Mike Michiels Belgium
Mike Michiels is the coordinator of KAOS. He holds a Master’s degree in Arts from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp and is trained as a mental health nurse. These two backgrounds converge in KAOS, founded in 2011. The organisation hosts research residencies for artists in mental health institutions, curates exhibitions, and organises KAOS Talks—in collaboration with the Dr. Guislain Museum—where resident artists come together to reflect on their work and experiences. Since 2025, KAOS also runs KAOS Radio, a podcast featuring in-depth conversations between each resident artist and Mike.
Meet the other speakers
Erik Thys
Erik Thys is a psychiatrist at UPC KU Leuven and the Psycho-Social Centre Ixelles. He holds a PhD on creativity, psychological vulnerability and stigma, chairs the non-profit KAOS, is a visual artist, and teaches at KU Leuven and LUCA School of Arts.
Simon Allemeersch
Simon Allemeersch is a theatre maker and member of the collective Lucinda Ra, as well as a researcher at Ghent University. His doctoral research explores housing trajectories in social high-rise buildings, drawing on residents’ lived experiences of mental health care.
Elien Ronse
Elien Ronse is a visual artist working across disciplines including contemporary art, community practice, political activism, and theoretical research. Her work critically examines problematic relational mechanisms in late-capitalist society.
@ The conference
x
