A couple of cultural things to do in Belgium this week: cinema in Brussels, a new bar in Antwerp, and art all over. See you there!
Film: Bozar Cinema Days
From 8 to 11 January Brussels
This coming weekend Bozar Cinema celebrates its 10th birthday with a four day long film marathon, which kicks off on Thursday with Swedish film director Ruben Östlund’s Turist. In his most recent movie the Oscar nominee and Golden Bear winner portrays a Swedish family’s holiday gone wrong in the French Alps, exploring modern family life. Also on the big screen: Guillaume Nicloux’s The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq, Israelian director Nadav Lapid’s The Kindergarten Teacher and many more. See the full programme here.
Opening: Hreinn Fridfinnsson, Kelly Schacht & Chaim van Luit at Meessen De Clercq
Thursday, 8 January, 18-21h00 Brussels
Hreinn Fridfinnsson
The show opening this Thursday at Meessen De Clercq, one of Brussels’ major galleries, presents the work of three different artists. While leading Icelandic conceptual artist Hreinn Fridfinnsson invites you into his practice of light and dreams, Belgian Kelly Schacht deals with language and narration in her second exhibition at the gallery. And then there are the works of young Chaim Van Luit from the Netherlands, which deal with space, time, memories and the Battle of the Ardennes in 1944.
Opening: Veronika Pot at Ingrid Deuss Gallery
Thursday, 8 January Antwerp
One of Antwerp’s major photography galleries, Ingrid Deuss, presents “The Transformation”, a show displaying the mesmerizing works of Belgian artist Veronika Pot. Her images, inspired by Arcadia, the utopian country of Greek Antiquity, are calm, melancholic, sensual, mysterious and dreamy all at the same time. Not to miss.
Opening: Museum of Mistakes at Wiels
Friday, 9 January, 18h30 Brussels
At Brussels’ contemporary art center Wiels “The Museum of Mistakes” kicks off this Friday, an expo showcasing the oeuvre of French artist Pierre Leguillon of the last 15 years. The exhibition model bringing together everything from photographs, film extracts, advertisements and postcards to posters, slides, record sleeves and magazines, questions the hierarchies and the conditions of the reception of art. And be prepared, with Dj Handless behind the decks the opening might even turn into a party.
Opening: Izleo at John and Rose
Friday, 9 January Brussels
Super cozy café-meets-gallery John and Rose, located right in the center of Brussels, invites you to the opening of “Maville” this Friday, an expo showcasing the works of young talent Izleo, whose practice focuses on large-scale silk screen prints, in situ paintings and photography. One to watch!
Night out: Back to the 90s at Bazaar
Saturday, 10 January, 23h00 Brussels
The 90s are all the rage right now, from new grunge fashion trends to revival parties. One of these is taking place this Saturday at Bazaar with a special focus on hip hop and R&B. So if you feel like pretending it’s 1995 for a night and dance off to tunes by Tupac, Aaliyah and the likes, this is the perfect party for you.
Launch: Bar Leopard
Saturday, 10 January, 22h00 Antwerp
We just love it when new additions are made to the Belgian culture scene, and here’s a fresh one to get excited about: Antwerp’s Bar Leopard, a travelling creative platform where music meets art. While the launch night is happening in the unmovable Emma Rulez, future events are planned to happen in a former horse truck and its surroundings. You can check it all out this Saturday while dancing to electronic music and discovering a number of different visual artists.
Last days: The Remarkable Lightness of Being at Aeroplastics
Closes on Saturday, 10 January Brussels
Gavin Turk
Aeroplastics’ current show “The Remarkable Lightness of Being” (a nod to Kundera’s celebrated novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being) unites a massive mix of artists from Belgium and abroad. Here, you can discover the works of 36 different artists in one gallery show, which all relate in one way or another to surrealism in its broadest sense. Featuring YBAs Gavin Turk and Sarah Lucas, Belgian artist Christopher Coppers mostly known for his sculptural magazine pieces and many others.
Market: Films and vinyls at De Roma
Sunday, 11 January Antwerp
Antwerp’s Cinema Roma, built back in 1928 is undoubtedly one of Belgium’s oldest and most beautiful movie theaters. This Sunday the magnificent building opens its doors for a market for both film and music lovers where you can get your hands on films, movie posters, vinyls and more.
Opening: Evi Vingerling and Chaim Van Luit at Kristof de Clerq Gallery
Sunday, 11 January Ghent
Evi Vingerling
Ghent’s Kristof De Clercq Gallery hosts an opening event this Sunday to inaugurate the exhibitions of two Dutch artists, Evi Vingerling and Chaim Van Luit (who is also on show at Brussels’ Meessen De Clercq for the moment). While Vingerling presents a selection of new paintings characterized by subtle abstractions, Van Luit’s “There are no roads, only tracks” gives a comprehensive overview of his genre-crossing oeuvre.
