A temporary exhibition in collaboration with LUCA School of Arts
In the Illustration programme at LUCA School of Arts, students learn to explore and imagine their view of the world.
The Art & History Museum is the museum par excellence where the interplay between worldview and imagination becomes tangible. It houses a treasure trove of remarkable artefacts from all times and corners of the world. The countless objects on display bear witness to equally countless ways of looking at and engaging with the world, revealing it in all its plurality and beauty. Behind every object lies a story — whether it is a modest little glass vase, a child’s balance bike, or an imposing centuries-old sculpture. And every object sparks the imagination.
In the autumn of 2025, an intense collaboration began between the museum and the second- and third-year Illustration students. As a first introduction, curators specially opened up the stories behind their most beloved museum pieces to the students, and the illustrators explored the collections over several days by drawing in the museum itself.
During Museum Night Fever on 18 October 2025, the public was able to admire the first results of this collaboration. The Grand Narthex was transformed into an “Open Atelier Ouvert” for all, featuring costumed models and sculptures on the catwalk inspired by museum pieces. Throughout the evening, the students also kept a genuine drawing machine running, producing unique postcards for visitors: “Kaart à la Carte.”
Back at the drawing tables in the school, the artefacts were given new life, emerging from the students’ imagination. Each student worked with one object or image from the museum. In their sketchbooks, they explored possible interpretations and developments of their ideas, ultimately arriving at a personal series of images that reimagines the object within a new context or narrative. The third-year students translated some of these images into large-scale screen prints. The second-year students combined a museum piece with a creature from The Book of Imaginary Beings by Jorge Luis Borges in a poster design.
In spring 2026, ARTEFICTION presents a wide selection of these works in the Mercator Aisle of the Art & History Museum. Expect a collection of images as rich as the museum’s own holdings: from sketch to poster, from sharp observational study to colourful fantasy world, from pencil to paint, from etching to screen print…
Practical information
Location
Mercator corridor
Admission
Included in the museum entry ticket.
In collaboration with
LUCA School of Arts – Campus Sint-Lucas Ghent
