KMSKA x Port of Antwerp-Bruges: tradition meets innovation

For Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the partnership with KMSKA is a way to fulfill the port company’s social role. “A port brings economic prosperity, but also major challenges for the area in which it is located. We are very focused on engaging with that environment and keeping the impact low,” says Judith Van Oost. “Connection is our core value. We saw this at KMSKA as well: the opening celebration was a wonderful event to which the entire neighborhood was invited. That deliberate attention to being there for everyone resonates deeply with us.”

The parallels between the port and the museum are striking. Just like the Port House, where a cutting-edge structure rests atop a historic building, KMSKA combines the grandeur of the old masters in its historic building with bold, innovative architecture and contemporary art. “The museum’s constant movement and drive for renewal perfectly reflect who we are.”

That admiration for innovation and contrast is also reflected personally in Judith Van Oost. She looks back with great enthusiasm on the exhibition of the Antwerp master Jef Verheyen, but her love for modern art runs even deeper, all the way to Surrealism.

“I have always been fascinated by Magritte’s art. As a student, I had posters of his work on my walls,” laughs Van Oost. “It’s incredible how he can mislead you in such an apparently simple way. I love that sense of rebellion: Magritte looked inconspicuous, but his actions and works were anything but. That layering, where with every glance you discover a second or third level, forces you each time to pause and reflect. That’s exactly what good art is meant to do.”

Soon, the partnership between the port and KMSKA will take on a very special form. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is creating a “port tour” through selected artworks, building a bridge between the labor market and the art world. “We want to make shortage professions in the port tangible. We invited ambassadors from various port jobs – from a software developer to a loading master from Zeebrugge – to the museum. They were asked to choose a painting that connects to their profession.”

Through video interviews on iPads next to the artworks, these port employees share their stories. In this way, a temporary “port tour” is created through KMSKA. “The port is so much more than just ships. It is a hub of logistics, transport, IT, innovation, and human talent. By linking our port jobs to the masterpieces of KMSKA, we highlight this human side in a way no one expects.”

This surprising initiative wonderfully demonstrates the possibilities that a partnership with KMSKA can offer.

For a global port, the hospitality component of the partnership with KMSKA is crucial. “In an international environment, it’s not easy to truly impress business contacts. But a dinner in the Rubens Hall, such as the Captain’s Dinner for companies supporting the NGO Mercy Ships, is something international guests won’t soon forget. You step out of the industrial context of the port for a moment and offer people a completely different experience.”

Yet it’s not just about the grand dinners. The flexibility of the KMSKA team is essential for the port. “Often we only find out a week in advance that an international delegation is coming. The ability to quickly adapt, host a tour, or organize an event in the library for, say, our ‘Breakbulk Club,’ is invaluable. It’s a partnership where we can leverage credits based on our immediate needs, and that flexibility makes the collaboration a true win-win.”

The partnership also comes to life on the work floor at Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Museum tickets are regularly raffled among employees through a computer system. Different teams visit the museum for team-building activities and meetings in the various rooms included in the partnership.

On a personal level, Judith Van Oost is also a big fan of Club Fouquet. “The combination of business needs and personal enrichment is a real highlight of the partnership. At Club Fouquet, you meet like-minded people in a setting where art serves as the conversation starter.”