Thematic Seminar: Cultural Entanglements: Politics, Power, and Artistic Exchange

LUCA School of Arts and De Koer invite researchers and curious minds to explore questions regarding cultural appropriation, political instrumentalisation, exoticising and heritagisation of historically or/and culturally remote artistic practices, including traditional arts. The event will critically examine how such practices intersect with politics, power, and decolonial methodologies in contemporary art.

Call for Presentations

The research cluster invites doctoral students to present at a one-day seminar exploring the complexities of artistic exchange, especially in relation to historically and culturally remote art practices. 

Download the full call here:

Deadline to apply: 31 October, 2025

Practical Info 🎟️

• Free lunch & dinner
• You can register for the day programme via the form. 
• Tickets for the evening performance are provided for LUCA/KU Leuven affiliates through the form above.
• Other attendees are welcome to join. You can order your ticket via De Koer.

Programme:

Day programme (10:30 - 18:30)

• a series of thematic seminars (TBA!)
• Keynote speakers: Cassandre Balosso-Bardin (KU Leuven) & Wendy Morris (LUCA / KU Leuven)

Evening programme (19:30 - 22:00)

Join us for two performances around the theme Cultural Entanglements: Politics, Power, and Artistic Exchange:

20:00 – ‘s Lands Welvaren

In ‘s Lands Welvaren, field recordings from Flemish folkloric festivals engage in dialogue with organic, free-form folk music. This interplay sparks a quest for a fictional past, often culminating in a peculiar kind of sonic neo-naturalism.

The ensemble consists of Glen Steenkiste (aka Hellvete), Steve Marreyt (Edgar Wappenhalter), and Simon van Honacker—two musicians and a sound artist/installer who dedicate their work to exploring traditional music from all corners of the world, with deep roots in pastoral Flanders. Independently and together in ‘s Lands Welvaren, they each explore the experimental qualities of folk, blues, Indian/Pakistani drones, and everything in between. Rather than striving to reproduce the past, they seek sound in the present—in archives and in their instruments. They capture a moment and guide the audience toward acoustic stillness, a dream, a trance.

21:00 – Maya Al Khaldi

Maya Al Khaldi is a musician from Palestine, based in Jerusalem. Maya’s work explores the voice and the music of the past and present, working with archival materials to imagine the future.

Organisers

The event is organised by the research Cluster ‘Art, Space & Sound’, Sint-Lucas, Gent, LUCA School of Arts as part of our Doctoral School programme. 

Organising and scientific committee:

• Annelies Monseré (Art, Society & Education, Ghent)
• Volkmar Mühleis (Imagination & Language, Ghent)
• Esther Venrooij (Art, Technology & Medium Exploration, Ghent)