Source: Kunstforum Internationale, 12/11/2025
Press text: In Antwerp, Belgium, the M HKA (Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp) faces the threat of dissolution, which is being regarded with concern within the Belgian art scene. In response, various artists, curators, professionals, and institutions from across the cultural sector have joined forces, following the example of the « Artists at Risk » initiative, to establish « Museum at Risk » and launch an international petition.
Supported by leading figures such as Anish Kapoor, Annette Messager, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, the movement protests against the Flemish government’s plan to dissolve M HKA. They see the withdrawal of M HKA’s museum status as a potentially dangerous precedent for how cultural institutions are treated in Europe.
Ivor Stodolsky and Marita Muukkonen, the two directors of Artists at Risk, position themselves against the political decision to revoke the museum status of M HKA Antwerp:
« We urgently need to reflect on broadening our approach and join together in solidarity to defend democratic institutions. Do we need ‘Museums at Risk’ – in the plural – and similar or even more comprehensive movements and platforms? Political attempts to implement drastic changes without broad democratic consultation and consent – as in the case of M HKA – must be stopped. »
