DAILY DÉRIVE
Ana Mendoza Aldana (Curator)
& Luc Haenen (Collector)

The emblematic Daily Dérives, a programme of conversations led by leading figures from the art world, will again welcome this year’s visitors who are eager for expert guidance and the sharp eye of the invited professionals. Each « dérive » remains true to the Situationist meaning of the term, to wander and be drawn “by the attractions of the terrain” (Guy Debord). These unique moments warmly invite visitors to discover the exhibition through the eyes of an expert in a more intimate setting, thus giving rise to invaluable insights and affirming each person in their relationship to contemporary art.

Ana Mendoza Aldana is a Paris-based curator, art critic, and poet, and a 2026 Villa Albertine resident. Her recent research focuses on melancholy and Tennessee Williams, on the ghosts of colonization, and on the specter of madness in the Americas. The narrative exhibitions she curates take literature as their starting point and highlight queer and feminist stories. She has presented or published her work at the Bibliothèque Kandinsky at the Centre Pompidou, the MAC in Lima, the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, the École du Louvre, the Crédac in Ivry, M HKA in Antwerp, and Reid Hall – Columbia University in Paris.

(FR) Ana Mendoza Aldana (Paris) est curatrice, critique d’art et poète, résidente de la Villa Albertine en 2026. Ses recherches récentes portent sur la mélancolie et Tennessee Williams, sur les fantômes de la colonisation et le spectre de la folie dans les Amériques. Les expositions narratives qu’elle organise prennent pour point de départ la littérature et mettent en lumière des récits queer et féministes. Elle a présenté ou publié son travail à la Bibliothèque Kandinsky au Centre Pompidou, au MAC à Lima, l’École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, l’École du Louvre, le Crédac à Ivry, M HKA à Anvers, et à Reid Hall - Columbia University à Paris.

Luc Haenen is a Antwerp-based physician by training and has been collecting contemporary art since 2000. He is primarily interested in works related to illness, decline, and death. He is fascinated by the relationship between the works of the Old Masters and those of contemporary artists who take illness as a source of inspiration, sometimes unintentionally.
Luc Haenen gives lectures on the relationship between artists and their doctors and on the search for pathologies in art history. He is a member of Wiels (Brussels) and S.M.A.K. (Ghent), and has published in outlets such as The Art Newspaper, the Financial Times, and the book #whatpatientsreadafterheartsurgery (Hopper&Fuchs).

(FR) Luc Haenen (Anvers) est médecin de formation et collectionneur d’art contemporain depuis 2000. Il s’intéresse principalement aux œuvres en relation avec la maladie, le déclin et la mort. Il est fasciné par la relation entre les œuvres d’art des maîtres anciens et celles des artistes contemporains qui prennent la maladie comme source d’inspiration, parfois involontaire.
Luc Haenen donne des conférences sur la relation entre l’artiste et son médecin et la recherche des pathologies dans l’histoire d’art. Il est membre du Wiels (Bruxelles), SMAK (Gand) et publie dans des parutions comme The Art Newspaper, The Financial Times et le livre #whatpatientsreadafterheartsurgery (Hopper&Fuchs).