Bethan Burnside

⊹ ࣪ ˖ Our short film 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 will be shown as a pre-programme to the screening of the film 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘋’𝘏𝘺𝘴𝘵é𝘳𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴 at KASKcinema on May 25, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Kita Bauchet and Chantal De Smet! 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 responded to a deanery meeting room at KASK & Conservatorium filled with portraits and busts depicting central figures in the institution’s history — all men, with a portrait of former director Chantal De Smet as the only exception. The project invited artists to develop site-specific interventions in this room and other spaces across campus throughout May 2025 — an opportunity to collectively question institutional, historical, infrastructural and spatial hierarchies. The short film, situated somewhere in between a vlog and a documentary, captures the month-long behind-the-scenes of installing each intervention. It highlights the project as a collaborative, collective process shaped by encounters and conversations, reflecting on the notion of an ‘intervention’ as not only a singular act or final presentation, but a continuous gesture of negotiation, adaptation, and engagement. In 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘋’𝘏𝘺𝘴𝘵é𝘳𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴 (2026), Brussels-based director Kita Bauchet dives into the lesser-known story of feminist emancipation movements in 1970s Belgium. Unseen archival footage is interwoven with moving testimonies and literary manifestos in a vibrant documentary collage. As images of street protests, playful actions, and historic moments evoke an era of radical change, the film breathes the spirit of a generation that refused to remain silent. ★ Monday 25.05 at 20:30 ★ KASKcinema, Godshuizenlaan 4, Ghent ★ 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 in English, no subtitles. 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘋’𝘏𝘺𝘴𝘵é𝘳𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴 in Dutch and French with Dutch subtitles. ★ Reserve your ticket via the link in bio! Artists: @sanieirsay , @karabinovych.today , @aernoudtceline , @lazara_ra . Curators: @________bethan @miranda_pastor @floravncl @____tranquille @maartje.claes @tutasay Supported by: @curatorial_studies_kask , @schoolofartsgent .

What does it mean to practise care-centred science communication? 💭 In our next online Lunch Talk on April 15 (12 PM), Bethan Burnside (Curo Agency, VIB) explores an approach grounded in principles from the disability justice movement - and in the belief that public trust in science grows through connection rather than correction. Drawing on their work at the intersection of neuroscience, curation, and lived experience advocacy, Bethan shows how science communicators play an important relational role: tending to access, context, and the infrastructures that allow different communities to engage with research on their own terms. This talk invites you to rethink science communication, not as persuasion, but as the slow, attentive work of building trust, belonging, and shared agency 🌱 📅 April 15 🕛 12:00–13:00 (12 PM) 👉 Register for free: https://bit.ly/care-scicomm

An Institution is not an Island ontstond uit een keuzevak binnen het postgraduaat curatorial studies, dat tot doel had historische, infrastructurele, architecturale en ruimtelijke hiërarchieën in KASK & Conservatorium en op de Bijloke-site in vraag te stellen. Het project groeide uit tot een open oproep waarin vier kunstenaars werden uitgenodigd om in te grijpen in de ruimtes van de school. ⁠ ⁠ An Institution is not an Island werd bedacht en gecureerd door Miranda Pastor, Maartje Claes, Tuta Chkheidze, Bethan Burnside, Flora Bonneure Vanclooster en Hanna Julia Erdosi.⁠ ⁠ Lees de volledige reflectie via Lees, Kijk, Luister. ⁠ ⁠ [EN] An Institution is not an Island was conceived out of a new elective within the curatorial studies postgraduate programme, which aimed to question historical, infrastructural, architectural and spatial hierarchies in KASK & Conservatorium and the Bijlokesite. The project grew from several months of exchanging insights with colleagues and researching into the institution’s and site’s layered histories, culminating in an open call which invited four artists to intervene in KASK & Conservatorium’s spaces.⁠ ⁠ An Institution is not an Island was conceptualised and curated by Miranda Pastor, Maartje Claes, Tuta Chkheidze, Bethan Burnside, Flora Bonneure Vanclooster and Hanna Julia Erdosi.⁠ ⁠ Read the full reflection via Read, Watch, Listen.⁠ ⁠ @not___an__island @curatorial_studies_kask

💥 Yayyyyy! My first issue as editor of Big Bang magazine is out, featuring my interview with @naomikohbelic : 𝑱𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒖𝒍, 𝑮𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒚 & 𝑼𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒊𝒎𝒃𝒐 💅💞 Naomi’s practice blends hyperfemininity, drag, community co‑creation, and data‑driven storytelling to challenge who gets to be seen, heard, and celebrated in science. As a “biracial, bisexual, bimbo biologist,” she embraces identity as a tool for visibility and empowerment — especially for those voices have historically been marginalized — through: 🔸Participatory projects co‑designed with Indigenous communities; 🔸 Drag‑based sex education that meets audiences where they are; 🔸 Identity‑forward communication that rejects the pressure to “neutralize” oneself to be taken seriously; 🔸 Representation as practice, and a commitment to accountability and community care. Her work is a reminder that scicomm thrives when it is culturally situated, co‑authored, and unapologetically authentic — something I strive for in my own science communication and curation practice. As someone who’d been following Naomi’s career since her PhD days, it was a real honor to do this interview 💕 Link to article in bio 💗

𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒚 began when Ems temporarily moved in with Morgan and Auke. Their household shifted overnight: possibilities unfolded, roles reshuffled, certainties unsettled. In the midst of depression, Van Gele found comfort in the slow, deliberate search for quiet domesticity in her relationships. As a child, Van Gele would pick rosehips from the bush in her parents’ terrace garden every autumn, which ripens once the frost has passed. Rosehips — sour, they, strikingly red in colour — recall medieval symbols of love, but also Van Gele’s own complicated relationship with her younger self. In this series, Van Gele pursues her own version of queer, trans, polyamorous domesticity. She reaches for symbols of the everyday — table salt, candle wax, brass, herbs, baking soda — weaving them as ritual, a spell cast to anchor herself. Each painting becomes an invocation, willing a future of peaceful mundanity into being. ~ Solo show of @morgan_vangele . Curated by @________bethan . Photography by @tomasbachot . 5-7/12/25 at @arttelex .

⋆⭒˚.⋆ It was an honour to have been invited as an external jury member and advisor for @stu13.stu13 , an initiative from students at @royalacademyantwerp and @sintlucasantwerpen , at the @blikfabriek <3 Featuring artwork by @zorianatymtsiv , @delvolgoluna , @s.k.l.r.n.k , @un_peu_yixin , @mier_aahh , @minaschnitzel1 , @noee_vaes , @yaromerckx , @arseniylitviniuk , @ooo.prints , @the_max__._ , @lad_boo , and @frejaroya . Photography by @yoran_de_wilde 🐴

Explore (UN)SHAME through the eyes of curator Bethan Burnside. On view at GUM & Botanical Garden until 4 January 2026. Info & tickets via link in bio. With artists: @hannelamon @cautig @loissoleil @ugowoatzi 🎥 @eyes_screen

𝑾𝒆 𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 (17-02.11.25, @kavka.oudaan ) culminated in a vigil on Transgender Day of Remembrance — a day that mourns and memorializes the lives of transgender people lost to violence and systemic neglect — recognizing memory not only as grief, but as an act of defiance and care ❤️‍🔥 During this coming together of community, we were graced with the poetic performance 𝘌𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺 by @michikolii , as well as the audiovisual tribute 𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦: 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘉𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 by @nenemone.music 🥀 ✺ Coordinated by @aliattoumani , @jaffyjaf_ and @________bethan . ✺ Curated by @________bethan . ✺ Organized by @genderspectrumantwerpen . ✺ Funded by @stad_antwerpen . ✺ Photos by @milesfischler .

𝑾𝒆 𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 17-20.11.25, @kavka.oudaan . I’m v v v honoured to have been asked to curate this community-driven exhibition and public program leading up to Transgender Day of Remembrance. Thank you @aliattoumani and @jaffyjaf_ for trusting me with this incredibly meaningful initiative <3🏳️‍⚧️ “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.” — Charlotte Clymer. We have been creating this in the wake of a persistent campaign against trans existence. According to the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, at least 350 trans and gender-diverse people were murdered globally in 2024, with over 5,000 documented killings since 2008. These numbers reflect only a fraction of the epidemic of violence against trans people, with many deaths going unreported or misgendered. Through this exhibition and public program, our aim was both to remember those who were silenced, but also honour to their refusal to disappear. We recognize remembrance not only as mourning, but as protest. In the midst of a crisis of mass trans erasure, we looked both backward and forward in time, questioning what happens when we explore archiving as activism, remembrance as resistance, and queerness as a tool for constructing new narratives. Through an open call, we invited artists, researchers, and activists to propose interventions that engage with trans loss, visibility, and survival. These first photos show works by @reysacha , @ma.lebussy , @cezannecomc , @cyn_michelx and @annousxh <3 ✺ Coordinated by @aliattoumani , @jaffyjaf_ and @________bethan . ✺ Curated by @________bethan . ✺ Organized by @genderspectrumantwerpen . ✺ Funded by @stad_antwerpen . ✺ Photos by @milesfischler 💞

💞 celebrating my 30th birthdayyyyyy 💞 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒚 falls on the same day, and given the eternal presence of chaos in my life I’ve grown to embrace it as a source of creativity and joy and wonder. This gorgeous intimate party was all about that, and celebrating 30 trips around the sun, and finally finishing my cursed Saturn Return! 🪐 Ty ty ty to friends old and new near and far who smothered me with love into the new era x ⋆.˚ music by @tutasay <3 ✧˖° cake by @bebekirsch .

the one with the expo opening 🧡 (𝑼𝑵)𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑬 at @gumgent 18.10.25-04.12.26. Thank you gorgeous friends for coming to celebrate 🌞 ☼ Curated by me and @marjan_doom . ☼ Scenography by @colere.coloree . ☼ Featuring work by @loissoleil , @ugowoatzi , @cautig and @hannelamon . ☼ Photo by @marjan_doom using @sterreligth.art ’s camera <3

(𝑼𝑵)𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑴𝑬 is now showing at @gumgent , the ‘Forum for Science, Doubt & Art’ 18.10.25-04.01.26. Curated by myself, this project started as a placement during @curatorial_studies_kask but grew into so much more. Forever grateful to @marjan_doom and the rest of the GUM Museum team for their complete trust in me, and for the absolute creative freedom to pour myself into this wholeheartedly <3 ~ Throughout history, society has buried certain experiences beneath silence. What’s unspeakable becomes taboo, and what’s hidden becomes shameful. Shame and taboo are never neutral — they’re shaped by power, by history, by who’s allowed to speak and who’s expected to stay quiet. What happens when we decide to bring those things into the light — not just to expose, but to understand, heal, and resist? This exhibition unfolds as a kind of ritual — an invitation to shed disguises and question what is kept out of sight. Here, visibility is the guest of honor. But visibility can be complicated — it can liberate, but also endanger. Sometimes it’s safer to hide, and sometimes hiding becomes a survival skill. What gets labeled as shameful, and by whom? Who decides what’s meant to stay in the dark? What do our silences say? Is it always better to bring things into the open, or is there something worth protecting in the shadows? What’s the cost of hiding — and of being seen? How do rituals help us shed the weight of what we’ve been told not to feel? Four artists invite us to sit with discomfort, to dwell in the in-between, and to notice the power in naming what’s hard to hold. You’ll encounter the unfiltered and the intimate, the vulnerable and the defiant. Each work steps outside of the frame of what should be whispered, challenging who gets to speak, and what counts as ‘normal’ or ‘natural’. ~ Curated by me <3 Artistic Direction: @marjan_doom . Scenography: @colere.coloree (best ever !! ❤️‍🔥) Artists: @ugowoatzi , @loissoleil , @cautig , @hannelamon . Photography Copyright: @corlazzzoli , @gumgent .