The Story of…
Keith Haring in 1987: Antwerp, Knokke, M HKA.
Were you there, do you know someone who was, or do you still keep material from that period? Share your story here.
This preliminary research is a collaboration between M HKA & PLUS-ONE Projects, supported by The Keith Haring Foundation.
Context
In 1987, Keith Haring left traces in and around Antwerp: in M HKA, Knokke, Gallery 121, and in the memories of people who met him, asked him to draw something personal, saw him at work, or kept a photograph, letter, or story.
Today, in the run-up to M HKA’s 40th anniversary in 2027, we look back at that fascinating early period of the museum, precisely at a time when M HKA is currently reflecting intensively on its future and its role in the city.
In that light, the bond with Keith Haring is particularly significant: his energy, his connection with people, and his generosity leave a clear impression to this day. With this project, MHKA and PLUS‑ONE Projects do not aim to present a classic overview of his oeuvre, but rather to show what Keith Haring’s practice was all about: art as a public language, as a catalyst for encounters, urban imagination, and shared stories.
Keith Haring aan het werk in Knokke in Le Dragon van Niki De Saint Phalle.
Archiefmateriaal van © Jason Poirier dit Caulier
Was jij erbij, ken je iemand die erbij was, of bewaar jij nog materiaal uit die periode?
We are looking for small and large traces from 1987 or the years surrounding it, including:
Personal memories of Keith Haring in Antwerp, Knokke, or the M HKA.
Stories about visits to Gallery 121, Casino Knokke, the surf club, or other relevant places from that period.
Photos, videos, contact prints, Polaroids, or scans.
Letters, invitations, posters, press clippings, notes, or documentation.
Objects or ephemera with a clear link to Keith Haring, Antwerp, Knokke, or the network of that time.
Names of people we should definitely speak to or contact.
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In the opening year of the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, Keith Haring created a mural in the museum. During that same period, he was also in Antwerp and Knokke, through exhibitions, encounters, and a network of gallery owners, artists, collectors, friends, and chance witnesses.
Much of that story lives on today not only in archives, but also in personal memories or a small visual memory that was never shared publicly. With this project, M HKA and PLUS-ONE Projects aim to bring those traces together as the starting point for a broader investigation into Keith Haring in Antwerp and Knokke, and into the significance of that period within his practice and in reflection up to the present day.
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For this research project, M HKA and PLUS-ONE Projects are collaborating to map all of this. M HKA provides the institutional and historical context of the museum, while PLUS-ONE Projects contributes to research, network activation, storytelling, and the tracing of private and public traces that can deepen this narrative.
The collaboration stems from a simple conviction: some art histories live not only in collections and catalogues, but also in people. That is precisely why personal memories, oral testimonies, and visual material are not peripheral information, but an essential part of the research. After all, that is an essential part of Keith Haring's artistic practice.
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The period around 1987 is historically significant for the M HKA, for Antwerp, and for the bond between Keith Haring and Belgium. At the same time, it is also a moment for which many direct witnesses can still be reached, though not endlessly.
This is therefore not a casual nostalgic appeal, but an initial screening for a carefully constructed process. We are seeking material that can help verify facts, better understand stories, and make the social, artistic, and urban context of those years visible once again.
Keith Haring aan het werk in Knokke in Le Dragon van Niki De Saint Phalle.
Archiefmateriaal van © Jason Poirier dit Caulier
Small memories are also welcome.
Perhaps you don't have a “big story”, but you do have a single photo, a name, a detail, a brief encounter, or a memory of a place or moment. Just such fragments can help to better reconstruct the larger story.
What happens to your submission?
All submissions are first read and reviewed as part of an initial screening within the research process. Not every submission will be used or displayed publicly, but every relevant contribution can help establish connections, locate witnesses, or better interpret historical material.
If you share material, we will review with you what is possible regarding contact, further documentation, use, attribution, and potential follow-up. Authentic objects and documents are always handled in the research with the necessary care and attention to provenance, context, and verification.
Share your story or memory
Were you involved with, present at, or near Keith Haring in Antwerp, Knokke, or the M HKA in 1987 or the years surrounding it? Do you have a story, a memory, a photo, a document, or an object that might be relevant? Leave your details and your contribution below.
We read every submission as part of an initial screening.
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We invite you to participate in this call and to share some personal data with us as part of the preliminary research and development of the exhibition.
We handle your information with care: all data will be treated confidentially, stored securely, and used exclusively internally for the selection and further preparation of the project.
Your data will never be shared with third parties without your consent. If we wish to use certain information later in a more public context (for example, in the form of an exhibition, communication, audience engagement, or documentation), we will ask for your explicit and informed consent in advance. You always have the right to view your data, have it corrected or deleted, and to withdraw your consent.
By submitting your entry, you agree that we may process your personal data as described above and as further explained in our privacy statement.
This preliminary research is a collaboration between M HKA & PLUS-ONE Projects, supported by The Keith Haring Foundation.