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Very Contemporary Conference: reading the region
November 14, 2025 @ 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
On behalf of Kunsthaus NRW and the trinational cross-border network Very Contemporary, we invite you to the conference »Reading the Region«. The Euregion Meuse-Rhine, the border region between Belgium, the Netherlands and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, form one of Europe’s most vibrant regions of artistic production and presentation, a true triangle of art. The conference brings together artists, institutions and professionals to discuss the conditions of art production, regional and cross-border collaborations, and the challenges and opportunities of working in Europe today:
- What challenges do artists and supporters face today?
- Which projects are most relevant at the moment?
- Which programmes have succeeded, and which have been discontinued?
- What role does visual art play in the cultural context of your country?
Programme
12:00 | Optional guided tour through the current exhibitions
13:00 | Welcome & Keynote
– Dr. Marcel Schumacher, Director of the Kunsthaus NRW and Board Member of Very Contemporary
– Marie-Claire Krell, Head of the Education and Events Programme at the Kunsthaus NRW, Project Manager for Very Contemporary 2013–2019
– Julia Schaadt, Cultural Officer at the Region Aachen Zweckverband
13:30 | Lunch
14:30-17:00 | Three panels with discussion & Q&A
1. Institutional Perspectives
BE: Dirk de Wit
– Innovation and Development of the Visual Arts at the Flanders Art Institute
BE: Jerome Decock
– Board Member of the Fédération des arts plastiques
DE: Dr. Marcel Schumacher
– Director of the Kunsthaus NRW and its Lab K Programme
NL: Farah Wilbers
– Regional Agent Southeast at the Mondriaanfonds
2. Independent Initiatives
BE: Julie Hanique
– Coordinator at Comptoir des Ressources Créatives
DE: tba
– NRW KULTURsekretariat
DE: Iris Hoppe
– Board Member of the NRW State Association for Visual Arts
NL: Ronja Terwindt
– Production & Creative Hub Euregio Agent at The Artist and the Others
3. European Contexts
BE: Natalie Giorgadze
– General Manager of Culture Action Europe
DE: Christine Heemsoth
– Editor Touring Artists and Mobility Info Point of On The Move in Germany
NL: Philipp Dietachmair
– Head of Programmes European Cultural Foundation
NL: Lene ter Haar
– Cultural Attaché at the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Düsseldorf
17:00 | Optional guided tour through the current exhibitions
The conference language is English.
Welcome!
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Very Contemporary is the network of contemporary art venues in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion. The partners of Very Contemporary relate to each other through the language of contemporary art. The border region of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany is their training ground.
