KMSKA LATE talks - Ilke Cop

LAAT talks is a series of conversations with emerging artists, organised in collaboration with leading art galleries. At KMSKA, the focus of the permanent collection lies on the Old Masters and Modern Masters. Alongside this, the museum also stands out for its wide range of temporary exhibitions, which stay closely attuned to current developments and the spirit of the times. With these talks, KMSKA offers emerging artists a platform. Old and modern art serve as a source of inspiration in their artistic practice.

For this edition, programme curator Siska Baeck speaks with Ilke Cop, whose solo exhibition Grace Grit Grin runs at gallery Tatjana Pieters until 8 February 2026.

Ilke Cop (b. 1988, Belgium) lives and works in Brussels. She works with painting, sculpture and installation, focusing on femininity and power. In 2024 she won the Gaver Prize for Painting and took part in the Biennial of Painting in Deinze. Her work has recently been shown at Tatjana Pieters and Be-part and is included in public and private collections in Europe and the United States. She is a co-founder of Hyster-x and is also active as a curator.

In Grace Grit Grin, Cop examines how visual codes of femininity permeate everyday objects. Sculptures and paintings reveal a personal process in which bodily experience is translated into image. The exhibition runs until 8 February at Tatjana Pieters, alongside Guest, a curated response by Kendell Geers. Together, they form a dialogue on art history, the body and play.