CURATORIAL CALL IX

PDF Document Open call curator

CURATORIAL PROPOSALS

20.06.2026

Hieronder de motivatie, proposal en cv van Esenija Bannan.

CV, Motivatie, Proposal

1. Curatorial Vision

If you were to shape Groeninghe VIII, what curatorial focus would you propose for the next five years?

This question immediately helps us understand:

  • whether you have a clear vision;

  • whether that vision is distinctive;

  • whether it aligns with and builds upon the existing collection.

Which three contemporary developments do you believe will have the greatest impact on the international art world over the next ten years?

This is particularly relevant because Groeninghe Art Collection has always sought to look one generation ahead.

Which artists do you consider to be currently overrated, and which artists do you believe are underrated?

The answer often reveals more than a simple list of favourite artists.

2. Building a Collection

How would you allocate an annual budget of €300,000 between emerging, mid-career and established artists?

This question goes directly to the core of the role.

Can you give an example of an artist you would have recommended five years ago, and explain why?

In your view, what makes an artist worthy of inclusion in a collection such as Groeninghe?

This helps us understand whether your thinking is guided by:

  • institutional relevance;

  • art-historical significance;

  • market potential;

  • societal impact.

3. Network

Given your collaboration with Udo Kittelmann, we would like to explore this area in greater depth.

Which artists within your current network do you believe will achieve a significant institutional breakthrough within the next five years?

Which galleries and art fairs do you consistently visit because they present the most compelling artists today?

Which curators have most strongly influenced your thinking and curatorial approach?

4. Udo Kittelmann

What did you learn about building a collection during your collaboration with Udo Kittelmann?

Can you provide an example of an artist whose importance Udo Kittelmann recognised at an early stage?

In what ways do your curatorial choices differ from those of Udo Kittelmann?

5. Practical Questions Related to Groeninghe

How would you guide a group of thirty collectors with varying levels of knowledge through a complex curatorial narrative?

How do you deal with resistance when members do not immediately understand or appreciate an artist?

Can you give an example of an artist who was initially difficult to support but later proved highly successful?

6. Art Basel Test

Imagine we were visiting Art Basel together tomorrow. Which five booths would be essential for us to visit, and why?

This question immediately reveals:

  • how you look at art;

  • how quickly you analyse;

  • whether you can combine market awareness with artistic substance.

7. The Key Groeninghe Question

What collection would exist in five years’ time if you were the curator that does not exist today?

This question challenges you to:

  • articulate a vision;

  • identify artists;

  • explain a strategy;

  • demonstrate how Groeninghe could become increasingly relevant within the international collecting landscape.

8. Who Is Esenija Bannan as a Curator?

Your CV demonstrates strengths in:

  • production;

  • international networks;

  • interdisciplinary projects;

  • collaborations with leading curators such as Udo Kittelmann.

What do you stand for as a curator?

Which three exhibitions that you have curated best represent your work and vision?

What would you describe as your personal curatorial signature?

Which artists did you support before they were recognised by others?

Which acquisition in your career are you most proud of?

Which artist did you misjudge?

9. Personal Situation and Availability

Where are you currently based?

How many days per year can you realistically dedicate to Groeninghe?

Which other professional commitments are you currently involved in?

Which long-term commitments do you foresee over the next five years?

How much time do you currently devote to Bannan Productions?

Do you work independently or as part of a team?

If you were appointed as curator of Groeninghe, how many days per month could we realistically count on your active involvement?

10. How Do You View Groeninghe?

We would ask you to study the overview of the previous seven collections in advance.

What do you consider to be the strengths of the current collection, and where do you see its blind spots?

Which acquisitions made during the past five years would you personally not have pursued?

11. Your Network

Which artists can you introduce to us today who are not yet on our radar?

Which artists could you personally introduce to Groeninghe over the next two years?

Which gallerists take your phone calls?

With which museums and curators do you currently maintain active professional relationships?

12. The Difficult Questions

In what fundamental ways do you disagree with Udo Kittelmann?

13. The Art Market

How do you view the current hype surrounding figurative painting?

Which market trends do you consciously avoid?

Which artists do you think have become overpriced today?

14. On Failures

Which exhibition did not turn out as you had hoped?

Which artist did you overestimate?

Which acquisition would you not make again today?

If we were to appoint you today, which three artists do you think we would have acquired within five years that other collectors would later wonder why they had not discovered earlier?