detail.
- Excellent writing and presentation skills.
- Commitment to diversity and inclusion in institutional practice.
- Proficiency in French or Dutch and English
The KANAL Foundation aspires to be a reflection of the Brussels population, with staff and audiences as diverse as the communities it serves. We encourage you to apply if you share these values of diversity. KANAL does not practice any form of discrimination. Your application will be processed on the basis of objective criteria directly related to the skills required and/or the experience sought for the position.
Interested ?
Send your application (cover letter and CV) by email in a single PDF file, for the attention of Jean-François LECONTE, Secretary General, at jobs@kanal.brussels , by April 14 at the latest. Please indicate in the subject line of your email “Assistant Curator”. Interviews will take place on 27/04/23.
