“Is Brussels the new Berlin?” Some say it is, others aren’t convinced. But one thing is certain: Brussels has become a hub of contemporary art and April we be the perfect time to enjoy the richness of its art!
Salon Beurs Show at Art Brussels
Once again this year there are several fairs taking place in the capital: the two largest, Art Brussels for its 35th edition and New York fair Independent for a second year in Brussels, as well as three other alternative fairs – YIA Art Fair, POPPOSITIONS and OFF COURSE Young Contemporary Art.
Numerous parallel exhibitions and events will animate proceedings in the city. The WIELS will be celebrating its 10th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the art centre will be inaugurating a large exhibition/festival which will take place not only in its main building, but also in two neighbouring ones, which are vestiges of the old Wielemans brewery heritage. The exhibition is called “The Absent Museum – Blueprint for a museum of contemporary art for the capital of Europe” and will take place from 20 April to 13 August 2017. The exhibition will be supported by a partnership with Kunstenfestivaldesarts offering shows and performances.
BOZAR Horta Hall © BOZAR
The new version of the BelgianArtPrize will hold its official award ceremony on 19 April at Bozar. The prize aims to reward artists that best represent the sector, and promote the development of their visibility on the international stage (exhibition from 17 March to 28 May 2017). Winners of the 2016 Marcel Duchamp prize will be exhibited in Hangar H18.
Events also take place at the MIMA, Centrale for Contemporary Art, the CAB, ADAM, at the Vanhaerents Art Collection, at the Loge, at the Museum of Ixelles, at the Botanique, at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium and at Villa Empain with an exhibition on globalisation commissioned by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Asad Raza.
To make travelling between venues easier for visitors, visit.brussels will be putting on a free minibus service from 20 to 23 April that will stop at all the fairs and main exhibition venues.
Salon Beurs Show, Art Brussels
This year, Art Brussels is celebrating its 35th edition! Taking place for the 2nd time in Tour & Taxis, the fair will gather 140 galleries from all over the world. It welcomes more than 25,000 visitors of which 30% are from abroad and also brings together famous Belgian and international collectors. On top of this, Art Brussels has the reputation of being THE best fair in Brussels at which to make new discoveries.
Musée d’Ixelles © Olivier van de Kerchove
Independent is a contemporary art fair that was born in New York in 2010 and successfully set up in Brussels for the first time in 2016 in the Vanderborght, a building of more than 6,000 m² in the heart of Brussels’ historical centre. Independent invites some 60 international galleries and offers visitors a new, open plan way to explore an art fair!
Art Brussels
POPPOSITIONS is a niche fair that gathers the projects of some 20 specific art galleries and spaces around one general political theme. The atmosphere is young and the tone is experimental. POPPOSITONS invites you to take a closer look at the pieces and what they could teach you. It feels more like an exhibition than a fair.
The YIA Art Fair was created in France in 2010. After five editions in Paris, the YIA moved to Brussels for the first time in 2016. This year it will welcome a selection from 45 prospective international galleries at the Square on the Mont des Arts.
An alternative fair, OFF COURSE gives the floor to young artists as well as emerging artists. Young talents with diplomas from international art schools are invited to present their work, as are winners of various fine art competitions.
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