Opening: Sven ‘t Jolle at Wiels

Thursday, 12 January Brussels

Blouinartinfo deemed it one of the exhibitions art lovers around the world should not miss this month: under the title “The Age of Entitlement, or Affordable Tooth Extraction” Wiels presents Belgian artist Sven ‘t Jolle in what is the biggest solo show of his work to date, bringing together installations, sculptures, and works on paper. In his practice Sven intelligently and playfully examines today’s society with all its flaws.

Opening: Conor Backman at Super Dakota

Thursday, 12 January Brussels

Starting this month Brussels gallery Super Dakota will show a series of exhibitions focusing on studio practice, a project that even has its own blog which you can check out here. First up is American artist Conor Backman, whose practice often explores ideas surrounding the materiality of color and the relativity of scale.  the exhibition title “Minium Paintings” refers to an orange-red, lead-based mineral found in oil and egg tempera paints, developed through a process of oxidation. The pigment was widely used in the Middle Ages to decorate illuminated manuscripts.

Opening: Naoyuki Ogino at Ibasho gallery

Thursday, 12 January Antwerp

This one’s a must for photography fans: Antwerp’s Ibasho gallery, who has a penchant for Japanese art, presents a solo show by Naoyuki Ogino, a sensitive and sensual photographer that has a deep relationship with Japanese mystical traditions. The exhibition brings together images from his “Womb of the Myth” series with recent works that were created using photography’s oldest printing technique, the salt print, on thin Japanese washi paper. 

Opening: Robert Devriendt at Albert Baronian

Friday, 13 January Brussels

Belgian artist Robert Devriendt is known for his small-sized realistic paintings that always have a certain gloominess to them. Albert Baronian Gallery now presents his latest works under the title “The Missing Script”. Rather fitting, as Devriendt’s paintings often remind of  – slightly haunting – film stills. Interestingly, the project doesn’t end with this exhibition: travelling to London and Paris afterwards, it will continue to change and grow, like a “wayward interpretation of a storyboard without a fixed script”, as the artist explains himself.

Fashion & vinyl market: Black at Bar Gloed

Sunday, 15 January, 12-00h00 Antwerp

Bar Gloed, located in the iconic Antwerp Tower, is set to host the perfect Sunday market this weekend: a great mix of vintage fashion and music. Plus there’ll be DJs, a hairdresser, and an exhibition. What more do you need?!

Opening: Samuel Francois + Piotr Skiba at Dash

Friday, 13 January Kortrijk

Belgium’s burgeoning art scene extends far beyond its big cities. Dash art space for example is located in the Flemish town of Kortrijk, and invites you to the opening of a fascinating duo show this week: while French artist Samuel Francois, who has a background in street art, often uses the canvas as an object, Polish artist Piotr Skiba creates films, objects and installations often revolving around the themes of exclusion, racial intolerance, and social alienation.

Night out: City Night Line at Recyclart

Saturday, 14 January, 22-5h00 Brussels

Last year Brussels collective Toestand teamed up with Swiss collective City Night Line to transform an abandoned building in Pristina into a cultural center: Termokiss. This weekend the collaboration continues at Brussels’ Recyclart, when the two throw a huge party together with an interesting mix of Belgian and Swiss DJs behind the decks that will bring you everything from Heavy Psych Rock and Gnawa Music to Indian Music and Slow/-Techno.

Opening: Raoul De Keyser and Anton Corbijn at Zeno X

Sunday, 15 January, 15h00 Antwerp

This Sunday two parallel solo shows open at Antwerp’s Zeno X, a gallery of such proportions that the visiting experience compares to one in a small museum. Dutch photographer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn presents a selection of works focusing on his portraits of musicians and bands, while “Tegendraads” gives an overview of Belgian painter Raoul De Keyser‘s practice between 1964 and 1985.

Cover photo by Victor Duchene