THE CONSTANT NOW

Op 23 mei openen we Wayward Sanctuaries! @lunaluuuuz activeert TARRAFE (drifting) met een gezongen performance. In het werk volg je een verhaal gebaseerd op de eerste reis die Luz maakte naar het land van hun grootouders. Een symbolisch mangrovebos komt steeds dreigend dichterbij. Om 17u is er ook een rondleiding met curator @leanaboven Het volledige programma van de avond vind je op onze website #linkinbio 📆 23 mei 📍 De Garage 🕔 18:30 Wayward Sanctuaries is een samenwerking met @theconstantnow en is deel van het mentorprogramma POC POC 3. EN On the 23rd of May we'll be opening Wayward Sanctuaries! Luz E.L. Bran will be activitating 'TARRAFE (drifting)' with a vocal performance. In the work you'll be sucked into a story based on the first journey Luz made to the land of their grandparents. A symbolic mangrove forest looms in the distance and approaches. The evening is filled with events, such as a guided tour by curator Leana Boven at 17h. The full program is on our website #linkbio #kunsthalmechelen #theconstantnow #pocpoc3 #waywardsanctuaries

Meet the team behind HYMN/ — a new performance by Fallon Mayanja premiering at Horst Arts & Music Festival. Rain Room 14–16 May 21:00–22:00 Developed through a week-long POC-only performance atelier in partnership with The Constant Now, HYMN/ brings together sound, voice and movement while foregrounding Black and historically marginalized voices. — Maak kennis met het team achter HYMN/, een nieuwe performance van Fallon Mayanja die in première gaat op Horst Arts & Music Festival. De performance ontstond vanuit een intens performance-atelier in samenwerking met The Constant Now en brengt geluid, stem en beweging samen. Director — @fallon_mayanja Assistant Director — @alenzambu Performers — Constant-Amand Bitihuse Shami @ibn.backbone @loganhonmua @jenlsantos @feel_seen @dekap0dos @angyvirpadilla @boranovich Scenography — @maorithienot Video — @victoire.karera Production — @deborahcynthiaclaire Coordination — @magali_elali HYMN is supported by Flanders State of the Arts and @smakgent beweegt

Limited edition drop. The group show WAYWARD SANCTUARIES opens at Kunsthal Mechelen on May 23. We collaborated with artist Collyns Charts also part of the POC POC cohort — on a special tote bag. It features his iconic work Nadia (2024), reimagined on light blue fabric. Nadia sits at the core of Charts' practice: portraiture as a shifting space of identity, body, and belonging. Through layers of pastel, collage, ink, and print, he constructs figures that move between the real and the imagined. Collyns Charts (Belgian-Nigerian, Brussels-based, La Cambre) uses portraiture to rethink the body through layered realities and colour-shifted skin tones — not to erase difference, but to amplify it. ✨ First available at the opening on May 23 at @kunsthalmechelen After the opening, available online via our website.

Op zaterdag 23 mei openen we WAYWARD SANCTUARIES samen met @theconstantnow De tentoonstelling brengt het werk samen van: @elise_ely @way.charts @jonabelhuavas @feta_kuti @bumbasexual @joe.palfra @lunaluuuuz @chenhsiaohsi @charbelalkhoury @_jiyoch @_aichaouattara_ @mlywltr @__twie @respekmeteieren @kadia__doumbouya Curator: @leanaboven 📆 23.05.26 📍 De Garage, Onder-den-Toren 12, Mechelen 🕔 16:00 Deuren open 🕔 17:00 Prikkelarme rondleiding door curator Leana Boven 🕔 18:00 Performance Jiyoung Chu & Thuy Lê Thi Thu 🕔 18:30 Performance Luz 🕔 19:00 Welkomstwoord door Magali Elali en Leana Boven 🕔 19:15 Performance Kadia Doumbouya 🕔 20:00 DJ’s MOZA en BROWNSUGVR curated by @phlow.x Geniet de hele avond van eten door @areejfood 🍽️ EN On Saturday May 23, WAYWARD SANCTUARIES opens its doors together with The Constant Now. The exhibition brings together the work of: @elise_ely @way.charts @jonabelhuavas @feta_kuti @bumbasexual @joe.palfra @lunaluuuuz @chenhsiaohsi @charbelalkhoury @_jiyoch @aichaouattara @mlywltr @__twie @respekmeteieren @kadia__doumbouya Curated by Leana Boven #kunsthalmechelen #waywardsanctuaries #pocpoc #theconstantnow #contemporaryart #opening

Meet the curator! Op 23 mei opent WAYWARD SANCTUARIES in De Garage, gecureerd door @leanaboven — curator, schrijver en onderzoeker met roots in Paramaribo. Haar werk richt zich op gemeenschap, solidariteit, diasporische identiteit en antikoloniale praktijken. Ze cureerde tentoonstellingen bij onder andere MAMA, Casco Art Institute en Gemaal op Zuid, is momenteel curator bij Stroom Den Haag en docent aan de Design Academy Eindhoven. Met WAYWARD SANCTUARIES brengt ze 15 deelnemers van POC POC samen, het mentoringprogramma van The Constant Now, rond de urgente vraag: hoe bouw je een thuis in een wereld die voortdurend verandert? De groepstentoonstelling is het resultaat van een tweejarig traject van ontmoeting, uitwisseling en ontwikkeling. ENG Meet the curator! On 23 May, WAYWARD SANCTUARIES opens at De Garage, curated by Leana Boven — a curator, writer and researcher with roots in Paramaribo. Her work focuses on community, solidarity, diasporic identity and anti-colonial practices. She has curated exhibitions at MAMA, Casco Art Institute and Gemaal op Zuid, and is currently a curator at Stroom Den Haag and a tutor at the Design Academy Eindhoven. With WAYWARD SANCTUARIES, she brings together 15 participants from POC POC — The Constant Now’s mentoring programme — around the urgent question: how do you build a home in a world that is constantly shifting? The group exhibition is the result of a two-year trajectory of encounter, exchange and development.

Maak kennis met de deelnemers van POC POC, het mentoringprogramma van The Constant Now. De expo WAYWARD SANCTUARIES, gecureerd door @leanaboven vormt hun gezamenlijk hoogtepunt. Een samenwerking tussen @kunsthalmechelen @brakkegrond en @theconstantnow Opening zaterdag 23 mei, vanaf 16:00. De Garage, Mechelen. Vanaf september in Amsterdam. (Niet iedereen staat op de foto.) @elise_ely @way.charts @jonabelhuavas @feta_kuti @bumbasexual @joe.palfra @lunaluuuuz @chenhsiaohsi @charbelalkhoury @_jiyoch @aichaouattara  @mlywltr @__twie @respekmeteieren @kadia__doumbouya @collynscharts Foto door Marie Ayels  ENG Meet the participants of POC POC, the mentoring programme of The Constant Now. The exhibition WAYWARD SANCTUARIES, curated by Leana Boven, marks their shared highlight. A collaboration between Kunsthal Mechelen, De Brakke Grond and The Constant Now. Opening Saturday 23 May, from 16:00. De Garage, Mechelen. From September in Amsterdam. (Not everyone is pictured) Elise El Yousfi, Collyns Charts, Jonabel Huavas, Aya Koné, Eveline Bumba, Joseph Thabang Palframan, Luz Bran, Hsiao Hsi Chen, Charbel Alkhoury, Jiyoung Chu, Aïcha Ouattara, Emily Walter, Thuy Lê Thi Thu, Kenny Mala Ngombé and Kadia Doumbouya. Photo by Marie Ayels

Hoe bouw je een thuis in een wereld die voortdurend verschuift? WAYWARD SANCTUARIES is een groepstentoonstelling van Kunsthal Mechelen, The Constant Now en de Brakke Grond, gecureerd door Leana Boven. Als afsluiting van POC POC, het mentoringprogramma van The Constant Now, brengt de tentoonstelling een nieuwe generatie kunstenaars samen rond ideeën over thuis, verbeelding en collectieve toekomstvorming. Met werk van: @elise_ely @way.charts @jonabelhuavas @feta_kuti @bumbasexual @joe.palfra @lunaluuuuz @chenhsiaohsi @charbelalkhoury @_jiyoch @_aichaouattara_ @mlywltr @__twie @respekmeteieren @kadia__doumbouya Opening: zaterdag 23 mei, 16:00 — De Garage, Mechelen. Na Mechelen reist de tentoonstelling door naar Amsterdam.  Ontwerp door KEEN ENG How do you build a home in a world that is constantly shifting? WAYWARD SANCTUARIES is a group exhibition by Kunsthal Mechelen, The Constant Now and De Brakke Grond, curated by Leana Boven. As the culmination of POC POC, The Constant Now’s mentoring programme, the exhibition brings together a new generation of artists engaging with questions of home, imagination, and collective future-making. Featuring work by: Elise El Yousfi, Collyns Charts, Jonabel Huavas, Aya Koné, Eveline Bumba, Joseph Thabang Palframan, Luz E.L. Bran, Hsiao Hsi Chen, Charbel Alkhoury, Jiyoung Chu, Aïcha Ouattara, Emily Walter, Thuy Lê Thi Thu, Kenny Mala Ngombe and Kadia Doumbouya. Opening: Saturday 23 May, 16:00 — De Garage, Mechelen. After Mechelen, the exhibition travels to Amsterdam. Design by KEEN

Under the direction of Fallon Mayanja, and together with the Constant Now, we introduce our newest addition to our Atelier: Performance! This week-long gathering offers participants the unique opportunity to enter this world from the inside: to rehearse, exchange, and build the foundations of the performance together with the artist. *Mind! This atelier is exclusively open to POC performers with experience (not necessarily professionally trained) in voice, movement, sound, choreography, or live performance. Deadline: 8 March Atelier residency: 9 - 14 May All the details on horstartsandmusic.com

This was the POC POC MANIFESTO at S.M.A.K. in Ghent! ✨ A huge thank you to our panellists and to @smakgent for hosting us, and of course to everyone who joined and participated so actively in these often challenging conversations. We deeply appreciated your boldness and willingness to share your narratives, experiences, and insights. The POC POC MANIFESTO was created as a space to come together and dialogue. What we can all agree on is that POC are not a homogenous group. There’s no shame in asking questions, being curious, hopeful, or even confused—and words truly matter. We see you, and we hear you. 🙌🏽 It’s fantastic to see these events resonate with so many of you: supporters, allies, POC, and non-POC alike. Photos by @aw.0aa Visual identity by @keen_antwerp Panellists: @lisaijeoma @mulugetatafesse @broer @magali_elali @hamzahalloubi @benbenaouisse @wetsi.art.gallery

“Being in the building doesn’t mean you belong.” Access is not belonging. Presence is not power. Visibility is not safety. Too often, we are invited in without being held. Counted without being trusted. Belonging asks more. It asks institutions to shift, not just include. To take responsibility, not just credit. Join us for the 5th edition of The Constant Now’s POC POC MANIFESTO Panel Talk on Thursday, 5 February at S.M.A.K. Together, we speak from lived experience. 🗓 Thursday 5 February ⏰ 19:00 sharp 📍 S.M.A.K. Auditorium, Ghent 🗣 Language: English 🎟 Free admission Panellists: Lisa Ijeoma @lisaijeoma Mulugeta Tafesse @mulugetatafesse Anne Wetsi Mpoma @wetsi.art.gallery Hamza Halloubi @hamzahalloubi Mounir Eddib @broer Ben Benaouisse @benbenaouisse Moderated by Magali Elali Visual identity by @keen_antwerp Come, and be present 🫶🏽

“Names matter. Get them right.” Our names carry our identity, our history, our heritage. Misspelling them, shrugging them off, or replacing them with nicknames isn’t harmless. It’s dismissive. Respect starts with listening. And with saying our names right. Join us for the 5th edition of The Constant Now’s POC POC MANIFESTO on Thursday, 5 February at @smakgent Together, we’ll unpack this quote and many other lived experiences of navigating the art world as POC. This is not about complaining. It’s about empowerment, connection, and knowing you’re not alone. About building alliances and being truly seen and heard within institutions. 🗓 Thursday 5 February ⏰ 19:00 sharp 📍 S.M.A.K. Auditorium, Ghent 🗣 Language: English 🎟 Free admission Panelists • Lisa Ijeoma @lisaijeoma — artist • Mulugeta Tafesse @mulugetatafesse - artist • Anne Wetsi Mpoma @wetsi.art.gallery — curator, founder Wetsi Gallery • Hamza Halloubi @hamzahalloubi — artist & filmmaker • Mounir Eddib @broer — artist, co-founder The Building • Ben Benaouisse @benbenaouisse — artist & performer Moderated by @magali_elali Be part of the conversation! Visual identity by @keen_antwerp #POCPOCMANIFESTO #theconstantnow

“Practice what you preach.” ✊🏽 Institutions talk about us but rarely to us. Navigating the art world as a POC comes with challenges, misinterpretations, lessons, obstacles, and opportunities. The Constant Now's POC POC MANIFESTO brings us together across generations and practices to share, connect, and find strength. 🎤 Join the next panel: 📅 Thursday, 5 February 📍 S.M.A.K. Ghent Auditorium ⏰ 19:00–20:00 🗣 Language: English 🎟 Free! Reserve: [email protected] This edition features an intergenerational panel: ✨ Lisa Ijeoma @lisaijeoma — artist ✨ Mulugeta Tafesse @mulugetatafesse — artist ✨ Anne Wetsi  @wetsi.art.gallery - curator, founder Wetsi Gallery ✨ Hamza Halloubi  @hamzahalloubi — artist & filmmaker ✨ Mounir Eddib @broer — artist, co-founder The Building ✨ Ben Benaouisse @benbenaouisse — artist & performer Moderated by: Magali Elali @magali_elali — founder The Constant Now 🔹 About POC POC MANIFESTO: This conversation series has traveled to @fomuantwerp @brakkegrond @worm_rotterdam , and @kunsthalgent that supported us in developing the format. The project is about creating a space for dialogue, fresh perspectives, and urgent conversations. Be seen, be heard, be part of the change. ✨ 📸 Photo credits: Mulugate — Michael Tsegaye Mounir Eddib — Stefanie Schaut Magali Elali — KEEN #theconstantnow #POCPOCMANIFESTO