KIKK Festival 2024: True/False?

from 24 to 27 October in Namur, Belgium

The international celebration of digital art is back! From 24 to 27 October, the thirteenth KIKK Festival will take over Namur. This year, artists and scientists from across the globe will come together in the Walloon capital around the theme True/False in a crossover of art, science and technology. Renowned speakers will explore the distinctions between what’s true and false during thought-provoking talks. The KIKK in Town arts trail will awaken the senses with numerous monumental, interactive and immersive works by more than 45 digital artists. AfriKIKK is also back on the programme with leading voices from the continent and its diaspora. The KIKK Market will feature the latest technologies to discover along with an NFT zone, V.R. experiences and more!

The festival expects to welcome more than 25,000 visitors to iconic venues including Le Delta, the Galerie du Beffroi, the Institut Saint-Louis, the Hospice d’Harscamp, the Grand Manège, the CAV&MA and the Pavilion (KIKK’s permanent exhibition space). The programme includes around 50 artistic works and installations spread throughout the city – to be discovered via the KIKK in Town arts trail – and more than 40 talks and workshops around the theme of this festival edition.

In 2020, Namur was designated UNESCO’s Creative City of Media Arts (UNESCO CREATIVE CITIES) but KIKK has been a staple of the city’s cultural scene for much longer. The festival team was recently commissioned by the Walloon community to support the cultural and creative industries (wake!-label). As part of this project, they have invited around 20 international delegations (including Germany, South Korea, Denmark, France, Georgia, Italy, Norway, Serbia and Slovakia) to participate in this year’s exciting edition.

TRUE/FALSE
In an era dominated by deepfakes and generative A.I., the reliability of our sensory perceptions comes into question. That has inspired this KIKK edition to delve into the many faces of digital deception.

What are the latest developments in A.I., how can it be harnessed effectively, and what impact does it have on creative processes? Where is the line between illusion and reality in our ‘post-truth’ era? Are we evolving towards content that is increasingly uniform through the influence of influencers and algorithms? What about ‘self-marketing’, the staging of our own lives and the eternal search for affirmation on social media? These are just some of the questions guests and speakers will try to answer. Among them, Stefan Sagmeister, one of the most influential graphic designers of the last century, and Anna Ginsburg, an award-winning stop-motion director, illustrator and magician, will share their insights.

KIKK IN TOWN
Inspired by the festival theme, the artists are presenting numerous immersive installations and provocative works that play with perception and illusion. The KIKK in Town art trail includes Iranian artist Morehshin Allahyari‘s installation Moonfaced, which looks at traditional Iranian art through a gender-neutral lens. The interactive installation Transformirror by Daito Manabe and Kyle McDonald, uses A.I. to morph the visitors into whatever they want via live video. With SUB, Kurt Hentschläger constructs a wall of light that lets you hallucinate without any drugs. It’s a challenge for your eyes – and children are allowed! The arts trail will open on a nocturne on Friday 25 October.

AfriKIKK returns with a vibrant programme packed with artists from Africa and the diaspora put together by a top-level curatorial team: Huda Tayob, Faye Kabali Kagwa, Oulimata Gueye and Tegan Bristow. You’ll also discover a completely revamped KIKK Market featuring technological innovations, V.R. experiences, an NFT zone, an illustration market, and a Gaming area where new video games will be exclusively presented to the public.