CURATOR (M/W/X)

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 is situated in a converted Citroen factory at the Yser square.

Occupying galleries, auditoria and public spaces across and around the building, KANAL’s programme of collection displays, exhibitions, live events and new productions bringing together established and emerging artists, will be conceived for and with our audiences. The programme 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 20^th century. The programme 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

Working together with Live, Audience Engagement, Collection, Library, Archive and Production teams, the Exhibition and Research Department conceptualizes and delivers 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 curatorial 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 role contributes to the development of KANAL’s research and programme framework and plays a key role in supporting KANAL in its ambition to rethink institutional models and the established narratives of art history. You will curate and develop new commissions, exhibitions and collection displays of modern and contemporary art and propose innovative research strands, which will contribute to the development of new scholarship. Together with the Production officers, the role will manage the delivery of exhibitions, public programmes, publications, and their respective budgets, as well as support acquisition activities as required.

What will you do

• In response to KANAL’s programme framework, draw upon art historical and curatorial expertise to develop and present compelling exhibitions, collection displays and new commissions of varying scope and formats across KANAL’s spaces.
• Develop related research and public programming, including lectures and symposia to enhance the quality of scholarship within KANAL
• Contribute to KANAL’s acquisition strategy as required, research acquisition candidates, write acquisition proposals and texts related to the collection
• Manage the production of exhibition-related publications, including editing texts, image research and copy right clearance as required
• Develop and maintain high level of knowledge of global modern and contemporary art and awareness of relevant debates
• Manage projects’ delivery process assuring exact scheduling and precise budget planning
• Manage and coordinate project teams as required; collaborate across teams ensuring effective delivery of all aspects of the programme; work closely with Audience team on devising engagement and interpretation resources
• Line-manage and mentor assistant curators and curatorial interns
• Identify funding options and partners for collaborations and co-productions of art projects
• Research and write texts of various scope and tone, including academic catalogue essays and in-gallery texts accessible for diverse audiences
• Deliver public presentations, tours and talks to press, members, and the general public
• Build and cultivate relevant local and international professional network

Qualifications & Skills

• Proven curatorial experience with track record of critically acclaimed exhibitions of various scope, demonstrating high level of understanding of issues surrounding the presentation of modern and contemporary art within museum context
• Excellent research and writing skills with track record of publications
• Expert knowledge of international art scene, acute awareness of contemporary debates around institutional practice and art histories; experience of work with both historical and contemporary figures stemming from diverse geographical regions is an asset
• Experience of working within international context with good understanding of processes related to loan procedures, conservation and touring
• Experience of working with institutional collections
• Excellent project and budget-management skills
• Highly organized approach to work and demonstrable ability to work under pressure and deadline
• 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 an inclusive team and to build effective working relationships with various constituents
• Proven ability to work on a number of projects at the same time with meticulous attention to detail
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion in institutional practice
• Proficiency in English, French or Dutch
• Ability to work flexibly and outside of traditional office hours

We offer

• A permanent full-time contract.
• An attractive salary with extra-legal benefits:
  • Hospitalisation insurance
  • Pension insurance
  • Meal vouchers worth 8 euros
  • STIB network subscription
  • Phone contract
  • 8 days of additional annual leave

• One day of teleworking per week at a flat rate of €45/month
• Work in an exciting environment and in a museum under construction!

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 24 at the latest. Please indicate in the subject line of your email “Curator”. Interviews will take place on 26/05/23.