What will you be looking for most as a jury member?
Sjors: “As a curator, there are a few things that are important to me when looking at an exhibition. Do I experience it as one coherent and organic whole, while at the same time the art itself remains autonomous within the framework or theme? And even better: does the art, the artwork, or the artist offer a genuinely new or surprising perspective?
I’m also interested in accessibility. A question I always ask myself is: how do the exhibition, the artwork, or an accompanying text create different entry points for a broad audience?”
How did you first come to know Kunstpodium T?
“I mainly know Kunstpodium T through artists I’ve worked with over the years who have been involved in its various programs, such as Yasser Ballemans and Willem de Haan.”
Meet Sjors Bindels
"My name is Sjors Bindels and I live and work in Venlo, the Netherlands. In 2017, I graduated from the BEAR department at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem. That same year, I curated my first museum exhibition as a guest artist/curator at the former Museum van Bommel van Dam. I then moved to Barcelona, where I co-founded the art platform Gracias por su visita, a label-like art project that connected young artists from the Barcelona region with galleries, collectors and art institutions through exhibitions, events and co-productions.
Since 2020, I have been working as a curator at Museum van Bommel van Dam. In recent years, I have curated exhibitions with artists including Kitty Maria (Femina Ludens, 2023) and Tirzo Martha (Intensive Care, 2024), as well as group exhibitions such as It’s Not A Joke (2025) and Grijs! Art on Aging (2026). Each of these exhibitions sought to open up conversations around different social issues.
As a curator at a museum that reopened its doors in 2021, I have not only been involved in shaping the vision and mission of a new museum in changing times, but also in exploring what the museum can actively contribute to its surroundings, city and region. I was closely involved in setting up and facilitating a platform for and by makers in Venlo, because I believe that a broad cultural infrastructure is essential — especially for emerging talent — to create a healthy city and, in turn, a healthy museum within that city."