Things to do this week: exhibitions, concerts, vintage festivals and more in Brussels, Antwerp, and Ghent. See you there!
Opening: Rossella Biscotti at Wiels
Tuesday, 27 May, 19h30 Brussels
Italian artist Rossella Biscotti, based between Brussels and Amsterdam, has already shown her work in internationally renowned places as Kassel’s Documenta or the Venice Biennal. Now Brussels’ Wiels dedicates a solo survey show to the artist, presenting Biscotti’s major works from the last five years. In her oeuvre she deals with the blurry boundaries between history and memory and the inner workings of the human mind. While “Yellow Movie” is based on recordings of psychoanalytic sessions and “Pharmaceutical Dreams” plays with promo postcards from an American pharma company, “The Trial” deals with a court case against Italian leftists in the 80s. A fascinating, brainy show whose opening will be accompanied by a vinyl-only DJ set by Italian artist Chiara Fumai.
Last days to see: Ann Veronica Janssens and others at Galerie Micheline Szwajcer
Closes on Saturday, 31 May Brussels
After NICC it’s now Galerie Micheline Szwajcer’s turn to make the move from Antwerp to Brussels. Do we see a trend developing here? Time will tell. If you want to check out the gallery’s last Antwerp show, you should do so before it closes for good this Saturday. The group exhibition includes works by Koenraad Dedobbeleer, Ann Veronica Janssens, Guy Mees, Matt Mullican, Daan van Golden and Didier Vermeiren.
Night out: Nine Inch Nails Pretty After Party at Trix
Wednesday, 28 May, 23h00 Antwerp
Did you know that Johnny Cash’s super successful “Hurt” is actually a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song? If you want to hear the original you can check out the legendary rock band from Cleveland at Antwerp’s Lotto Arena this Wednesday. But in case you find 50€ for a ticket a tad too much, there’s an after party planned just 1500 meters further at the Trix offering a danceable mix of Industrial, Wave, Electro and NIN tunes. And who knows, maybe Trent Reznor will stop by!
Last days to see: David Adamo at Rodolphe Janssen Gallery
Closes on Wednesday, 28 May Brussels
Until Wednesday this week you still have the opportunity to discover Rodolphe Janssen Gallery’s first solo exhibition of American, Berlin-based artist David Adamo. His sculptures and installations are closesly tied to his personal life, referencing his earlier days in New York or his grandfather’s profession as a carpet maker. The choice of materials, for example beeswax and balsa wood, also play an important role in Adamo’s oeuvre. “How I work has an emotional aspect, so I suppose you can’t talk about it because it’s something you feel”, he recently told Sleek Magazine.
Opening: Men with broken hearts at De La Charge
Thursday, 29 May, 18h00 Brussels
De La Charge is an artist-run space in Brussels’ St Gilles neighbourhood which not only unites several artist studios under its roof but also regularly puts on exhibitions of young and emerging artists. The cozy courtyard makes the openings especially pleasant and this Thursday you can go check it out when the group show “Men with broken hearts” kicks off, bringing together artworks by Nick Bastis, Jean Baptiste Bernadet, Kasper Bosmans, Rémy Briere, Morgan Courtois, Simon Davenport and many others.
Vintage festival: Retrorama at Brussels Expo
From Friday, 30 May to Sunday, 1 June Brussels
This Friday sees the opening party of Retrorama, a festival which is bound to be the Belgian vintage event of the year. A whole weekend of concerts, shows, shopping, dancing lessons and workshops (for example “How to make your own bow tie”) awaits, letting you dive into the golden 20s, the swinging 60s or the glamorous disco 70s. An event that lets you discover past trends crossing all genres from music and fashion to design and advertising with a huge market at its heart offering everything from furniture and records to clothes and toys.
Concert: Holograms at DNA
Saturday, 31 May, 20h00 Brussels
Swedish outfit Holograms got quite some attention with their debut LP released two years ago. “Assured and atmospheric” wrote NME about the Stockholm quartet’s first record filled with synth-heavy post-punk. Last fall they published the follow-up, “Forever”, which you can discover this Saturday at Brussels’ DNA. And if you can’t catch the punks there they are also on show this Sunday at De Kreun in Kortrijk.
Exhibition: Juan Paparella at Cecilia Jaime Gallery
Runs until 22 June Ghent
Argentinian-born, Belgium-based Juan Paparella is one of those artists we discovered at this year’s Art Brussels (check the article here). Curators Benoît Dusart and Marie-Noëlle Dailly had selected him for the booth of Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles. Ghent’s Cecilia Jaime Gallery now presents a fascinating solo exhibition of the artist who mainly deals with questions about human nature, its fate and its vulnerability.
Sunday market: Rommelmarkt at Boelaerpark
Sunday, 1 June, 9h00-18h00 Antwerp
Antwerp collective Goegekregen, dedicated to improving city life, is throwing one of its lovely markets again this Sunday. This time its located in the beautiful Boelaerpark, one of Antwerp’s major green oases. The perfect place for a Sunday walk, a family picnic or some outdoor shopping at democratic prices.
