Our story

The first edition celebrated play in all its forms, inviting visitors to interact and experience art in unexpected ways. Highlights ranged from leaping from the first floor of the Broel Tower (Piero Golia) to bouncing on a giant bed in the Market Square (Jennifer Rubell), creating lasting memories.

The second edition continued this playful spirit but with a new dynamic. Visitors were invited to swing with Adam and Eve (Jeremy Deller), invent their own book titles (Jaro Varga), or dance among colourful ribbons (Jacob Dahlgren).

With the third edition, the curators took things a step further. Interaction with the public remained important, but the focus shifted from exuberant play to experience and reflection. Visitors could create salt drawings (Motoi Yamamoto) or rediscover their voice while walking through a tunnel at the Market Square (Laia Estruch). The city art triennial has evolved, and so have its visitors. Beyond play and interaction, there is now more space for contemplation and the deeper meanings of contemporary art. One example is Painting by Vladimir Nicolic, a work that pays homage to Kazimir Malevich and Constructivism.

From the outset, curators Patrick Ronse and Hilde Teerlinck aimed to create a triptych. Their vision was to build a coherent whole, with each edition thematically connected to the previous one. PLAY explored the playing nature of humankind–a sense of playfulness reminiscent of paradise. PARADISE celebrated abundance and joy, a tribute to freedom and creativity. AFTER PARADISE, by contrast, confronted visitors with scarcity and unrest–a reflection on what comes after paradise, but also on commitment and responsibility. Together, the three editions form a layered narrative about art, humanity, and society.