Wayward Sanctuaries is a group exhibition in which artists explore new ways of creating a home. In a world full of change and uncertainty, they use art, rituals and spirituality to build their own spaces of connection, resistance and hope. The exhibition invites you to reflect on community, memory and the power of collectively imagining new worlds.
The exhibition brings together work by fifteen young artists living and working in Belgium: Elise El Yousfi, Collyns Charts, Jonabel Huavas, Aya Koné, Eveline Bumba, Joseph Palframan, Luz E.L. Bran, Hsiao-Hsi Chen, Charbel Alkhoury, Jiyoung Chu, Aïcha Ouattara, Emily Walter, Thuy Lê Thi Thu, Kenny Mala Ngombe en Kadia Doumbouya.
The exhibition is curated by Leana Boven.
At a time when multiple crises are unfolding worldwide, the artists in Wayward Sanctuaries question what it truly means to create a home. A home isn’t just a place you can escape to. It can also be a place where there is room for new and unconventional ideas and where forms of resistance can take root.
The artists in Wayward Sanctuaries do not wait for existing systems to grant them a place. They build their own communities through ritual acts, spiritual thinking and ‘rememory’: the conscious retrieval of stories and memories that are often forgotten or repressed. In this way they try to give meaning, offer hope and create a sense of connection.
The artists work within and against institutions or systems yet also bend them to their will. They appropriate these spaces as sites of collective spirituality and sanctuaries for magic and imagination.
The exhibition also explores the larger cycles of life: death and rebirth, presence and absence, collapse and recovery. It invites you to view change, evolution and growth in a new light.
Leana Boven
Leana Boven (1993, Paramaribo), is curator, writer and program developer. In her work, she explores themes such as diasporic memory, archives, urban development and climate justice from a decolonial perspective.
POC POC
People of Color
Wayward Sanctuaries is the group exhibition of the third edition of POC POC, a multi-year mentorship and development program by The Constant Now. The artists in this exhibition participated in the program for two years and worked with mentors to develop their practice and position withing the art field.
Mentors: Caroline Dumalin, Anne Wetsi Mpoma, Laura Nsengiyumva en Magali Elali.
With support of the Flemish Community.
The Constant Now
The Constant Now is a nonprofit organization, founded by artist and curator Magali Elali, who supports artists of color through mentoring, exhibitions, projects and talks. By increasing their visibility, fostering collaboration and initiating dialogue across generations, the organization challenges inequalities in the art world and amplifies voices that are too rarely heard.
The Constant Now operates nomadically in and outside Belgium. In collaboration with cultural institutions, the organization aims to help shape the artistic landscape and build a more inclusive and connected art community.
