'THE LAST PLACE THEY THOUGHT OF' GROUP EXHIBITION AT KUNSTHAL MECHELEN

THE LAST PLACE THEY THOUGHT OF

KUNSTHAL MECHELEN

December 13, 2024

Mechelen, Belgium

Kunsthal Mechelen is a generous house that is spread over various locations throughout Mechelen, both indoors and outdoors. As a versatile arts center, it offers a safe home for many voices and faces. The program is flexible and constantly searches for new forms. Kunsthal Mechelen wants to be a hospitable meeting space with an eye for local developments. 

'The Last Place They Thought Of' explores the notion of territory and space from a Black and female or non-binary perspective. And brings together an extensive selection of works from different disciplines and parts of the world. The title is a reference to a chapter from an essay by Kathrine McKittrick . She invites us to think about the potential of a Black concept of geography, as an alternative to what she calls traditional, non-Black geography.

This new perspective rethinks the notion of territory and space, focusing not on the delineation of land based on facts, but on the identity of an individual. It makes room for memories, imagination, representations and experiences of those who are marginalized. It offers space for stories that are rarely told and disseminated and enriches our view. Each artist shows how social position changes the shape of spaces.

This exhibition brings together the work of eleven black female artists: Lungiswa Gqunta , Soñ Gweha , Gaëlle Choisne , Godelive Kasangati , Lou Cocody-Valentino , Michèle Magema , Mónica de Miranda , Zohra Opoku , MIMI Green , melissandre varin and Ophélie Mac coco .

Curated by Sorana Munsya