Art world report·Kortrijk
Grace Ndiritu turns a Belgian theatre into a permanent 'cultural spa' in first public commission
Grace Ndiritu's first public art commission, The Last Days of Ancient Sunlight, opens at Schouwburg Kortrijk in November 2026 — a permanent project three years in the making, with neons, window vinyls, curtains and flags across the theatre, and interiors by WIT Architecten.

Grace Ndiritu's first public art commission, The Last Days of Ancient Sunlight, is now on display at Schouwburg Kortrijk in Belgium. Ndiritu won the City of Kortrijk competition for the commission in 2023, and the permanent project has been three years in development.
The work spans the theatre building inside and out: multiple neons, window vinyls made from paintings, curtains and flags, alongside an interior redesign developed with WIT Architecten covering both the public areas and the workers' areas. Ndiritu describes architecture as a type of spiritual technology, and wanted the theatre to work as a kind of cultural spa — a place for people to slow down and feel at home — while insisting the staff areas be as beautiful and ambitious as the public-facing ones.
The commission continues her long-running Healing the Museum research into ecology, spirituality and the healing of institutional spaces. For the grand reopening she is also launching a series of long-term initiatives designed specifically for the city theatre.


