For TNC, KMSKA is where programmes are conceived, conversations begin and different forms of art can meet — creating experiences in which centuries-old music and artworks speak directly to the present.

Here, art is not a backdrop. It is a starting point.

Since 2023, soprano and curator Elise Caluwaerts has been Artist in Residence at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, developing interdisciplinary programmes around themes such as Women in the Arts, Power and Powerlessness, and Hope. It was within this residency that the foundations of The Now Collective were laid. Each programme begins with artworks from the museum’s collection — their stories, tensions and ideas — and extends them through music.

A painting can become the starting point for a musical journey; a piece of music can open a new way of looking at an artwork. Together, they create space to explore questions that reach far beyond the museum walls: power, freedom, inequality, care, hope and our relationship with the world around us. This ongoing dialogue reflects KMSKA’s vision of the museum as a living place for participation, exchange and new perspectives. In 2024, KMSKA received a Special Commendation at the prestigious European Museum of the Year Awards (EMYA), recognising its innovative and socially engaged public programme.

For TNC, KMSKA is where programmes are conceived, conversations begin and different forms of art can meet — creating experiences in which centuries-old music and artworks speak directly to the present.