ESSENTIAL READING

Essential Reading is a project that aims to enlarge, diversify and enrich Kunstenbibliotheek’s book collection. Which books are, today, really indispensable for an art library?  Guests of Essential Reading bring together and present in the library the books they consider most valuable in their life and work. 

1m³

In 2015 1m3 was initiated as an exhibition space dedicated to artists’ books from Kunstenbibliotheek’s collection. A guest curator is asked to make her/his selection from the library and present it within the vitrines of 1m3. 

Expo: Sampler 2025–2026

Sampler invites visitors to encounter student publications produced between 2000–2024, as both material objects and fragments of language, showing the intersections between fine art, graphic design, literature, and spatial installation.

Conceived as an exhibition at the Kunstenbibliotheek in Ghent, the project will be on view over the course of a year within the library’s spaces. Across walls, floors, and shelves, the titles of twenty-six works are set down as textual interventions, transforming the interior into a landscape of poetic fragments. This constellation is complemented by a broader selection of publications – a recent donation to the library which is presented in vitrines on the second floor.

To activate the archive of the publications, a magazine is published as a copy-style facsimile, designed in collaboration with Aagje Vandriessche. The project’s execution is based on a concept and a curation by Kasper Andreasen, who also donated the books to the library. The publication Sampler is available at the reception of the Kunstenbibliotheek.

The exhibition runs from 02.10.2025–31.05.2026. 

Exhibition plan Sampler

photography by (c) Jonathan Verschaeve & Kasper Andreasen

Summershelves

With Summershelves our library invites a smaller book collection to present their library in our Cellarium throughout the summer.

2025 Shif—t* collective exposition in the cellarium

2021 Graffiti Vzw artists doing interventions in our garden

moving bookshelves

Despite being located close to the school, Kunstenbibliotheek started experimenting with the possibilities of mobile bookshelves. Following the pop-up principle, these wheeled shelves are able to be easily moved and can therefore reach a new audience outside of the library. 

These small bib-carts can present a curated selection of books on a particular subject, which can be taken to lessons, workshops or ateliers. After creating the first prototype, several other designs were experimented with as to test out the possibilities of each cart. Some are rather practical for transport, some present the books better. 

The idea of the book trolleys is not that they serve without a ‘caretaker or person in charge’, but rather as a place to collect information in and make this mobile, where people can stand or sit around it. Just as a library provides a social fabric in a location, the book cart/book trolley/eventually book backpack (still in progress) will also be designed to gather around and share knowledge.

During the Graduation Week 2023 the wheeled shelves were used as a pop-up bookstore to sell students publications. 

A project by Nomadic School of Arts, Suzy Castermans, Peter Van de Velde, Seppe-Hazel Laeremans & Marthe Huyse

photos by (c) Rembert Deprez & Marthe Huyse

Heritage Day

2026 HA HA HUMOR

 

During Heritage Day 2026, the Arts Library displayed a selection of books on caricatures and humorous art from its collection. In addition, several artists were on hand to sketch visitors.

© Amber Goossens

© Anouk De Roo

© Ellen Martirosyan

 

Artworks between the shelves

Mathias Prenen, #BALUSTER#CarmenMiranda, 2015

Sculpture with oak, pine, linden, beech, walnut, and MDF

Chris Hoeben, Werk voor de Kunstenbibliotheek, 2022

Sculpture with black-and-white copies of books from the collection, ceramics, iron wire, epoxy

Valgerður Sigurðardóttir, Bed & Bookshelf, 2018

Sculpture with cement and glazed ceramics

Rik Vonckx, RIK VONCKX 2022, 2022-2023

Artist’s book with accompanying pedestal, unique copy

Rik Vonckx, OPERA, OPERA, 2022

Artist’s book with accompanying pedestal, unique copy

Rein Dufait, Structuur Schelp (klein), 2020

Sculpture with rebar, cement, shells

Rein Dufait, Van de bomen, de vormen en de kleuren, 2019-2020

Series of artist books, unique edition of 30 copies

Book presentations

2026 Angelique Campens: Beyond Brutalism and the Postwar Architecture-Sculpture Network

2025 Tato Greve : Retour

2025 Yves Maes & David Campany: In Conversation

2025 Danah Abdulla: Design Otherwise: Transforming Design Education in the Arab Region

2023 Benny Nemer: I don’t know where paradise is

Acquisitions

Kunstenbibliotheek closely follows up the artscene and weekly presents new aquisitions. Next to general collection development, Kunstenbibliotheek focusses on the following themes:

• The city of Ghent, books on artists, designers, architects or writers born or living in Ghent.

• Publications linked to the activities of Kunstenbibliotheek’s different partners (KASK, Design museum Gent, HISK, SMAK, STAM, Gentse Gidsen). Kunstenbibliotheek’s collection wants to become an accurate reflection of the activities of collaborators, staff, guests, alumni or students)

• Positions from the so-called geographical and/or intellectual periphery: publications on art and art theory from Asia, Middle East, Africa, South America with a special attention for decolonization theory, gender and LGBTQ studies.

• In the past three years a first catch-up movement was made in collecting publications about and from female artists and/or authors or curators. Kunstenbibliotheek continues this policy in the year to come.

Artists’ books

The artists’ books collection comprises different types of artist’s publications, limited editions, book objects, and other multiples. The collection is devoted to historical as well as contemporary bookworks. A large part of the historical collection comprises books of the 20th century avantgarde movements and minimal art, whereas the contemporary section has a specialized focus on artist’s self-publishing of the recent years.

In addition to the self-published works by artists, the collection carries works by specialised publishers such as Lubok, Motto Books, MER Paper Kunsthalle, Art Paper Editions, Roma Publications, and Imschoot Uitgevers, etc. The collection can be consulted via the online catalogue and the image bank. The publications themselves are available on request by making an appointment.

Magazines

The current volumes of the magazine subscriptions are available in the art library but are not lent out. Articles from previous years can be requested by e-mail. 

Visual Arts

Glean    •   Metropolis M   •   kM   •   Kunstschrift   •   L’ART MEME    •   Artforum   •   Frieze   •   Kunstletters   •    Adbusters   •   Ursula   •   Mousse   •  De Witte Raaf   •  Zaal Z  •    SIKA    •    Aperture    •    Equinox    •    BeBe Magazine    •    SeeAllThis    •    RealReview   

Architecture and landscapearchitecture

BETON  •  Bouwen met baksteen  •  G+L  •   Contact   •  Arch Index  •  M&L •  ZKG   •   tijdschrift publieke ruimte   •   topos   •   blauwe kamer   •   JoLA  •   Groencontact  •  Stadt + Grün  •  Ruimte & Maatschappij   •  CG Concept  •   Ruimte   •   Publieke Ruimte    •    El Croquis    •    Detail    •    Apartamento

Performing arts en Audiovisual arts

American Cinematographer   •   Theatermaker   •   Foam   •    Found Footage Magazine   •    Humbug   •    Blinkblank    •  Notebook   •  Etcetera  •   Rekto:Verso

Design

Eye  •  INTERNI  •  Idea  •  DAMN  •  View    •  Harvard Design Magazine  •  Print   •   TxP   •   FRAME    •   Vestoj    •    Neural    •    MacGuffin   •   Nomad    •   NotSoDifficult

Karel Geirlandt Collection

The Karel Geirlandt Collection is named after the first chairman of the Association for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Ghent (now SMAK). The collection was started when the Association was founded and grew with the museum. It forms a closed whole and contains books on art from 1945 to 2003 with a specialisation in conceptual and minimal art in Europe and the United States, and the artworks and artists collected by SMAK. This collection can only be consulted in the library. 

Databases

The databases can be consulted via the HOGENT-network, and can be consulted at home via Academic Software (only for students and staff of HOGENT).
More info on our databases and online informationsources is available in this brochure.
 

• Art & Architecture Source

AAS covers a broad range of related subjects, from fine, decorative and commercial art, to various areas of architecture and architectural design. Providing images, full-text journals and books, it is designed for use by a diverse audience, including art scholars, artists, designers, students and general researchers.

• Arts Premium Collection

APM encompasses cross-searchable databases with thousands of journal titles, ensuring deep searches of extensive collections in specialist subject areas not covered in more general databases. Subject areas include art, design, architecture, humanities, film/screen studies, music, performing arts, and more.

• JSTOR Images

JSTOR Images is an extensive and representative visual resource of images for teaching and research in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

Interesting:

• Google Scholar
• CaGeWeb
• Apache

KASK Academic Collection

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) was founded by painter Ph. K. Marissal in 1751. KASK’s archive dates from 1770 and was supplemented until the middle of the 20th century. It consists of an arts archive and an administrative archive. 

The arts archive consists mainly of academic drawings, architecture and visual arts, as well as sculptures, paintings and posters. The academic drawings contain examples of the different drawing methods that were taught, more specifically drawing according to prints, plaster or living models. 

The collection includes drawings by artists from the Latem group, such as Gust De Smet, Léon De Smet, Albert Servaes and architectural drawings by former students such as Alphons Groothaert, Victor Horta, Geo Henderick, Gaston Eysselinck, paintings awarded the J.Pipyn prize by H.Malfait, J.Burssens, Steve Schepens, Steven Balen and others. 

The art archive can be consulted via the catalogue and the image bank http://bib.hogent.be and can be viewed by appointment. 

Zines

In the summer of 2018 Kunstenbibliotheek started its Zine collection to preserve recent & independent creations. This unique collection is constantly growing and we invite artists and writers to send us their self-published printed works.

2025 Zinefestival 

In summer of 2025, Louis Gahide, Bijloke Wonderland and we organised our first ever  zinefestival that took place in front of our main entrance. 

  25 artists gathered to show and exchange their self-published works.

Reading Guide

Research can be a maze many struggle to make sense of. With our little selection on specific topics, the Kunstenbibliotheek is trying to help you find your way through our vast collection. Since we constantly are making an effort to give space to & focus on marginalized topics, these lists will be regularly updated. We are still learning. Our little labyrinth logo on the book’s spine will help you find the suggested books in the shelves. Enjoy!