Programme M Leuven 2025

‘Collection of M’ spans several centuries: from ancient masters to contemporary makers and everything in between. The new displays showcase the richness of M’s collection and challenge you to actively look. Masterpieces and little-known gems take you down unexpected parallels or highlight the burning issues of the day.

Just around the corner from M, the restored St Peter’s Church is the setting for a new sensory experience. M will guide you through the fascinating story of this Gothic church and help you renew your acquaintance with its art treasures: outstanding works by Flemish Masters in their authentic context.

Immersing yourself in art from the cosy confines of your armchair, a drink in hand and your favourite music playing in the background – it’s a far cry from the typical museum experience. Yet many of the artworks in M’s collection once adorned the walls of private collectors’ homes. ‘Art that Moves’ showcases a selection of objects that have made the journey from private collections to the museum, some of which went straight from the mantelpiece to the gallery.

Alicja Kwade is internationally renowned for her sculptures and installations that challenge scientific and philosophical concepts. She achieves this by dismantling the boundaries of perception and putting our observational capacities to the test.

The galleries of M highlight the University of Leuven’s study collections, showcasing an array of fascinating and diverse objects.

M Leuven and STUK present the first edition of Hear Here Live. Expect a wide range of performances at the intersection of sound art, visual art and adventurous music. From museum hall to chapel to black box, Hear Here Live takes you on a multi-sensory parcours for both ear and eye. On Friday, May 16, the day opens with talks & network lunch on archiving and presenting (historical) sound art. In the afternoon M will host performances by audiovisual duo Gwendolyn Lootens & Saif Al Qaissy, artist Cevdet Erek and musical monuments Mark Fell & Limpe Fuchs. Afterwards, the walk will move to KADOC's chapel where Anouk Kellner will interact live with her organ installation, along with guest musicians Yannick Guédon & d'Incise. In the evening, Mihalis Shammas and Vica Pacheco showcase new performances with self-built instruments at STUK. On Saturday, May 17, Gwendolyn Lootens & Saif Al Qaissy and Cevdet Erek reprise their performance from Friday, alongside work by multidisciplinary artist Nazanin Noori and the mobile sound system De Zwerm (compositions by Stijn Dickel & Karen Willems). After Anouk Kellner's second organ performance at KADOC, with guests Nils Vermeulen & Clara Cozzolino, the evening will culminate at STUK with the final concert by international improv band ØKSE and cellist Leila Bordreuil. Next to that, the Hear Here exhibition is open from 14:00 to 19:00 on both days, and you can enjoy a continuous sound installation by Brahim Tall in M from 11:00 to 18:00.