• op-de-werkplek-banner-3

Space for art

… in the workplace

28-03-2023

Our video series #spaceforart is an introduction to the projects and to the community of QKunst. Because what does that actually mean: space for art? After each episode, we offer a behind-the-scenes look via an in-depth article, this time: art in the workplace.

QKunst’s role in … art in the workplace

One part of collection management is furnishing the workplace, the reception areas and meeting rooms with art. Together with the client, QKunst searches for themes in the collection and uses these as a starting point to create a furnishing plan. Our clients are KPN, Achmea, NN Group and Alliander, among others. A renovation or a move can be a good occasion to give an art collection a new place. Sometimes we put together groups of works or we combine a contemporary art collection with works from a cultural-historical collection.

We install the artworks together with art handlers and always take into account the architecture, layout, purpose and daily use of the spaces, as well as the fragility of the works and the wishes of employees. We also arrange practical matters, such as transportation and registration, as well as on-site or online information about the artworks. A new presentation often surprises people: ‘Are these works new? I’ve never seen them before!’

Now on display at the Social Impact Factory

We also organise exhibitions at our own workplace, the Social Impact Factory in Utrecht (SIF). To this end we scout up-and-coming artists who have a connection with Utrecht, for whom this platform can also be a steppingstone to broader visibility. The exhibition changes two to three times a year. Currently on view is work by Samira Charroud and Ibraheem Paling in the exhibition Roots. Both artists incorporate their dual cultural identities into their art.

In the first episode, Silvie van Mulukom of SIF poignantly said what making space for art can add to the workplace: ‘Art connects different perspectives and cultures and thus contributes to social growth.’

Haven’t seen the video with QKunst team member Krista van der Bron yet? Watch it here!