Brussels Gallery Weekend comes back to Brussels this autumn

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by Mauricio Ruiz

Mauricio Ruiz is a writer and journalist who has lived in the US, Belgium, Mexico and Norway. His work has appeared in Words Without Borders, Catapult, The Common, The Rumpus, Electric Literature, JMWW, River Teeth, Literal Magazine, among others. He’s been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and Myriad Editions Competition in the UK, as well as the Fish Short Story Prize in Ireland. He has received fellowships from OMI writers (NY), Société des auteurs (Belgium), Jakob Sande (Norway), Can Serrat (Spain), and the Three Seas’ Council (Rhodes). His second book, Silencios al sur, was published in early 2017, and his work has partially been translated into Dutch and French. Mauricio Ruiz can be followed on Twitter and Instagram.

9 August 2023 - 15:38

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From 7^th to 10^th September, 45 art galleries around Brussels will be open to the public as part of the Brussels Gallery Weekend (BGW). For its 16^th edition the BGW has a special program with a unique central venue in the D’Ieteren headquarters. Over the course of the long weekend, spanning over four days, Brussels will come alive with a vibrant array of exhibitions, performances, and installations. This 16^th edition of BGW will count more than 60 openings all around the city.

In addition to the exhibitions hosted by galleries, visitors will have the chance to immerse themselves in the 6th edition of the “Generation Brussels” exhibition. BGW introduces two exciting new collaborations with Ateliers Indigo and Globe Aroma, promising a diverse range of artistic experiences. The event also boasts curated routes, guided tours, kids’ activities, and more, with further details soon to be announced. With such a rich and varied program, BGW ensures an engaging and captivating experience for all attendees.

© Antonin Weber | Brussels Gallery Weekend

1. Showcasing the Brussels gallery scene

Organized annually without fail since 2008, the Brussels Gallery Weekend stands as the second-oldest event of its kind, with the Gallery Weekend in Berlin holding the first position. From its beginning, the BGW has aimed to showcase the vibrant and diverse contemporary art scene in Brussels where many of the participating galleries have established a strong presence within the artistic landscape. Moreover, this year marks some significant milestones: Albert Baronian gallery will be celebrating its 50^th anniversary, Michel Rein’s Brussels space its 10^thand Galerie Nathalie Obadia has just celebrated its 15^th birthday earlier this year.

With its esteemed institutions and a range of private initiatives, including foundations, artist-run spaces, and established galleries, Brussels’ art scene has continuously strengthened its position on the international stage in recent years. The city offers a fertile ground for artistic expression and has become a hub where creativity flourishes. As a result, alongside many long-standing galleries, Brussels welcomes new spaces each year. This is the case for Christophe Gaillard gallery, which will inaugurate its first international space on September 7^th.

“Belgium offers a different market compared to France, making it the ideal first step for Galerie Christophe Gaillard as we aspire to embrace the international art scene,” said Christophe Gaillard. “I had spotted this location, a magnificent mansion spanning over 500 square meters, two years ago. The challenge we have taken on is greater and aligns better with my identity and aspirations.”

Brussels is an international and vibrant city. Renowned for the curiosity and sharp knowledge of its collectors.
Christophe Gaillard

Brussels Gallery Weekend is also welcoming KIN gallery this year. “Brussels and Belgium are spaces of complex and diverse modes of creation, but are also compact and small enough to positively shape, in my opinion, these shifts for a new, fruitful coexistence between art, galleries and public institutions,” Nicolaus Schafhausen, KIN Gallery founder. “Brussels and its art venues have never rested on their laurels. Change has always been dynamic, coupled with a deep understanding of possible futures, and a genuine understanding of their past.It is about nothing less than claiming a future civil society in which everyone can, and should, participate.”

EDJI Gallery which is dedicated to seeking out the most exciting diverse art talents from the ultra-contemporary art scene and putting it center stage with exhibitions in Brussels;
Esther Verhaeghe – art concepts with a special focus on contemporary women artists, and Frédérick Mouraux Gallery, which functions as a platform for the promotion of progressive, engaged, and innovative artists.

Participating Galleries: Alice Gallery, Almine Rech, Ballon Rouge, Baronian, Belgian Gallery Brussels, Bernier / Eliades, C L E A R I N G, Claes Gallery, Damien & The Love Guru, dépendance, EDJI Gallery, ESTHER VERHAEGHE-Art concepts, Frédérick Mouraux Gallery, Galeria Jaqueline Martins, Galerie Christophe Gaillard, Galerie DYS, Galerie Greta Meert, Galerie La Forest Divonne, Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Gallery Nosco, Gladstone Gallery, Harlan Levey Projects, Hopstreet Gallery, Irène Laub Gallery, Jan Mot, KIN, LMNO, Mai 36 Galerie, MARUANI MERCIER, Meessen De Clercq, Mendes Wood DM, Michel Rein, Montoro12 Gallery, Mulier Mulier Gallery, NINO MIER, Nosbaum Reding, QG Gallery, Pierre Marie Giraud, rodolphe janssen, Sorry We’re Closed, Stems Gallery, TEMPLON, Waldburger Wouters, Xavier Hufkens.

2. Guided Tours and newly made Curated Routes

During Brussels Gallery Weekend, visitors will have more than one reason to be surprised. The iconic BGW map will accompany everyone this year, and alongside it, guided tours will allow visitors to delve into the galleries by neighborhoods. During these 2-hour tours, BGW guides will take visitors on a discovery of Downtown, Sablon, Ixelles, Chatelain & Saint Gilles districts.

This year, visitors will be able to download one of the 12 curated routes to immerse themselves further in the mediums or topics that interest them the most or that they wish to explore. These routes will guide them not only through galleries but also spaces of the OFF program and through exhibitions at the BGW Meeting Point.

Meeting Point © Brussels Gallery Weekend

For example, the “Belgian Route” offers a comprehensive overview of Belgium-based artists, featuring the highly-anticipated new exhibition of Thierry De Cordier at Xavier Hufkens, cutting-edge video-sculptures by Emmanuel Van der Auwera at Harlan Levy Projects, works from the New Belgian Generation artists at the Belgian Gallery, or poetic research based on physical phenomena with Edith Dekyndt at Greta Meert and Adrien Lucca at LMNO among others.

Visitors following the “Unusual materials Route” will be fascinated by Lauren Seiden’s graphite-paper artworks at NOSCO Gallery or the captivating exhibition of Yuji Agematsu at Gladstone Gallery.

For those interested in “Video Art and New Media,” the not-to-be-missed stops will include Lili Dujourie at Jan Mot, Lynn Hershman Leeson at Waldburger Wouters, as well as institutions in the off program such as Wiels featuring Francis Alÿs, La Loge with Elsa Brès’ exhibition, and Argos with Aay Liparato.

Moreover, young talent exhibitions like Leonardo Guglielmi at EDJI gallery, Shaina McCoy at Stems Gallery, and Generation Brussels at D’Ieteren promise to be highlights of the “Start to Collect Route”.

Little Art Guide – specially designed itinerary with games and explanations to engage children with exhibitions and artists will be available at the Meeting point of BGW (in French and Dutch). Kids workshops during the weekend and family guided tours of the Generation Brussels exhibition will also be part of the program.

3. D’Ieteren building: A Modernist Icon in the Heart of Brussels

Over the past years, Brussels Gallery Weekend has taken art enthusiasts on an extraordinary journey, revealing the city’s most diverse and unexpected locations. As we embark upon the 16th edition of this celebrated event, prepare to be captivated once again. This year, the central point of Brussels Gallery Weekend will be hosted in the D’Ieteren Headquarters located in the heart of Ixelles/Elsene.

By having visitors come to this nostalgic and impressive location via rue du Prévot, BGW will unveil its unknown aspects to the general public. Its industrial charm and distinct character will serve as the perfect backdrop for the “Generation Brussels” exhibition curated by Sam Steverlynck. It is also where the creative projects of Ateliers Indigo and Globe Aroma will come to life, seamlessly blending innovation, cultural diversity, and the spirit of the city.

But the D’Ieteren Headquarters is more than just a venue for artistic expression. It is a meeting point where inspiration knows no bounds. The building will come alive with the sparkling energy of children’s workshops and engaging talks, offering a platform for young minds to explore their creativity and ignite their imaginations. It is a space where dialogue flourishes and ideas flow, fostering an atmosphere of innovation and collaboration.

4. Generation Brussels

For the sixth year running, the “Generation Brussels” exhibition will shine a spotlight on a range of artists who live and work in Brussels. The 2023 exhibition of “Generation Brussels”, “Cet obscur objet du désir”, is curated by the art critic/curator Sam Steverlynck and entitled after the surrealist cinematographer Luis Buñuel’s eponymous masterpiece from 1977. This dark fable of lust and love was the last film of one of the greatest subversive minds in cinema. For Buñuel’s standards, it was one of his most conventional films, though there are subtle moments of disruption, alienation, and surrealist wit.

The works on view at Generation Brussels do not specifically refer to the film’s theme let alone illustrate it. What the works of this upcoming generation of young Brussels-based artists share is the ambivalence of the film’s title. Their visual language might look attractive, the works at the same time have something dark and sometimes even threatening.

Some of the video’s, sculptures and installations on view might come across as repulsive yet do exert a weird kind of attraction one can’t stop taking one’s eyes off. Even works that at first sight seem to be normal or familiar, have some hidden, ungraspable undercurrents. Hence, the exhibition invites the visitor on a surrealist journey between desire and repulsion, phantasms and impulses, the object and the abject (Kristeva), the familiar and the uncanny (Freud).

Participating artists: Chloé Arrouy, Aurélie Bayad, Maëlle Dufour, Bas van den Hout, Yvan Megal, Lucian Moriyama, Nina Robert

Larry Poons Courtesy of the Artist and Almine Rech © Jason Mandella

5. Supporting diversity and creativity

Faithful to its commitment to societal causes, BGW cultivates collaborations throughout the year with youth associations and socio-cultural integration programs, tirelessly working to make culture accessible to all through tailored guided tours.

Collaboration holds a central place in BGW’s mission. By partnering with a diverse range of associations and organizations, BGW has also supported numerous projects aimed at helping young artists, including workshops that address the challenges of the professional art world, and providing invaluable opportunities for visibility and career development. As a result, BGW has become a driving force within the artistic community.

“Creating a platform to showcase talents that may not always have the same visibility as artists represented by galleries is of utmost importance to us.” It is with this spirit that Sybille du Roy de Blicquy launched the inaugural edition of the “Generation Brussels” exhibition in 2018. For its 16^th edition, BGW welcomes Ateliers Indigo and Globe Aroma along with their artistic projects.

6. Globe Aroma

In the framework of Brussels Gallery Weekend, Egoo Dallas, Mirra Markaheva, Nastasya Kharytonova, and Youssef Moukil, four of the artists active in the artistic workspace of Globe Aroma, showcase a selection of their works in the form of three tiny solo shows / art interventions in D’Ieteren space, establishing a dialogue with the infrastructure, the works of other invited artists, and the audience.

7. Ateliers Indigo

Invited by Brussels Gallery Weekend, La Collective Indigo presents a significant selection of works that are representative of its members’ activities. Discover the artworks of 12 artists with disabilities, each revealing diverse practices and unique concerns. La Collective Indigo brings its artistic vision to life within this space through modules inspired by the visual codes of the venue and modernist exhibition pavilions. The artworks are unveiled through a scenography that incorporates the temporary exhibition’s signage and utilizes raw materials.

This spatial arrangement boldly asserts complex and fascinating universes. The pavilion of La Collective Indigo stands as a manifesto, promoting works created in absolute freedom. Featuring artists Saaber Bachir, Florian Celis, Mathilde Carli, Edouardo Della Faille, Alice Forsberg, Dahlia Hamdi, Patrick Minet, Sidoline Nlandu Wa Buke, Yan Piette, Pedro Ribeiro, Clara Vandebotermet, and Michael Verhoeghe, this exhibition at Brussels Gallery Weekend promises to be a testament to the power of artistic expression.