An expanded conversation on artist archives
Archivorum Ark is honoured to take part in the Symposium at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, Wintertuin,
on Thursday, 9 October 2025, from 10:00 to 17:30.
Organised by the Walter and Nicole Leblanc Foundation (Brussels), CKV, and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.
Walter Leblanc’s legacy continues to unfold, not only through his artworks but also through the documents, ideas and networks that shaped his practice. Taking place at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, where Leblanc began his artistic journey, this symposium invites artists, curators, researchers and students to engage with the notion of the archive as a living and generative space for knowledge and creation. Organized by the Academy with ArchiVolt research group (Nico Dockx and students), the Centrum Kunstarchieven Vlaanderen and the Walter & Nicole Leblanc Foundation, the event seeks to ‘unframe’ Leblanc by activating his archive as a tool for renewed interpretation and critical exchange.
Over the past year, we have expanded our research to explore alternative approaches to artist legacies and archives—investigating how different methodologies, disciplines, and practices can renew our understanding of the past and inform the present. Across three thematic panels, participants will explore the cultural and historical context of Leblanc’s work, discuss its resonance in contemporary artistic practices, and reflect on the future of artist archives today.
| PROGRAMMA 9 OCTOBER |
| 09:30 – Welcome |
| 10:00 – Introduction |
| 10:10 – Neo-Avant-Garde Networks Annelien De Troij, Francesca Pola & Tijs Visser, moderated by Johan Pas The first panel revisits the artistic, intellectual and geopolitical environment in which Walter Leblanc emerged. Experts will examine the vibrant postwar networks, including G58, Zero and Nouvelle Tendance, that shaped his practice and positioned him within a broader European and international context. |
| 11:30 – Screening documentary Driven by Light, 2024 This newly released documentary offers a poetic and in-depth portrait of Walter Leblanc’s work and legacy, drawing on archival footage and contemporary testimonies. |
| 12:30 – Lunch |
| 14:00 – Activating Artist Archives — A dialogue with contemporary practices Alexis Gautier, Hana Miletić & Raf Wollaert, moderated by Nico Dockx How does an artist’s legacy remain alive and relevant today? This conversation brings together artists and writers who have recently engaged with artists’ legacies to share how archival encounters, reinterpretations, and collaborative gestures can shape new artistic languages. |
| 15:10 – Keynote: Lisa Le Feuvre Renowned curator and thinker Lisa Le Feuvre offers a keynote address on the evolving responsibilities of institutions and individuals in preserving and reactivating the work and legacy of artists within contemporary culture. |
| 16:10 – Preserving and Promoting Artist Legacies Ursula Davila-Villa, Hélène Guenin & Rossana Miele, moderated by Nele Luyts. This final panel looks at the strategies and challenges involved in safeguarding and sharing artist archives. Through diverse institutional and curatorial perspectives, it explores how archival practices are being reimagined in Belgium and internationally. |
| 17:00 – Conclusion – María Inés Rodríguez |
| 17:10 – Drinks |