The Lives of Animals
“It is true that animals are usually not able to participate in their liberation, but they behave differently when they are liberated and have better living conditions.”
— Speaking Beyond Language: Lin May Saeed Interviewed
PROGRAMME
Programme
M HKA and pets 🐶
The Lives of Animals inspires to explore the possibilities of an animal-friendly museum, we are organising a special programme for pets and their owners.
🎶🐕Music for Dogs and Their Owners by Gaspar Cohen
Performance
1 Sep 2024, 15:30 - 17:00
Bring your dog friend to our rooftop terrace to enjoy a special dog-friendly concert together. The concert organised at M HKA by the occasion of the exhibition The Lives of Animals is performed for and with dogs and their human partners. The idea is inspired by Donna J. Haraway’s Companion Species Manifesto and scientific studies on dogs’ inclination towards sound and music.
The music focuses on the unique auditory sensitivities and capabilities of dogs, as well as their perceptual modes and ability to concentrate.
The entrance to the rooftop is via a staircase. It is mandatory to use a collar and leash for all dogs. Please be ready to clean up after your pets too.
We have limited capacity for this event that’s why it’s necessary to sign up via reservatie@muhka.be. For more information, check the current museum policy.
Gaspar Cohen is a Brazilian artist and researcher interrogating the capital-colonial complex embedded into human technologies and environments. Their sound works and performances format as unstable concept-driven systems and situations addressing thresholds of augmentation, ghostly offsets of reality, and socio-spatial politics.
Cruelty-free market
For the festival DAKkan on 22.09, we will close the exhibition with a market featuring work by young makers and vegan food.
Salon*
A place where you can read, philosophise, play or unwind. On Sundays, from 2pm to 4pm, a guide will be present to read or do crafts together.
Walk & Talk*
On Sundays at 2pm, individual visitors can follow a short guided tour. You are free to join or leave as you wish.
Guided Tours**
Would you like to book a guided tour? Check the options at : www.muhka.be
Guest Experts*
We invite artists, philosophers and other researchers to open conversations.
1 Sep 2024, 14:00 - 15:00 — Guest expert tour by Katerina Gregos
We are pleased to invite you to an expert tour at the exhibition The Lives of Animals , led by curator Katerina Gregos. The tour will begin with the video work Waiting for the Time to Pass (2021) by Greek filmmaker Janis Rafa, featuring a dog as its protagonist. This work comments on ecological disasters and the various forms of violence humans inflict on domesticated animals. Katerina Gregos will also discuss a new series of exhibitions at EMST titled Why Look at Animals?.
Katerina Gregos is a curator, lecturer, and writer based in Athens and Brussels. Since 2021, she has served as the artistic director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST) in Athens. Her curatorial practice consistently explores the relationship between art, society, and politics, with a particular focus on democracy, human rights, economy, ecology, crisis, and global production circuits.
This tour is part of a series of guided tours at M HKA conducted by guest experts. Our program invites artists, philosophers, and other researchers to engage in open conversations. It’s free to attend if you have a valid entry ticket to the museum.
Meet Me**
Guided tours for people with dementia and their caregivers. Dates: 22.06, 27.07, 31.08 and 21.09, from 2pm to 4pm
🏳️🌈 Antwerp Pride (weekend)* — Biology is non-binary!
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10TH
13:00-17:00 — get a temporary tattoo in the style of Ad Minoliti
Salon, 1st floor
During Antwerp Pride Weekend, we celebrate both gender and biodiversity at the M HKA with a number of mini-workshops. What happens when we cross the fight for animal rights and LGBTQIA+ rights? This question led artist Ad Minoliti to come up with all kinds of political slogans. You can choose a (temporary) tattoo of her slogans and designs.
11:00-18:00 — Snoezelruimte & Photo booth
Auditorium, 3rd floor (snooze room) & Salon, 1st floor (photo booth)
Relax among the crickets and frogs in our snoozing area, or dress up as a gender-fluid dog or as a lesbian seagull in our photo booth. Experimentation is encouraged!
SUNDAY, AUGUST 11TH
14:00-16:00 — Workshop: avatar making (continuous and guided)
Salon, 1st floor
Would you like to become an eagle, an androgynous version of yourself, or a superstrong superhero? In this workshop for young and old, you will transform yourself into the alter ego you invent. You make a big drawing of your own body and get to work with coloured paper, chalk, paint, collage and coloured pencils.
11:00-18:00 — Snoezelruimte & Photo booth
Auditorium, 3rd floor (snooze room) & Salon, 1st floor (photo booth)
Relax among the crickets and frogs in our snoozing area, or dress up as a gender-fluid dog or as a lesbian seagull in our photo booth. Experimentation is encouraged!
Museum Night
A museum party with lots of activities with The Lives if Animals as the main theme. Date: 03.08, 7pm–1am
*Free with a valid entry ticket, no reservation required.
**Reservations can be made via reservatie@muhka.be.
Full programme: www.muhka.be