The S.M.A.K in Ghent presents an exhibition offering a comprehensive overview of contemporary painting in Belgium

The Painting After Painting exhibition at S.M.A.K in Ghent presents a comprehensive overview of contemporary painting in Belgium, featuring works by over seventy artists born after 1970. 

This ambitious group exhibition highlights artists who shape the dynamics of the Belgian painting scene while also reflecting its international character—including those who were not born or do not reside in Belgium. The participating artists’ careers span painting’s evolution from its latest supposed “death” in the 1990s to the unprecedented resurgence the medium enjoys today.

The selected artists draw on 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, exploring the relationship with other contemporary image-making forms. 

Without aiming for completeness, S.M.A.K. paints a multifaceted portrait of recent developments and trends in painting. Celebrating the depth and complexity of the medium, the exhibition also features a dedicated painting studio running throughout its duration, inviting visitors—including groups and schools—to engage in their own artistic explorations.

The selection mainly includes works from the past three years, and a couple of artists have been invited to create an in situ work. Painting After Painting is complemented by a richly illustrated catalogue, featuring essays by Dominic van den Boogerd and Tanja Boon. 

INFORMATION

Painting After Painting - Peinture Contemporaine en Belgique
​From April 4, 2025, to November 2, 2025
​S.M.A.K - Jan Hoetplein 1, 9000 Gand
​www.smak.be

Curators: Tanja Boon, Ann Hoste, Philippe Van Cauteren et Liesje Vandenbroeck, en collaboration avec Sam Steverlynck

WITH WORKS BY

Koen Van den Broek, Firminy #7, 2023. Tar and traffic paint on Belgian linen, 180x135cm. Courtesy Philipp von Rosen Galerie, Cologne

Che Go Eun, Installation view Sleep Like A Rose, 2023. Wallpaper, mirror plexiglass, epoxy resin, glass, paint and wax. Courtesy the artist. Photo Silvia Cappellari

Kristof Santy, Koude schotel, 2024. Oil on canvas, 200 x 360 cm. Courtesy the artist and Sorry We're Closed, Brussels

Tina Gillen, ZENNE IV, 2023. Acrylic on canvas, 130 x 180 cm. Courtesy the artist and Nosbaum Reding Gallery, Luxembourg - Brussels

Marie Zolamian, Avoir le boulard, 2023. Oil on canvas on panel, 40 x 30 cm. Courtesy the artist and Bombon project gallery. Photo: Roberto Ruiz

Bram Demunter, The Joke of the Bear, 2021. Oil on canvas, 170 x 200 cm. Private Collection, Belgium. Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp - Rome

Libasse Ka, Souvenir de Matam, 2022. Acrylic and oil on wood, 17 x 24 x 0.3 cm. © Libasse Ka 2024, Collectie Vlaamse Gemeenschap / S.M.A.K.

Ben Sledsens, Dinner for Three, 2023. Oil and acrylic on canvas, 160 x 150 cm. Tim Van Laere Collection, Antwerp. Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp - RomeCharlotte Vandenbroucke, Mirnoir, 2024. Graphite, acrylic, marouflaged paper on panel, wood, 39 x 52 cm. Private Collection, Belgium. Photo Shivadas De Schrijver

Charline Tyberghein, Obitchuary, 2024. Oil in canvas, 180 x 130 cm. Courtesy the artist and Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp. Private Collection. Photo Joost JoossenShirley Villavicenzio Pizango Tell the moon what the sun told you about me, 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 180 cm. Private Collection. Courtesy the artist and Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp. Photo Joost Joossen

Joëlle Dubois, Cut to the Core, 2024. Acrylic on panel 110 x 97 cm. Diskus Collection, Belgium. Courtesy Keteleer Gallery, Antwerp

Carlotta Bailly-Borg, A Liquid Company, 2019. Exhibition view, Palais de Tokyo, Paris. Acrylic paint, metal, partially mirrored glass, 2 panels of 254 cm x 122 cm. Photo: Romain Darnaud. Courtesy the artist and Palais de Tokyo

Jannis Marwitz, The Raid, 2021. Oil on linen, 80 x 115 cm. Courtesy the artist and Trautwein Herleth, Berlin. Photo: GRAYSC

Carole Vanderlinden, Amnesia, 2024 Oil on canvas, 204 x 170 cm. Courtesy the artist and KARMAKati Heck, Zum Teufel, Positionen!, 2012. Oil on canvas, 120 x 120 cm. Tim Van Laere Collection, Antwerp. Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp-Rome

Sanam Khatibi, Garden Scene (It is said they are each other), 2022. Oil and pencil on canvas, 210 x 300 cm. Courtesy private collection. Photo: Hugard & Vanoverschelde

Nokukhanya Langa, I've been around for millennia, 2024. Oil and mixed media on canvas, 200 x 190 cm. Courtesy the artist and Saatchi Yates, London. Photo: Justin PipergerTatjana Gerhard, Nie seine Kraft vermisst, 2024. Oil on canvas, 65 x 58 cm. Courtesy the artist and PLUS-ONE Gallery. Photo: Joost Joossen

About S.M.A.K.

S.M.A.K. shows art from its own collection in dialogue with works of contemporary artists from all corners of the world. By means of contemporary art, S.M.A.K. seeks and gives meaning to this complex and fragmented world. In doing so, the museum makes every effort to be accessible and inclusive, because art is for everyone.

​