From left to right: Lana, Jef, Jean, Alise, Adriënne, Anna & Koi. Photo by Lars Duchateau. About the curators:
Jef Declercq (°1994, BE) is an independent curator, art historian, writer and gallery worker based in Brussels. He holds a master in Art History from Ghent University (2019), and in 2020 he completed the postgraduate programme in Curatorial Studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK). In 2022, he was part of the Young Curators Programme at the Belgian Pavilion within the 59th Venice Biennale. Declercq has initiated multiple exhibition projects, both in traditional exhibition spaces and in unconventional environments. He was one of the founding members of the STOFWOLK collective (2016 - 2018, Ghent). Jef Declercq has curated a solo exhibition of Yoel Pytowski (2021, Ghent) and co-curated Publiek Park (2021, 2023 & 2025). He has been involved with the Proximus Art Collection (2022), HORST Arts & Music Festival (2022). Jef Declercq has conducted research for Kunst in Opdracht (2022), and his writings have been published by the Belgian Pavilion, Art & Education and HART magazine. Since 2025, he has worked at KIN, a gallery founded by Nicolaus Schafhausen in Brussels.
Contact: jef (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Koi Persyn is a curator based in Brussels. His curated projects focus on process-based and hybrid practices that investigate the social fabric of public and urban space. Persyn was the artistic director (2024-2025) of Jester, a meeting ground for the development and presentation of contemporary art in Genk. He was co-director (2023-2024) and curator (2021-2023) of Komplot—a curatorial collective and art space in Brussels—and project coordinator of Cas-co, a residency and studio organisation in Leuven (2022-2024). Simultaneously, he was active as a guest lecturer at La Cambre in Brussels and KASK in Ghent. Together with Anna Laganovska, he curated Border Buda, an exhibition with temporary and permanent art commissions in the border area of Brussels, Vilvoorde and Machelen (2023-2024). Together with Laila Melchior, he was awarded the Lichen Curatorial Prize (as a laureate selected by CIAP and Curatorial Studies) and executed their exhibition proposal Three Tropes for Entropy at CIAP in Genk (2022). Persyn worked as a mediator for the Belgian Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale as part of the Young Curators Programme (2019). He wrote for the art magazine Glean and was a member of the advisory groups of S.M.A.K., MSK, both in Ghent, and for the Platform Kunst In Opdracht, Flemish Government. He obtained a master’s degree in Fine Arts (2019), followed by a postgraduate degree in Curatorial Studies (2020), both at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. During his studies, Persyn initiated and co-curated a three-year residency programme at Het Paviljoen in Ghent.
Contact: koi (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Anna Laganovska (1996, LV) is an independent curator and researcher based in Antwerp. She has studied art history and theory at the Art Academy of Latvia and cultural studies at KU Leuven. She has completed the post-graduate programme in curatorial studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and the course in curating and commissioning public art at University of Gothenburg. In 2024, she was selected as a participant of the Global Cultural Relations Programme, organised by the EU’s Cultural Relations Platform. Anna Laganovska has worked as a curatorial assistant at Frans Masereel Centrum, and since 2023 she is mainly active as an independent curator. Her recent curatorial projects include Flowers at Room Temperature, the central exhibition of Antwerp Art Weekend at De Studio, Antwerp (2023); Snowflake Blockbuster at Kunsthal Extra City, Antwerp (2022); Spells and Promises at Creative Factory, Turnhout (2024); Border Buda in the public spaces of Machelen, Vilvoorde, and Brussels (2023–2024); and Publiek Park in Ghent (2021), Antwerp (2023), and Brussels (2025). She was the curator of Anna Malicka’s solo exhibition Pūra Lāde (((pure lady))) at Kim? Contemporary Art Centre in Riga (2025), and is part of Faellowship collective, focused on communal listening as a form of study.
Contact: anna (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Adriënne van der Werf (1991, NL) is a curator, cultural worker and writer based in Ghent, working across the Netherlands and Belgium. Since 2018, she has initiated multiple curatorial projects that question the autonomous exhibition space as a site for presentation. Her recent exhibitions include Maintenance (2019), Tarot Editions (2021), Bodies of Work (2022), and On Water, Flow and Warped Time (2024). She is the founding artistic coordinator (2024–) of Nesse, an organisation for the production, development and presentation of contemporary art and design in Terneuzen. From 2022 to 2024, she was curator and assistant curator at Vleeshal, Center for Contemporary Art in Middelburg, where she further developed, assisted and coordinated its educational, public and exhibition programme. Adriënne van der Werf holds a bachelor in Fashion & Branding (AMFI) and a bachelor and master of arts in Art Science from Ghent University. In 2022, she completed the post-graduate programme in Curatorial Studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Ghent (KASK). She is currently an advisor for the Mondriaan Fund and a member of the Board of Directors of Jester.
Contact: adrienne (at) publiekpark (dot) be
About the assistants:
Lana Jones (°1996, AU) works with artists, architects and designers to deliver creative research and production for objects, buildings and exhibitions. She sees research as an important tool to creating pieces that have ongoing significance and impact; and the catalyst to creating outcomes that connect contemporary patterns of behaviour to broader cultural and historical narratives. By commencing each project with an intensive research phase, Lana delivers work that provides insight into the cultural and political forces influencing our contemporary moment, including how we live, work and consume.
Contact: lana (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Jean Watt (b. 1998, UK) is based between London and Ghent. She has recently completed the Curatorial Studies postgraduate at KASK where she was one of six curators for the 2025 exhibition programme at Het Paviljoen. Since 2023 she has been running the site-specific project A Place to Rest, situating artwork in unusual spaces. Her writing has been published with artlead, Ocula, émergent and East of Borneo. She has a BA in History of Art from University College London.
Contact: jean (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Alise Pētersone (b. 1999, LV) is a cultural researcher and communications strategist with a background in Multimedia Communication and Cultural Studies. Based in Ghent, she is currently pursuing a master's degree at KU Leuven, focusing on the intersection of digital culture, fashion, and subcultural movements. She has worked with contemporary art institutions and cultural projects to develop engaging digital storytelling and audience-focused strategies. Her work focuses on making art more accessible through creative communication, social media, and public engagement.
Contact: alise (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Jef Declercq (°1994, BE) is an independent curator, art historian, writer and gallery worker based in Brussels. He holds a master in Art History from Ghent University (2019), and in 2020 he completed the postgraduate programme in Curatorial Studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK). In 2022, he was part of the Young Curators Programme at the Belgian Pavilion within the 59th Venice Biennale. Declercq has initiated multiple exhibition projects, both in traditional exhibition spaces and in unconventional environments. He was one of the founding members of the STOFWOLK collective (2016 - 2018, Ghent). Jef Declercq has curated a solo exhibition of Yoel Pytowski (2021, Ghent) and co-curated Publiek Park (2021, 2023 & 2025). He has been involved with the Proximus Art Collection (2022), HORST Arts & Music Festival (2022). Jef Declercq has conducted research for Kunst in Opdracht (2022), and his writings have been published by the Belgian Pavilion, Art & Education and HART magazine. Since 2025, he has worked at KIN, a gallery founded by Nicolaus Schafhausen in Brussels.
Contact: jef (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Koi Persyn is a curator based in Brussels. His curated projects focus on process-based and hybrid practices that investigate the social fabric of public and urban space. Persyn was the artistic director (2024-2025) of Jester, a meeting ground for the development and presentation of contemporary art in Genk. He was co-director (2023-2024) and curator (2021-2023) of Komplot—a curatorial collective and art space in Brussels—and project coordinator of Cas-co, a residency and studio organisation in Leuven (2022-2024). Simultaneously, he was active as a guest lecturer at La Cambre in Brussels and KASK in Ghent. Together with Anna Laganovska, he curated Border Buda, an exhibition with temporary and permanent art commissions in the border area of Brussels, Vilvoorde and Machelen (2023-2024). Together with Laila Melchior, he was awarded the Lichen Curatorial Prize (as a laureate selected by CIAP and Curatorial Studies) and executed their exhibition proposal Three Tropes for Entropy at CIAP in Genk (2022). Persyn worked as a mediator for the Belgian Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale as part of the Young Curators Programme (2019). He wrote for the art magazine Glean and was a member of the advisory groups of S.M.A.K., MSK, both in Ghent, and for the Platform Kunst In Opdracht, Flemish Government. He obtained a master’s degree in Fine Arts (2019), followed by a postgraduate degree in Curatorial Studies (2020), both at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. During his studies, Persyn initiated and co-curated a three-year residency programme at Het Paviljoen in Ghent.
Contact: koi (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Anna Laganovska (1996, LV) is an independent curator and researcher based in Antwerp. She has studied art history and theory at the Art Academy of Latvia and cultural studies at KU Leuven. She has completed the post-graduate programme in curatorial studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and the course in curating and commissioning public art at University of Gothenburg. In 2024, she was selected as a participant of the Global Cultural Relations Programme, organised by the EU’s Cultural Relations Platform. Anna Laganovska has worked as a curatorial assistant at Frans Masereel Centrum, and since 2023 she is mainly active as an independent curator. Her recent curatorial projects include Flowers at Room Temperature, the central exhibition of Antwerp Art Weekend at De Studio, Antwerp (2023); Snowflake Blockbuster at Kunsthal Extra City, Antwerp (2022); Spells and Promises at Creative Factory, Turnhout (2024); Border Buda in the public spaces of Machelen, Vilvoorde, and Brussels (2023–2024); and Publiek Park in Ghent (2021), Antwerp (2023), and Brussels (2025). She was the curator of Anna Malicka’s solo exhibition Pūra Lāde (((pure lady))) at Kim? Contemporary Art Centre in Riga (2025), and is part of Faellowship collective, focused on communal listening as a form of study.
Contact: anna (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Adriënne van der Werf (1991, NL) is a curator, cultural worker and writer based in Ghent, working across the Netherlands and Belgium. Since 2018, she has initiated multiple curatorial projects that question the autonomous exhibition space as a site for presentation. Her recent exhibitions include Maintenance (2019), Tarot Editions (2021), Bodies of Work (2022), and On Water, Flow and Warped Time (2024). She is the founding artistic coordinator (2024–) of Nesse, an organisation for the production, development and presentation of contemporary art and design in Terneuzen. From 2022 to 2024, she was curator and assistant curator at Vleeshal, Center for Contemporary Art in Middelburg, where she further developed, assisted and coordinated its educational, public and exhibition programme. Adriënne van der Werf holds a bachelor in Fashion & Branding (AMFI) and a bachelor and master of arts in Art Science from Ghent University. In 2022, she completed the post-graduate programme in Curatorial Studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Ghent (KASK). She is currently an advisor for the Mondriaan Fund and a member of the Board of Directors of Jester.
Contact: adrienne (at) publiekpark (dot) be
About the assistants:
Lana Jones (°1996, AU) works with artists, architects and designers to deliver creative research and production for objects, buildings and exhibitions. She sees research as an important tool to creating pieces that have ongoing significance and impact; and the catalyst to creating outcomes that connect contemporary patterns of behaviour to broader cultural and historical narratives. By commencing each project with an intensive research phase, Lana delivers work that provides insight into the cultural and political forces influencing our contemporary moment, including how we live, work and consume.
Contact: lana (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Jean Watt (b. 1998, UK) is based between London and Ghent. She has recently completed the Curatorial Studies postgraduate at KASK where she was one of six curators for the 2025 exhibition programme at Het Paviljoen. Since 2023 she has been running the site-specific project A Place to Rest, situating artwork in unusual spaces. Her writing has been published with artlead, Ocula, émergent and East of Borneo. She has a BA in History of Art from University College London.
Contact: jean (at) publiekpark (dot) be
Alise Pētersone (b. 1999, LV) is a cultural researcher and communications strategist with a background in Multimedia Communication and Cultural Studies. Based in Ghent, she is currently pursuing a master's degree at KU Leuven, focusing on the intersection of digital culture, fashion, and subcultural movements. She has worked with contemporary art institutions and cultural projects to develop engaging digital storytelling and audience-focused strategies. Her work focuses on making art more accessible through creative communication, social media, and public engagement.
Contact: alise (at) publiekpark (dot) be