Artist as Public Mediator

KIOSK is searching for an artist to join its team in the role of public mediator!

For more than twelve years KIOSK has been a presentation space for visual arts with an idiosyncratic program that relates to evolutions within art and society. At the same time, KIOSK fulfills a signaling function by having an eye for experimentation and artistic diversity. Within the special architectural framework of the exhibition space and for two years also online via the website, KIOSK shows the work of artists who are not yet known to the general public. The artist is central to KIOSK's activities. Artists are invited to realize new productions, whether or not supplemented with reworked, existing works. The exhibitions are therefore created in dialogue with the artists and are always the result of a development process.

KIOSK boasts an audience of art enthusiasts and a peer audience from the local, national and international contemporary art scene. In the coming years, KIOSK wishes to further expand this audience and to improve the quality of the reception of visitors. To do this, KIOSK is opening a new position in its team that of the artist as public mediator. Benefitting from an artist perspective in the role of its public mediator, KIOSK looks to experiment with ways in which to further engage in dialogue with its public. The three main tasks that the new artist-public mediator will undertake are:

• to develop a guided tour programme, welcoming groups of art lovers and related folks for each new exhibition.
• initiate and assist the team with parallel activities to KIOSK’s main exhibition programme.
• strengthening the relationship of KIOSK and the many students, faculty and staff at KASK through collaborations, activities and events.

Public Outreach

KIOSK is located in the Campus Bijloke of the KASK & Conservatory and is closely intertwined with the artistic activities of the school / students. Because of this the main target groups of KIOSK are the mixed school community of artists, teachers, students and researchers and with the (inter)national community and a wider, varied art-loving public and passers-by.

KIOSK uses a variety of formats for its public outreach and broadening, each of which can appeal to a different audience. For every exhibition since 2010, KIOSK informs the public about the content of the project through Dutch and English room texts. Since 2021, KIOSK has published an online written interview with the artist on the occasion of each project to make the underlying intentions visible. KIOSK regularly organizes lectures, informal tours in the presence of the artists, with the opportunity to talk to them. KIOSK provides several guided tours during the exhibitions. This is regularly linked to other events: lectures, performances, debates, conversations, book presentations, concerts, film screening, amongst others. They all form the basis of KIOSK's extensive reflective and event program that develops parallel to the exhibitions.

Why an artist?

With the wish to further expand its audience and improve the quality of the reception of its visitors, KIOSK is looking to hire an artist as mediator. Reiterating the statement that the artist is central to KIOSK's activities, this new position is developed in order to bring a practicing artist to integrate its team. Aside from the task at hand, having an artist in a more integral position, KIOSK’s also looks to benefit from an artist perspective in its daily activities, for example during team meetings when different aspects of its program and activities are brainstormed and decided upon. Regarding the position we are looking to give a degree of autonomy for the artist in relation to the tasks normally assigned to a public mediator, meaning we are curious to see how artistic thinking and experience influences this role, the approach, ideas and outcome. While on this role, the new artist-public mediator will get a hands-on look at the back-end of how an art institution, in this case KIOSK, functions on a day-to-day level, which in turn could give a new perspective and potentially inform their artistic practice and interests.

The new position of the artist as a public mediator comes from an artistic proposal, which KIOSK has been developing in collaboration with, artist researcher, Vijai Maia Patchineelam. Since the end of 2021, Patchineelam has been part of KIOSK’s team in the role of “etc.-artist”[1]. Role devised in the context of Patchineelam’s doctoral research that advocated for the employment of the artist inside art institutions. As part of KIOSK’s team Patchineelam co-developed with curator Laila Melchior the film programs Dear Yves, which films do you watch late at night? in the context of the exhibition Dear Yves, both in 2022. As well as initiated the interview Something concealed in the physical space with artist Daniel de Paula, in order to contextualize KIOSK’s own common office a project developed from the open call Office on Wheels that was developed by three bachelor students from Sculpture department.

Description of Employment

Taking over the role of public mediation, we look for someone who is pro-active in proposing novels ways of engaging with KIOSK by increasing the number and quality of collaborations with KASK and its students, and strengthen the relationship with other art and cultural organizations in Ghent and the public at large. This new role involves tasks such as: overseeing guided tour programme to groups of visitors to each new exhibition; contacting KASK program coordinators in order to prospects possible collaboration with students, faculty and staff; to be in contact and involved with other art and cultural organizations of the city of Ghent for possible exchange and collaborations. In other words, pro-actively ensuring an engaged public for the different activities KIOSK undertakes in.

Task package includes:

• You develop the vision on public relations in an action plan to bring KIOSK to the attention of various target groups and you are responsible for its implementation.
• You help developing parallel activities of the main exhibition programme.
• You manage the budget of the parallel programme.
• You are responsible for overseeing and at times receiving the public in the exhibition space during group tours.
• You are a bridge figure between KIOSK, KASK & Conservatory, other art schools, Ghent art world actors, local residents, etc.
• You proactively look for new target groups such as young makers, artists in training in art schools, students of full-time and part-time art education.
• Together with KIOSK artistic director, you will hold periodical meetings with the artist Vijai Maia Patchineelam, to discuss the development of your role within KIOSK’s team.

Profile

For this position KIOSK is looking for artists with artistic practices that can be described as socially engaged, collaborative, research oriented and/or discursive.

With the emphasis on the collaborative aspect, since working with and for other artists is a main aspect of this job. The artist should be capable organizing public events and mediating them. Examples of events could be, film screenings, reading groups, podcasts, workshops, editorial projects, cooking as a collective art practice, etc. Additionally, it is a plus to have a genuine and critical interest in the different aspects related to structures of the contemporary art field, such kunsthalles, artist-run spaces, art galleries, and museums.

Requirements:

• You are a practicing artist.
• Your art practice can be described as socially engaged, collaborative, discursive and/or research practice.
• You are interested in administrative and structural aspects of the contemporary art field.
• You have previous experience in teaching, organizing leading workshops and/or reading groups.
• You are social, and like to be among artists and art lovers.
• You are a bridge builder.
• You like to motivate others and can convey your enthusiasm quickly.
• You are hands on and problem solving.
• You find it motivating to work in a team.
• You are communicatively strong and able to articulate clearly ideas.
• You have a smooth pen and writing skills.
• You have a good active knowledge of Dutch and English.
• You are open to occasional evening and weekend work, on the occasion of events.
• You get along quickly with digital tools.
• You are flexible in function of changes in assignments and working conditions.

Application:

• CV, portfolio and letter of motivation
• Deadline 10 November 2023, sent to simon.delobel@hogent.be

After a short list of candidates are made based on the materials mentioned above, an interview with KIOSK artistic director, other members of KIOSK team, and Vijai Maia Patchineelam will take place at an opportune hour and date in the beginning of December, 2023. The successful candidate will be contacted before the end of the year holidays.

Requirements:

• Belgium based in artists only
• Languages, English and Dutch

Contract and Artist’s fee:

• Between 60 to 70 days of paid work with wages ranging from 300-350 EUR, based on experience.
• Approximately two working days a week.
• Payment will be realized via invoice or organizations such as Smart or T-interim, for example.
• Transportation within Belgium will be covered.

Autonomous budget for projects and events:

• An autonomous budget of 6,000 EUR dedicated to projects and events budget will be allocated to the new artist-public mediator in order to initiate, organize and facilitate collaborations, projects and public events. The use of this budget is done in conversation with KIOSK artistic director.

Work schedule:

• One-year position, starting 01.02.2024 to 02.06.2024, summer off, and picking up again from 14.09.2024 to 20.12.2024.
• Flexible weekdays in a hybrid presence, online and physically.
  

[1] For more information regarding the role “etc.-artist”, follow this link for an introductory video to the project. The term “etc.-artist” is a reference to artist and educator Ricardo Basbaum’s response “Documenta, I love etc.-artist” to the query “The next Documenta should be curated by an artist?” in 2002.