Artists open their studios in Ghent, concerts, performances and a food block party in Brussels, an art festival in Liège, a big graduation show in Antwerp, and more. Be safe, see you there!
Reopening weekend: Beursschouwburg
From 18 to 20 September Brussels
After a long pandemic and summer break, Beursschouwburg is back with a bang. Where to start? Already the program of this week’s opening weekend is endless. On Friday, there’s the vernissage of Guy Woueté‘s solo show, a performance by Ogutu Muraya and Quinsy Gario, as well as a DJ set. Other highlights: A concert by jazz saxophonist Shoko Igarashi and a skateboarding class on Sunday. Welcome back!
Festival: La Biennale de l’Image Possible 2020
From 19 September to 25 October Liège
This year sees the 12th edition of BIP2020, a festival organized by Liège cultural center Les Chiroux that originally was solely dedicated to photography but now includes images in all its forms, from video to digital art. Under the theme ‘What is the impact of art?’, both homegrown and foreign artists exhibit in different locations all over the city, exploring questions such as ‘What role did or could artists play in our troubled world?’ and ‘What can art change?’ Trying to reinforce this connection with society and a vast public, the festival leaves the museums walls this year to take over a large abandoned store and a vacant building that will be transformed into a business center. A definite highlight of the vast program that ranges from exhibitions to lectures and screenings, is “Me, Myself and I”, curated by Pieter-Jan Valgaeren, bringing together artists such as Tabita Rezaure and Olga Fedorova to examine how screens, especially social networks, influence the construction of our identity and ego.
Opening: Philippe Vandenberg. Molenbeek at Bozar
From 17 September to 3 January Brussels
Opening this week at Bozar in Brussels: the gripping exhibition”Molenbeek”, titled after the neighbourhood where Philippe Vandenberg (1952-2009) spent the last years of his life. The show unites his late works of paper, an eyewitness report of sorts that blends together the artist’s inner life, the neighbourhood that surrounds him, as well as global conflicts, calling out recurring structures of oppression, fundamentalism and one-dimensional thinking. Many of the drawings were made on found objects the Belgian artist collected from the streets of Molenbeek, incorporating his environment into his artworks. Dark, colorful, satirical, sensitive, thought-provoking, political, playful, all at the same time.
Exhibition: I feel really awake at Maison du Peuple St. Gilles
Every weekend from 16 September to 4 October Brussels
For this year’s St. Gilles ‘art parcours’, 11 Brussels-based women artists were invited to choose an artwork of the permanent collection of the city’s Musée d’Ixelles, creating a dialogue between the piece and their own practices, ranging from painting to photography. “I feel really awake” (a quote from Ridley Scott’s classic Thelma and Louise referring to female power and freedom) juxtaposes works by August Rodin, Sophie Kujken, Paul Delvaux, Anne De Gelas, and many others, investigating themes revolving around the representation of women.
Talent watch: Masters expo at Royal Academy of Fine Arts
From 17 to 20 September Antwerp
Graduation shows are always a great seismometer to see what’s brewing in the art world. This week, Antwerp’s renowned Royal Academy invites you to discover a new generation of artists and designers from nine different disciplines: 80 graduates present their works in the fields of sculpture, fashion, graphic design, costume design, in situ, jewellery design, painting, photography, and printmaking. A n interesting glimpse into the future.
Open studios: Higher Institute for Fine Arts
From 18 to 21 September Ghent
More talent watch at the acclaimed Hoger Instituut Voor Schone Kunsten in Ghent. HISK offers a post-academic course in visual arts, providing young artists from Belgium and all over the world with a workspace and pedagogical guidance for a duration of two years. All 22 enrolled artists open up their working spaces this week, letting the public catch a glimpse of where and how they create their art. With Hanane El Farissi, Nokukhanya Langa, Elisa Pinto, Helen Anna Flanagan, and many others.
Food: Vegan street festival
Saturday, 19 September, 10h00-22h00 Brussels
Activism meets food festival meets block party: the third edition of the Vegan Street Festival, taking over the Vismarkt in the center of Brussels this Saturday, offers a myriad of delicious cruelty-free foods from Pois Chiche, The Vegan Butcher, Plant a Pizza, and so much more, defying the preconceived notion that vegan food is always boring and healthy. There’ll also be music and drinks, and an after party at Madame Moustache (groups of at least four people can reserve their own corona-proof “dance podium”).
