April 2025 | Art & Culture
CURTAINS UP:
ART BRUSSELS 2025
Following Art Cologne, which began in 1967, Art Brussels stands as the second oldest contemporary art fair in the world. Now, it returns for its 41st edition from April 24 to 27, 2025! Reaffirming its position as one of Europe’s leading contemporary art platforms, Art Brussels will host 165 galleries from 35 countries this year. Divided into five curated sections—Prime, Solo, '68 Forward, Discovery, and Invited—the 2025 edition will showcase works by over 800 artists. Expanding its scope this year, the fair focuses on all forms of contemporary art. Let’s take a quick look at the highlights…
A CLOSER LOOK AT ART BRUSSELS 2025
- Sponsored by Delen Private Bank and Bank Van Breda, Art Brussels 2025 draws a diverse international lineup: 26% of the participating galleries are from Belgium, 17% from France, 13% from outside Europe, 8% from Germany, and another 8% from Mediterranean countries.
TWO NOTABLE NEW INITIATIVES FOR 2025
- Art Brussels 2025 introduces two important new initiatives. The first is The Screen, a curated video art programme selected by Eliel Jones (Curator of Performance and Time-based Media at KANAL-Centre Pompidou) and filmmaker Alex Reynolds. Each selected video will be shown in a dedicated one-hour screening slot at the Tribune, ensuring maximum visibility for fair visitors. With two daily screenings from Friday to Sunday, The Screen aims to enrich the visitor experience by offering a focused space for video art. “While there is no unifying theme, all the selected works play with the forms of documentary and experimental essay,” say Jones and Reynolds.
- The second initiative is Monumental Artworks, a section curated by Carine Fol (City of Brussels), a public art expert, showcasing large-scale installations. Featured artists include Willem Boel, Rui Chafes, Karl Karner, Jonathan Meese, Jean-Bernard Métais, Hilde Overbergh, Joost Pauwaert, Thomas Schönauer, and Antoine Waterkeyn.
STRIKING INSTALLATIONS
- Visitors are welcomed by site-specific projects, including an installation by Céline Condorelli—represented by Galeria Vera Cortês—which reimagines the fair’s entrance. Exploring the intersections of art, architecture, design, and civic engagement, Condorelli draws a connection between the moment of “arrival” and stepping onto a stage, using theatrical curtains to emphasize this performative threshold.
- Another installation is Carton plein, an archive project by Juan d’Oultremont, which begins with the question: what remains after an exhibition ends? A memory, an echo, sometimes just an invitation. D’Oultremont has been collecting these fragments for years. His archive of over 10,000 carefully preserved exhibition invitations forms a map of Belgian contemporary art. Despite their temporary nature, these invitations offer insights into graphic trends, curatorial daring, and the evolution of past and present artists.
DUFOUR’S MONUMENTAL INSTALLATION
- The Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles presents a monumental installation by young artist Maëlle Dufour. Since the beginning of her career, Dufour has focused on the destructive impact of humans on natural resources and living systems. For the fair, she has created hundreds of ceramic Oyas—porous clay vessels traditionally buried near plants to deliver water slowly to the roots. Their form and material recall plastic jerrycans. With this work, Dufour draws attention to the disappearance of water.
- Maison Ruinart will showcase new works by guest artist Lélia Demoisy, created as part of the Dialogues with Nature programme.
- The 75th anniversary of the Belgian Art Prize—which removed its age limit in 2017—is celebrated with a special exhibition titled Back to the Future in the Stibbe Lounge. The Discovery Acquisition Prize, supported by Moleskine, continues to focus on supporting museum collections.
PERFORMANCES
- Where the Body Begins
Curated by Luk Lambrecht, this performance invites audiences to experience art beyond the visual—engaging on a deeper, more visceral level.
When: Friday, April 25; Saturday, April 26; Sunday, April 27 — daily from 14:00 to 17:00
Where: Art Brussels, Hall 5 entrance
- Breaking Free by Lieven De Boeck
The Circus – Embracing Fluidity in Art and Identity
This interactive performance allows visitors to assume any role—artist, curator, or critic—simply by donning the corresponding costume. By blurring the lines between creator and observer, it dissolves the divide between insider and outsider.
When: Thursday, April 24 at 13:00, 15:00, and 17:00
