Seeking a Senior Curator

M HKA is looking for a Senior Curator.

M HKA – Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp is a museum for contemporary art and visual culture. It is an open meeting place for art, artists and the public. Located in Flanders, M HKA aspires to develop its international profile further, building on the avant-garde tradition of Antwerp. M HKA bridges the relationship between artistic intelligence and broader societal concerns, operating between the international and the regional, the artistic and the public, tradition and innovation, reflection and presentation.

M HKA, the contemporary art museum of the Flemish Community, is poised to transform itself into a fully-fledged museum of contemporary art operating at an international level of excellence, with a permanent collection presentation, exemplary exhibition spaces, a research wing, and a public events forum exemplifying its offer to the general public and the specialised field. At the beginning of 2020, an architecture competition for the design of its new building will be concluded, with the opening planned for 2027. This period of transition is considerd an essential phase in M HKA’s future development leading towards the future. The transformation we are now undertaking will require a thorough review of all aspects of our operation: programme, collection, research, communication and organisational infrastructure.

In close dialogue with both the Associate Director and General Director, the Senior Curator will contribute to the general artistic operation, vision and development of the existing museum, leading towards its future operation. To this end, the Senior Curator will develop exhibitions of various form, from concept to evaluation. The exhibitions must balance different ambitions. They will be required to further develop the international profile of M HKA as an innovative institution, and also seek to appeal to a diverse audience. The Senior Curator will have to combine these twin challenges together with a keen interest in artistic developments in today’s multi-polar world, as well as scenes in Antwerp, Flanders, our region of Western European and Eurasia more broadly. The annual programme of exhibitions typically comprises three large-scale exhibitions, three medium-scale exhibitions and smaller-scale presentations that are realised in dialogue with participating constituencies (including communities of artists, researchers or social movements). The public events programme consists of artists’ talks, the annual performance-based event Art’s Birthday, book presentations and other ad hoc events, in combination with the film programming of our other venue De Cinema.

The position of Senior Curator requires a person who is driven by art and its presence in society, who has the capacity to see how emerging and historical developments can be made relevant in the present, who has received a relevant level of education, has significant experience of working with contemporary art, and is a competent organiser. They must be a team player, able to coach and bring people together. This person must speak English and Dutch fluently—or be willing and able to learn Dutch relatively quickly—and be an accomplished writer and communicator. Good practical knowledge of other languages, such as French, German, Russian, Turkish, Urdu, Chinese, Spanish or Arabic, is a strong plus.

If you think that this could be your future challenge, you can apply via our website by 5pm (CET) on Friday, November 15, 2019. All applications are treated with discretion.

For additional questions, you can contact Bart De Baere, General Director, via T: +32 (0)3 260 99 99 or via email: Bart.Debaere [​at​] muhka.be

For questions regarding the procedure, you can contact Veerle Bydekerke, HR employee, via T: +32 (0)3 205 36 41 or via email: veerle.bydekerke [​at​] muhka.be