Entering a gallery. Hearing a rather neutral "Hello!" that seems to come from an anonymous person whose face is hidden behind a huge computer screen. That's all you'll get, except the pleasure of discovering the work of the exhibiting artists for yourself. A somewhat cold welcome, yet quite common, for those who like to venture into these temples of art. A habit that Laure Decock and Evelyn Simons, the two founders of RendezVous – Brussels Art Week, which enlivened the Belgian capital from September 4th to 7th, hope to change.
Born from the ashes of Brussels Gallery Weekend, this event aims to celebrate art, but with a more welcoming approach. This was evident at The Tip Inn, the event's epicenter, where an XXL reproduction of a detail from a work by Jan Sanders van Hemessen was displayed, accompanied by garlands of bread rolls and sausages. In addition to offering a wonderfully warm artistic experience, RendezVous – Brussels Art Week highlights the diversity and quality of what the capital has to offer. Let's take a closer look.
"The End of the World" by Alfredo Jaar, at the Royal Bach Ice Rink until December 23
Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar is known for his powerful, architecturally inspired works. These address serious subjects such as ethics, human rights, and social issues. In this Brussels exhibition, he focuses on the extractive industry and the supply chains of minerals essential to the digital and technological tools that are now indispensable to our lives. The quest for these materials leads to ecological disasters, such as lithium mining in the Atacama Desert, or to wars fought for control of resources. The work displayed in the vast nave of the gallery comprises ten of the world's most precious minerals: cobalt, rare earth elements, copper, tin, nickel, lithium, manganese, coltan, germanium, and platinum. The contrast between the small size of the piece and the vastness of the surrounding space is striking and makes it a powerful work.
“Still Lifes and Street Scenes” by Alice Neel, at Xavier Hufkens until November 22
Alice Neel, an American painter born in 1900 and who died in 1984, did not have a studio. This absence is reflected in the interior views of her apartment or New York City exteriors that characterize her work from 1928 to 1981. It was during this same period that the artist experienced personal tragedies, which seem to resonate in some of her paintings. The exhibition at the Xavier Hufkens Gallery offers a fresh perspective on the work of this painter, who is primarily known and celebrated for her portraits.
Riverside Drive, 1965
"Unstable Geometries" by Brooklin A. Soumahoro and Léon Wuidar, at Rodolphe Janssen until October 25th
Brooklin A. Soumahoro and Léon Wuidar may not seem to have much in common. The former was born in 1938 in Liège, Belgium, where he still lives, while the latter was born in 1990 in Paris and pursues his career in Los Angeles. Yet, thanks to the Rodolphe Janssen gallery, their canvases seem to joyfully resonate with one another. While Soumahoro explores geometric abstraction, Wuidar delights in the repetition of triangles. These works evoke their childhoods, recalling Soumahoro's tailor father in Liège and Wuidar's colorful Ivorian fabrics. Their abstraction is not so devoid of meaning, and it is told here through two generations.
Léon Wuidar, December 19, 21, 2021, Oil on canvas, 46 x 38 cm, 18 1/8 x 15 in, (LWui1354), © Hugard & Vanoverschelde
"Slow Noise" by Alain Biltereyst, at QG Brussels until October 31st
Alain Biltereyst appropriates the imagery and graphic style specific to the world of trucks. Furiously pop, they are captured here in paintings created on wooden panels, becoming abstract works of art that poetically illustrate everyday life.
