Antwerp's museums stay up late to celebrate Ensor Night
Four museums in Antwerp will keep their doors open and their lights on late for Ensor Night on Thursday evening. During this celebratory year of Belgian painter James Ensor, a variety of cultural initiatives are taking place across Flanders.
2024 marks 75 years since Ensor's death, and Flanders has been honouring him with events hosted at several museums. At the start of the year, Ostend, Ensor's home city, kicked off the celebration.
Last month, Antwerp, which holds the largest collection of Ensor's work, presented four simultaneous exhibitions centred on the painter. With homages in the form of photography and makeup, etching and an overview of his oeuvre, the museums brought his masquerade-heavy art to the forefront.
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA), the Plantin-Moretus Museum, the Fashion Museum Antwerp (MoMu) and the Photo Museum Antwerp (FOMU), will stay open until midnight on Thursday with an array of activities and live music.
Aside from housing the most extensive Ensor collection, KMSKA has a massive programme featuring dance performances inspired by the artist's magical world. Lanterna Magica will host a projection show using a combination of magic, spectacle and science. Belgian DJ Jan Van Biesen will perform until midnight.
© BELGA VIDEO TIJS VANDERSTAPPEN
MoMu and Afrocentric curatorial collective Som·m·e Of Us invite several Black and queer artists for an inspiring evening. The programme includes a screening performance and Belgian film premiere of the fashion film YARDIE: ReDEFINED, next to DJ sets and live performances by Missy Da Kunt, SHADEDBYNATURE, Yav, LEGOLANE and Jazz Sanusi.
"The curatorial collective aims to engage in an artistic conversation with Belgian artist James Ensor's work"
"By showcasing the creativity of Black artists and the way in which they question the western societal norms of gender and sexuality, the curatorial collective aims to engage in an artistic conversation with Belgian artist James Ensor's work," the museum says.
At the Plantin-Moretus Museum, Ensor's The Seven Deadly Sins is the focal point of the exhibition, which invites visitors to indulge. Each part of the programme relates to one of the cardinal sins.
OVERLAST curates a musical lineup filled with fury. Catering and design company Baroque Baroque supplies a table of food and cocktails. Games of chance in the makeshift casino give visitors a look at greed. The Pornographic Archive of Clothed Dialogue by Magdalena Collectief offers a dialogue about sex, porn and lust.
Critical commentary
A guided examination of Ensor's print, The Pride, will provide space for discussions. Streaky, experimental imagery creates a laid-back, lazy feeling when immersed in TyPpO + oz'n'roll's electronic sound and image performances. Finally, under the guidance of a printer, individuals can create their own print based on Ensor's work.
American photographer Cindy Sherman is currently displaying more than 100 works at FOMU. Like Ensor, Sherman is known for her critical commentary on social conventions through masquerades and diverse characters.
FOMU's evening is all about self-expression, offering the chance to pose as an alter ego with the help of a stylist and take part in a photoshoot with the Belgian No Babes Agency.
Additionally, makeup artist Sarina Mannaert will explore the question of whether makeup is an art by transforming a model based on iconic works by Sherman. A Vogue and Ballroom workshop and DJ sets close the evening at the museum.
(MOH)
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS
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