“With my exhibitions around the world, I wanted to make people aware that my captive country still has a high level of old culture contributing to the world heritage, and is at the same time is able to speak about the recent reality with the very personal strong voice of modern art. I travelled probably more than any other artist. So important was the dialogue with the whole world.”
Magdalena Abakanowicz: Human Nature
HET Noordbrabants Museum, 's-Hertogenbosch | June 12, 2025
Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation
is pleased to announce the symposium
Magdalena Abakanowicz: Human Nature
This symposium is held in conjunction with the exhibition Magdalena Abakanowicz: Human Nature, Triptych in Brabant at HET Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
Organized by HET Noordbrabants Museum and Textiel Museum Tilburg, this symposium brings together artists, curators, students, and the public to explore the enduring relevance of Magdalena Abakanowicz's art. It focuses on Abakanowicz's pioneering vision and practice, and its relationship to art, politics, ecology, and architecture, placing her work within a broader contemporary artistic and social dialogue. The common denominator for the symposium is Bois le Duc: the largest work ever created by Abakanowicz which hangs in the Provinciehuis of North Brabant. This massive installation serves as a conceptual springboard for the symposium's three core themes: fiber, architecture, and ecology.
Book ticket: https://tickets.hetnoordbrabantsmuseum.nl/en/symposium/tickets
PROGRAM
10.30 a.m. Walk-in and reception at the Province House with coffee/tea/sweets
11.00 a.m. Welcome by Jacqueline Grandjean, director of The Noordbrabants Museum, and Nathanja van Dijk, head of the TextielMuseum.
11.10 a.m. Archive-presentation introducing Magdalena Abakanowicz by Marta Kowalewska (Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation, Warsaw).
11.20 a.m. Keynote on the theme “Fiber” by Ann Coxon, curator/writer/researcher
11.45 a.m. Keynote on the theme “Ecology / Human-Nature” by Ewa Majewska, Polish philosopher, political activist and author
12.10 a.m. Keynote on the theme “Art and Architecture / Art and Space” by Tomasz Fudala, curator of the Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej in Warsaw
12:35 p.m. Lunch
1.15 p.m. Film screening of Echa on the work and life of Magdalena Abakanowicz, created by artists Kristina Benjocki and Stijn Verhoef, produced by Het Noordbrabants Museum, and supported by Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation. The screening is followed by a brief commentary by Kristina Benjocki.
1:30 p.m. Time to wander through the building and see the collection of artworks. Guides will be available.
The Provinciehuis, on the outskirts of 's-Hertogenbosch, opened in 1971, as the main seat of Brabant's administration. Architecturally a product of its time, this brutalist building was designed by Hugh Maaskant (1907-1977) and houses many works of art, especially in fiber.
2.30 p.m. Mashup time.
Panelists will pose questions to the keynote speakers. This will be followed by a discussion in which the audience in the room can also actively participate.
Keynotes: 1. Ann Coxon, 2. Ewa Majewska, 3. Tomasz Fudala
Panelist Ad 1 Nadeche Remst (editor-in-chief for Metropolis M., writer, art historian and critic)
Panelist Ad 2 Zuzanna Grzeszek (Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation)
Panelist Ad. 3 to be announced
3:40 p.m. Closure by the panelists
4:45 p.m. End of the program with drinks and bites.