Art in Ghent, beach parties in Blankenberge, music in Hasselt, and more. What’s on in Belgium this week. See you there!
Opening: Garden of multiple appearances at These Things Take Time
Thursday, 14 August, 19h00-00h00 Ghent
These Things Take Time, an art space in the centre of Ghent, was founded in 2012 by graphic designer and fine arts student Matthias Yzebaert. The summer exhibition “Garden of multiple appearances” kicking off this Thursday showcases temporary installations created by the founder himself together with Ghent-based artist Egon Van Herreweghe. The two share a fascination for repurposing images and objects.
Seaside party: Fuse on the beach at Pier Blankenberge
Thursday, 14 August, 16h00-5h00 Blankenberge
Brussels legendary techno club Fuse closes its doors this Thursday to relocate at the Belgian seaside for a memorable night. Dance on the beach and on Blankenberge’s pier reaching out 300 meters into the sea, surrounded by Miami Vice-style decorations and the sounds of Igor Vicente, Natha Oye, Paco Osuna, and others.
Exhibition: Leon Vranken at Z33
Runs until 31 August Hasselt
Hasselt’s Z33 currently hosts the very first solo exhibition, “Paper-Scissors-Stone”, by Belgian, Antwerp-based artist Leon Vranken. Represented by Brussels’ renowned Meeseen De Clercq Gallery and with expos in New York, London and Toronto under his belt, his creations oscillate somewhere between architecture, performance and visual arts.
Music festival: Pukkelpop
From 14 to 16 August Hasselt
The National, Black Lips, Temples, Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs, Portishead,… Pukkelpop’s line-up speaks for itself. The annual three day music bash in the fields next to Hasselt is one of Belgium’s biggest and most prominent festivals, and rightly so. The varied programme includes not only the big shots but also Belgian and international newcomers.
Exhibition: Róbert Szabó Benke at Balassi Institute
Runs until 31 August Brussels
In his fascinating series “Bachelorette”, on show at Brussels’ Balassi Institute, Hungarian photographer Róbert Szabó Benke explores the state of being an unmarried, childless woman over 25 years old. The intimate and slightly outlandish images display 38 girls in their own personal surroundings. While they all wear the same wedding dress, the same shoes and the same white lilies in their hair, they chose their poses and the background in front of which they were photographed themselves.
Summer hangout: Zonsondergang
Until 13 September Antwerp
Zonsondergang is part of non-profit initiative “Zomer van Antwerpen”, which offers a large summer programme of special events and projects. This one is one for romantics and nature lovers: next to the Scheldt river you can hang out on a set of wooden bleachers which have been installed for the sole purpose of being able to enjoy watching the sunset from an especially beautiful perspective. And if you’re hungry there’s a barbecue available, just bring along some charcoal and sausages!
Closing party: Extra Curriculum at Komplot
Saturday, 16 August, 18h00-01h00 Brussels
We’ve already told you to go check out Komplot’s current exhibition “Extra Curriculum” a little while ago. If you still haven’t managed to do so, this Saturday is the perfect occasion when the expo closes down with a big finissage party: The Joe Baer Music Festival. Expect music acts that are a bit on the obscure side with Le Crawl Calme’s alien pop, MX’s psymetrix hypnotical synth drone, DieDerDas’s Indie tropic and more.
Exhibition: Brussels Unlimited at Centrale
Runs until 28 September Brussels
Brussels’ Centrale of contemporary art now gives you the chance to gain a glimpse into the vast collection of Contretype, one of the city’s most renowned photography galleries. The exhibition includes more than 150 photographs by 23 international and Belgian artists stemming from the time period 1997-2012. They all have one thing in common: their focus on the Belgian capital, exploring the cities from many different sides and viewpoints. Featuring works by Elina Brotherus, Chantal Maes, Satoru Toma, Vicente de Mello and many others.
