Art in Brussels, summer bars in Antwerp, a festival in Leuven, and a market in Ghent: what’s on in Belgium this week. See you there!
Exhibition: WOMAN at Bozar
Runs until 31 August Brussels
During Brussels’ Summer of Photography the city is buzzing with photo expos. One you should definitely check out is Bozar’s exhibiton “WOMAN. The Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970s”, a fascinating group show bringing together 450 works by 29 female artists from all over the world. The exhibition underlines the pioneering and groundbreaking nature of the selected images, which for the first time in photographic history displayed women from a female perspective in a provocative, poetic and radical way. With works by Eleanor Antin, Suzy Lake, Lili Dujourie and many others.
Exhibition: The Morning After at Hotel Bloom
Runs until 1 September Brussels
Smudged mascara, the legendary walk of shame and massive hangovers are just a few things the famed “morning after” evokes. Rising Belgian photographer Julie Scheurweghs explores the aftermath of these nightly adventures with her camera, dedicating a whole exhibition to the intriguing phenomenon. On show at Hotel Bloom for another month.
Summer pop-up bar: Bar Attak
Open until September Antwerp
We already mentioned the large number of lovely pop-up summer bars in Antwerp, and after Bar LEFT and Summer Josephine’s we’ve discovered another true jewel: Bar Attak. Opened this July, it’s the perfect green oasis in the middle of the city, set up in the unused Kerkstraat subway entrance.
Festival: Midzomer at M Museum
From 31 July to 3 August Leuven
Visual art, music, comedy, dance, performance…Leuven’s Midzomer festival, a collaboration between 30CC, Het Depot and M Museum, offers a vast cultural programme over a period of four days. This week sees its 5th edition with Girls in Hawaii, SX, Bent Van Looy and Joan As Police Woman as musical highlights.
Last days: Small Wars at MAS
Runs until Thursday, 31 August Antwerp
Born in Saigon in 1960, An-My Lê fled her home country as a teenager to settle down in the US. Both fascinated and appalled by the military and the phenomenon of war, her photographic work continuously examines the impact, consequences and depiction of war. Antwerp’s MAS now presents “Small Wars”, the New York-based artist’s first solo exhibition in Europe. It not only shows images from her “Small Wars” series on Vietnam War re-enactors in North Carolina but also includes photos from “Events Ashore”, a study of peacetime missions of the US Army. “I have always found the military an incredible enterprise. It’s an overwhelming force. It’s sublime because it’s inherently horrific and beautiful,” says the artist.
Music: Microfestival
From 1 to 2 August Liège
With so many Belgian festivals being quite gigantic in size, Liège’s Microfestival offers a nice change for those music lovers who’re not so much into big crowds. We like the cozy mini-festival’s intimate and relaxed atmosphere and carefully selected line-up, with American psych rockers The Growlers being on top of our list.
Sunday shopping: DOKmarkt at DOK
Sunday, 3 August, 11h00-17h00 Ghent
Starting this week, Ghent’s DOK invites you to stroll through its flea market every Sunday and get your hands on all kinds of knickknacks and homemade crafts. Plus, you can hang out in the lovely DOK café, play beach volleyball or check out the Sunday exhibitions run by SECONDroom.
