05.May-30.September.2026
The Invisible Route
Maarten Inghels
About the exhibition
Artist Maarten Inghels took on the challenge of mapping out a route in the heavily monitored city of Kortrijk, equipped with an extensive network of public and private cameras, where one can move unseen by those cameras.
‘The Invisible Route’ poetically claims the right to be invisible and builds on recurring themes in Maarten Inghels’ work: the friction between the public and the private. You can discover the painted wall map at the reception area of the Abby Museum, where you can also pick up a free fold-out map to walk the route yourself.
On Sunday, May 10 at 2 p.m., Maarten Inghels will guide you on a walk along this route, engaging in dialogue with the participants.
More information and registration can be found on the website of Kunst Publieke Ruimte, under ‘Ontdekken en doen’.
About the location
The public space is where art and citizens find each other in the most accessible way. It is the place for dialogue and debate. Connection and encounters are key. Art in public space is an essential part of the city’s historical and contemporary cultural heritage and memory. It is not only important from a historical point of view, but also offers opportunities to leave current and contemporary traces. It makes Kortrijk one big cultural site, both easily accessible and of high quality. An added value for inhabitants and visitors.
Through high-quality art integrations in public spaces in Kortrijk and its suburbs, we want to make art accessible to a large audience in an accessible, contemporary and dynamic way with local and international artists, and help build the identity, quality and image of the city.
What we do.
We reintegrate and unlock the city’s own collection. Kortrijk wants to maximise access to the city collection that is currently not visible in the museums in public spaces or in public buildings. This can be done in two ways. We relocate artworks in public spaces because the context has changed and we look for a suitable place for art from the depot. We also open up the collection through clarification and public interaction.
We adopt a positive receptive attitude towards artists’ proposals and ideas from citizens/organisations. We always test projects against the criteria and the vision to see whether they can be given a good place in the city.
We proactively use visual art in urban renewal or infrastructure projects. Kortrijk wants art to play an important role in urban renewal. This can be done by integrating new works of art via participation processes with inhabitants or via integrated works of art. We create a permanent trail after organising temporary exhibitions and installations, both within the museum context and in public spaces. We take care of the extensive sculpture heritage. This includes the restoration of existing sculptures, structural maintenance and repair.
