Ghent 9000
Belgium
The Young Curators Programme (YCP) is a fellowship designed to provide opportunities for emerging curators based in the Flemish and French communities. Participants benefit from stays in Venice, during which they develop research activities while gaining experience through active participation in the life of the Belgian Pavilion at the International Art Exhibition—the Venice Biennale. This initiative represents a unique and rare learning opportunity within the context of a major international art event. It focuses on the transmission of curatorial expertise and exchange with international professional circles, while also providing mediation for the Belgian national pavilion, where emerging curators actively take on the role of hosts and cultural mediators for the public.
Curatorial Studies at KASK & Conservatorium (HOGENT—Howest) is among the main partners of the project and, as such, reserves half of the available places for its students and alumni. The fellows for the 2026 Biennale are Natalija Gucheva, Eline Ringhausen, Anna Laganovska, Carla Robin, Claris Ramnoux, Maartje Claes. They will provide mediation for It Never Ssst by Miet Warlop in the Belgian pavilion during the 61st International Art Exhibition—the Venice Biennale (May 9–November 22, 2026). Curator: Caroline Dumalin. Read more.
The Young Curators Programme is coordinated by Laila Melchior. Its main partners are Curatorial Studies (KASK & Conservatorium), ArBA-EsA—Académie royale des Beaux-Arts, Flemish Community, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Bureau International de la Jeunesse. In collaboration with: MORPHO, Kanal-Centre Pompidou and Scuola Piccola Zattere.
About the Curatorial Studies Programme
Curatorial Studies is an intensive one-year postgraduate programme covering key positions, legacies, ideas, and debates important to the curatorial. By drawing on the expertise of a broad network of cultural practitioners and institutions, the course aims to facilitate an environment in which a multiplicity of perspectives and critical discourses can thrive. Established in 1999, the programme is the result of a collaboration between KASK & Conservatorium/ School of Arts of HOGENT and Howest, Ghent University, S.M.A.K. – the contemporary art museum in Ghent, and Kunsthal Gent. The programme is taught in English.
How to apply
Applicants must have a Bachelor degree or equivalent. For information about admission requirements and how to apply visit here or contact Paul Lamont. For information about the programme please contact Course Director Laura Herman via curatorialstudies [ at ] hogent.be.
Enrolment fee: 2950 EUR. Other study-related expenses should be expected. Start of the programme: September 2026. Course length: One year full time. Classes are given from Mondays to Wednesdays while Thursdays and Fridays are dedicated to personal research, visits, mentorship placements, and occasional masterclasses.
You're kindly invited to visit our campus during the open day (April 26) or an info day (June 27, September 5).
Three interview rounds are organised per academic year.
Application deadlines and interviews
Session I
Deadline: Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 11:59pm
Interview: Thursday, April 30, 2026
Session II
Deadline: Thursday, July 2, 2026 at 11:59pm
Interview: Monday, August 24, 2026
Session III
Deadline: Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 11:59pm
Interview: Monday, September 14, 2026
