Five artists from the archives and collection of Jan Hoet

In dialogue with the family, five artists were selected with whom Jan Hoet had a special collaboration during his life: Marina Abramovic, Michael Buthe, Mario Merz, Panamarenko en Royden Rabinowitch. The choice of these artists does not count as a definitive selection, on the contrary: with this exhibition, MDD merely wants to shed a corner of the veil on the intellectual wealth that a deeper investigation of this collection could contain. On behalf of MDD, researcher Melanie Deboutte brings together various elements in the exhibition, such as letters and works of art from Hoet’s private collection, supplemented with documentary photographic and video material and finally publications from the personal library of Jan Hoet. For each artist, research has been done to define the traces left behind of the collaboration with the exhibition maker.

Jan Hoet is a pivotal figure in the development of contemporary art in Belgium. From his appointment as curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent (1975) to the founding of S.M.A.K. (1999) and MARTa (2005): he fought with fervent dedication for a place where art and the artist can find a home. Hoet’s instinctive approach and the close ties he maintained with artists were typical of his often experiential exhibitions. Prominent projects such as Art in Europe after ’68 (1980) and Chambres d’Amis (1986) brought him into the international spotlight, which shortly afterwards led to his appointment as artistic director of DOCUMENTA IX (1992).