But, once again, Brussels surprises us with the diversity of its artistic scene and the variety of its offer.
Over the last few years, Brussels has made a name for itself as one of the beating hearts of European contemporary art, Exhibitions, a range of events, galleries and quality fairs make the capital a veritable creative crossroads.
This spring, in addition to the highly anticipated Berlinde de Bruyckere exhibition, the city offers a strong platform for painting, be it abstract, figurative or everything in between. A number of exhibitions also place play in all its forms centre stage.
From magical realism and explorations of our playgrounds to curious connections between design and fashion, Brussels is serving up a welcome dose of artistic recreation. On the events front, two major gatherings stand out: The Rooms – an art fair taking over the rooms of the Mix Hotel – and Downtown Art.
Here, below, is a round-up of some of the artistic outings and exhibitions not to miss.
Matching seats
When jaw-dropping chairs meet head-turning outfits, sparks are sure to fly! That’s the bold bet taken by MAD as it blends designer furniture with fashion accessories. Futuristic chairs, disco ball-style seating or even seats made of Barbie dolls … these wildly imaginative creations, drawn from the collection of “chair addict” Galila Barzilai Hollander, come to life alongside handbags and shoes by Brussels-based designers. Through playful parallels, formal or colourful echoes, the exhibition draws delightful connections between two creative worlds.
When: until 3 May
Where: MAD Brussels
More info: www.mad.brussels
Terrain de jeux
Coming together to play games recaptures a bit of our childhood and opens up a world of possibilities. Where a few wooden blocks become a fantasy city or three pieces of string become the start of a fantastic adventure. Giant puzzles, imaginary cities, toy cars, cuddly toys and magic umbrellas are all part of this collective exhibition devoted to play at the Maison des Arts. You’ll even come across a mermaid who’s lost and trying to find her way back to sea! Combining fantasy, imagination and shared moments, the eight artists on show offer a playful experience, bringing us together for a wonderful spot of escapism.
When: until 11 May
Where: Schaerbeek’s Maison des Arts
More info: www.lamaisondesarts.be
AImagine – Photography and generative images
To what extent do new technologies shape our visual narratives and influence how we perceive reality? Hangar embraces the age of AI-generated creativity and explores the blurred line between fiction and reality. Among the twenty or so featured photographers, some reimagine the glamour of the 1950s, others rewrite the past of their ancestors or play with visual references to reinvent our world. Paris-based François Bellabas even presents an augmented photo booth, where AI transforms the visitor’s appearance in real time. A captivating exhibition that dares us to reimagine the world.
When: until 15 June
Where: Hangar
More info: www.hangar.art
When We See Us
Taking a perspective still too rarely explored, When We See Us brings together 120 artists from the African continent and its diaspora around six powerful themes: Everyday Life, Joy and Euphoria, Rest, Sensuality, Spirituality and Triumph and Emancipation. With joyful intensity, the exhibition brings together vivid works, rhythmic compositions and powerful canvases, all set against a unique soundscape specially composed by South African musician Neo Muyanga. A compelling exhibition that celebrates the stories, emotions and creative brilliance of 120 artists from the 1920s to today.
When: until 10 August
Where: Bozar
More info: www.bozar.be
Berlinde de Bruyckere
Khoros Khoros is evocative of ancient Greek tragedies. The figure who watches helplessly as the heroes are struck down by fate. Firmly rooted in the literary and pictorial tradition, Berlinde de Bruyckere revives the spirit of the great masters of the Renaissance. Fascinated by metamorphoses, finitude and the strange beauty of imperfect bodies, she offers a varied body of work for her first major exhibition at Bozar. Still lifes in three dimensions, stuffed animals, textile sculptures and striking drapes or casts of pained bodies explore the frontier between life and death. When: until 31 August Where: Bozar More info: www.bozar.be Super Conceptual Pop Is it possible to be pop and conceptual at the same time? Resolutely humorous, Super Conceptual Pop joyfully mixes references and gently shakes up our representations of conceptual art. Far from being impenetrable and boring, it’s a joyful conceptualism that’s on display, with its neon messages, misappropriated objects, puns and delightfully absurd references! With the participation of some fifteen artists, including Bertrand Lavier, Cristina Garrido and Franck Scurti.
When: until 31 October
Where: Fondation CAB
More info: www.fondationcab.com
Amazônia
For 6 years, Sebastião Salgado took his camera to the Brazilian Amazon to photograph its landscapes and inhabitants. His majestic black and white images reveal a grandiose world of contrasts and traditions. Cloud-covered mountains, wildly winding rivers, mirror-like lakes
and the rituals of the Amazonian peoples: the photographer captures the fragile beauty of an endangered ecosystem. A grandiose exhibition accompanied by a forest soundscape by Jean Michel Jarre.
When: until 9 November
Where: Tour & Taxis
More info: expo-amazonia.com
Mitja Tušek, Bertille Bak – Wait and See
Giving a few subtly arranged splashes of paint the appearance of a family portrait; turning a magma of matter into a forest landscape of mysterious depth. It is here, somewhere on the borderline between representation and abstraction that the talent of Slovenian-born Brussels painter Mitja Tušek lies. His works, in a variety of forms and styles, always amuse and sometimes deceive us. La Centrale, whose spaces were redesigned in 2024, is offering a fine opportunity to revisit the work of this atypical artist by organising his first exhibition in a Belgian institution. When: until 24 August Where: Centrale for Contemporary Art More info: www.centrale.brussels Eva Nielsen “Aster” A cross between photography and painting, Eva Nielsen’s canvases take us on a journey through the layers of some strange landscapes. Somewhere at the crossroads of dream and dystopia, mountains, steppes, forests, huts and strange concrete architectures become hybrids. In her work, the artist combines the painter’s gesture with mechanical techniques. Working on leather, canvas and paper, she plays with textures and material effects, sublimating folds and accentuating contrasts. At La Verrière, her work is presented alongside that of sculptor Charlotte Posenenske, designer Arnaud Eubelen and landscape agency Etablissement.
When: 23 April to 26 July
Where: La Verrière
More info: www.fondationdentreprisehermes.org
Beatrice Balcou, Poor paintings
Restoring works of art is an art in itself. It is an art of caring for the remains of the past, a science of materials and detail. Inspired by these practices, which straddle the boundary between art and craft, Brussels-based artist Béatrice Balcou works with pieces that have been damaged or restored. She proposes a ritual that questions the passage of time, the value given to art and the place assigned to it in our contemporary world.
When: 24 April to 6 July
Where: La Loge
More info: www.la-loge.be
Aussi loin qu’ici
The Art et marges musée is back with a two-part exhibition that pushes our imaginations as far as they will go. With works that push back the boundaries of the museum, inviting visitors to embark on an immobile journey or to explore dreamed-up maps, Aussi Loin Qu’ici sets its viewers in motion while raising the question of elsewhere. It brings together some forty outsider artists (including Yassir Amazine, Giovanni Bosco, Marion Galisson and André Robillard) to present works that are as moving as they are unusual. When: 24 April to 29 March 2026 Where: Art et marges museum More info: www.artetmarges.be Magical realism – Imagining Natural dis/order At first sight, the phrase ‘magical realism’ sounds like an oxymoron. How can one reconcile the supernatural and tangible rationality? With this exhibition, WIELS takes us on a journey through the twists and turns of reality. Somewhere between myth and science, the works presented reinvent our ways of inhabiting and conceiving the universe and develop an ecological way of thinking about the world. Featuring, among others, Edith Dekyndt, Nour Mobarak, Mountaincutters and Adrián Villar Rojas.
When: 29 May to 28 September
Where: WIELS
More info: www.wiels.org
