Antony
Gormley
Geestgrond
Date:
From May to September 2026, the British artist Antony Gormley, one of the world’s leading contemporary sculptors, will enter into dialogue with the KMSKA. The exhibition Antony Gormley. Geestgrond is curated by the internationally renowned curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev.
Antony Gormley (London, 1950) gained worldwide recognition with his monumental sculptures and installations in which the human body takes center stage. His work explores how the body relates to space, landscape, and architecture. Through minimalist and powerful forms, he raises fundamental questions about humanity’s place in relation to nature.
The exhibition at KMSKA delves deeply: into the core of Gormley’s oeuvre, but also into the museum’s collection and the layered soil of our shared visual and material culture. What emerges goes beyond sculpture alone. It is about sensation, bodily perception, and our presence in the world.
The title Geestgrond refers to a type of light, sandy, and often very fertile soil that formed during or shortly after the Ice Age. This soil is mainly found in northern Belgium and parts of the Netherlands. At the same time, the title carries a symbolic meaning: geest refers to spirit or inner self, grond to earth or soil. Geestgrond thus becomes the foundation of inner life, the nourishing ground from which meaning and imagination grow.
This idea is expressed, among other ways, in an intimate Wunderkammer, where early works, sketches, sources of inspiration, and experiments come together. Here, the artist’s creative process becomes visible: hesitant, searching, yet simultaneously full of strength.
Antony Gormley, Orbit Field, render, © Antony Gormley
Antony Gormley. Geestgrond neither begins nor ends at the entrance. The exhibition unfolds throughout the building, in dialogue with the permanent collection, across roofs, thresholds, and halls. Gormley’s sculptures are not confined to a single space but become part of the museum itself. They respond to the architecture, the artworks, and the visitors moving among them.
The exhibition invites you to experience the museum as a living space of sensory exchange. You are warmly welcome for a unique encounter with art, space, and time.
Tickets available soon.
