Senior Curator

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. Slated to open in 2024, it will be situated in a converted Citroen factory at Yser square.

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

This new department joins Performing Arts, Public and Partnerships, Collection, Library, Archive and Production teams to conceptualize and deliver the interdisciplinary program of exhibitions, collection displays, new commissions, research and publication activities that reflect KANAL’s values and the complexity of artistic practices and their histories.

Your Role

The position works closely with Artistic Director to conceptualize, develop, and execute the program. The role manages the Exhibitions and Research Department and all aspects of its operations, leading the team of curators and assistant curators, supervising their roles and support their development. The Senior Curator cultivates relationships with artists, academics, collectors, galleries, institutions, and the broader art world, building support for KANAL’s artistic program.

Curatorial and Research

• In collaboration with Artistic Director devise and lead the development and successful implementation of innovative program blurring the borders between art disciplines and promoting transnational perspective on art history.
• Develop KANAL’s Research strategy, assure its relevance to KANAL’s program and collection, as well as global debates.
• Research and curate exhibitions, collection displays and commissions in the museum, public and digital spaces.
• In collaboration with Artistic Director and Senior Manager, Collection, Library, Archive contribute to KANAL Acquisition Strategy
• Work closely with Audience and Partnerships Department on the planning of integrated public program, encouraging new forms of audience engagement with focus on diversity and inclusion.
• Manage interpretation and scholarship, and serve as content authority for the exhibitions, ensuring, together with future Content Editor and Public Program Curator balance of scholarship and value for audiences in the community and the art world.
• Liaise with relevant departments in the production of innovative mediation and communication strategy.
• Develop KANAL’ s publication strategy, schedule and budget.
• Develop, contribute to, edit and oversee the delivery of KANAL publications.

Leadership and Programme Management

• In collaboration with Artistic Director and the Senior Management Team contribute to the development and delivery of KANAL strategic goals, shaping the institutions profile on local, national and international level.
• Together with Head of Program Delivery and Head of Production work towards establishing an efficient and transparent program delivery process; lead and coordinate work of project teams, set schedules and ensure appropriate liaison with other departments.
• Determine human, producing, financial, technological resources required to realize the program.
• Oversee the realization of program, including layouts and design of all commissions and exhibitions and assure efficient delivery of projects within available resources.
• Provide leadership to the team of curators, coach and motivate staff, foster a collaborative, interdepartmental working environment.
• Initiate international collaborations; secure tour venues for KANAL exhibitions.
• Develop and cultivate strategic local and international partnerships; cultivate relationships with artists, collectors, curators, galleries and institutions.
• Provide tours to press, members, and the general public.
• Represent KANAL at national and international level and in media.
• Participate in KANAL‘s audience development strategy and the continued cultivation of audiences.

Finance

• Plan, oversee, monitor and manage budgets; prepare budget reports for the department.
• Contribute to income-generation strategy, fundraise, cultivate donors, maintain relationships with high- profile patrons.

Who are you

The Senior Curator is an inclusive leader and imaginative curator receptive to new ideas, methods, and opportunities, and will be driven by KANAL’s commitment to innovation, equality and sustainability. Keen on engaging with issues pertinent to contemporary world through diverse range of artistic practices, you are willing to innovate in a cross-disciplinary context, embracing the process of blurring and shifting boundaries between disciplines. You will question institutional paradigms and act collaboratively to maximize audience participation in KANAL’s program. The job requires emotional intelligence, assertiveness, compassion, and decisiveness in dealing with complex artistic and practical issues while adapting to various situations with ease.

Qualifications & Qualities:

• Diploma in art history or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Extensive experience in the curatorial field with in-depth understanding of museum processes and issues related to working with institutional collections and loans.
• Broad knowledge of contemporary art, art history and international art world.
• In-dept awareness of contemporary debates around art, including discourses around transnationality and legacies of colonialism, reflected in research and curatorial practice. In-depth understanding of contemporary challenges of embedding equality and accessibility in programming and audiences.
• Strong commitment to diversity and experimentation in programming.
• Excellent leadership and management skills; ability to inspire, support and develop a team.
• A strong professional track record in art administration, strategic planning, and building collaborative relationships, with demonstrable results and international impact.
• Significant experience with planning, budgeting, contracting, scheduling, and implementation of complex projects.
• Demonstrated excellence in organizing exhibitions and programs in innovative formats.
• Broad experience in working with living artists, their studios, and galleries.
• Knowledge of, and interest in, performance, film, music, theatre, and dance.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with significant public speaking experience and a demonstrable history of catalogue texts, essays, and accessible interpretation materials.
• Proficiency in French or Dutch and English
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

We offer:

• A permanent full-time contract.
• An attractive salary with extra-legal benefits:
  • Hospitalisation insurance
  • Pension insurance
  • Meal vouchers worth 8 euros o STIB network subscription
  • Phone subscription
  • 8 days of additional leave
• Work in an exciting environment and in a museum under construction!

Interested?

Send your application (cover letter and CV) by email in a single PDF file, for the attention of Nathalie MARTIAT, HR Manager, to the address jobs@kanal.brussels, by no later than 01/05/22. Please quote the reference “Senior Curator” in the subject line.

Interviews will be held on 19 and 31 May. The interviews will be hold by internal and external panel