GHENT.- Painting After Painting showcases the work of over seventy contemporary painters living and working in Belgium. Without striving for completeness, S.M.A.K. attempts to outline the recent developments and trends in the medium. Despite the many claims of its death, painting remains a thriving art form. Artists today draw on the motifs and techniques of the past, but equally explore and push the boundaries of the discipline. Some create narrative works addressing their daily lives, political and social issues, or questions of identity, gender and representation. Others adopt a more abstract or formalist language and explore the relationship with other contemporary image-making forms.

Painting After Painting aims to celebrate the depth and complexity of the medium painting. The exhibition is complemented by a richly illustrated catalogue, featuring essays by Dominic van den Boogerd and Tanja Boon. Furthermore, S.M.A.K. will transform Room 1 into a painting studio throughout the exhibition period, offering visitors, including groups and schools, an opportunity to express their own artistic creativity.

Marc De Blieck
17.Oct.25 - 15.Mar.2026*

In the autumn of 2025, S.M.A.K. hosts the first comprehensive solo exhibition devoted to the work of Marc De Blieck (b. 1958, Sint-Niklaas, BE). De Blieck is a consistent and influential figure in conceptual photography in Belgium. He views the photographic image as a construction that arises at the intersection of technology, cultural norms, and aesthetic principles. Despite their simple construction, his images reveal an increasingly complex visual grammar, exposing the tension between a photographic vision and the artificial. De Blieck starts from a critical reflection on the essence and malleability of images, but also raises questions about our understanding of visual experience. De Blieck's recent work forms the starting point for the selection of existing series, which highlight the artist’s fundamental research.

EUROPALIA ESPAÑA
28.Nov.25 - 3.May.26*

Every two years, EUROPALIA organizes a multidisciplinary artistic programme across Belgium, each time highlighting a specific country or theme. In 2025, the focus is on Spain, a country renowned for its vibrant culture. Drawing inspiration from the revolutionary artist Francisco Goya, EUROPALIA ESPAÑA explores current issues such as global politics, climate change, and societal dynamics. As with the previous editions dedicated to Georgia, Romania and Indonesia, S.M.A.K. is a partner institution once again and presents an exhibition on contemporary Spanish art.

Collection presentations
28.Nov.2025 - 3.May.2026*

Narcisse Tordoir: Fake Barok

Fake Barok (2016) is a perfect illustration of Narcisse Tordoirs’ (b. 1954, Mechelen, BE) groundbreaking approach to painting. Consisting of giant photo collages measuring 27 metres long and 3.5 metres high, the installation can be read as a single, elongated frieze. The artist donated the piece to S.M.A.K. in 2024, leading to its display in the museum’s largest exhibition space.

Aziz Hazara: Bow Echo

Bow Echo (2019) is a monumental five-screen video installation by Aziz Hazara (b. 1992, Wardak, AFG). Created for the 2020 Sydney Biennale, it was donated to S.M.A.K. in 2022. In this work Hazara creates a perfect, almost poetic metaphor for the dire conditions of war and power mechanisms in Afghanistan, and the ways in which the traumatized population tries to cope with the situation.

10 years S.M.A.K. Moves
19.Dec.2025 - 3.May.2026*

S.M.A.K. is more than a museum where you can look at contemporary art. Since 2015, ‘S.M.A.K. Moves’ has been bringing people closer to each other and art. Each project is an opportunity to learn, make and share something new together, and to be touched in a surprising way. In autumn 2025, S.M.A.K. will look back on the past decade, not with a static overview but with an active programme focusing on connection, learning and impact.