So that’s how beautiful a flag can be… Last chance to see Stijn Cole’s summer show at Château de Chimay

A flag? Just a flag. Is that art? Exactly the question I’m asking every week, for a short piece in the weekend supplement of the newspaper I work for, zooming in on a work of art. In one of the last episodes before the summer break I focused on this flag, by Stijn Cole, after I’d seen a picture of it. So when I finally stood in front of the actual flag, I knew what the Belgian visual artist had done to create it. The concept behind it. But being there, in the front-lawn of the castle of that small Belgian town of Chimay, looking at it, changed everything. The grey and blue of the flag against the blue and white of the sky. Suddenly, that rather rationalistic concept of a flag containing all the colors of one particular sunrise, became a touching, poetic work of art.

Futuristic altarpieces or eccentric spaceships? Clearing presents Bruno Gironcoli at impressive new gallery space in Brussels

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Planning to visit that wonderful Absent Museum exhibition at Wiels some weekend soon? Then do so on a Saturday instead of a Sunday, so you can drop by at their new “neighbour” as well, the newest contestant in the unofficial “who’s having the most impressive gallery space in Brussels” competition. Indeed: after five years Clearing gallery has traded its uptown townhouse for a 19th century warehouse (a former shutter factory) on the Avenue Van Volxemlaan. Their first exhibition, with sculptures by Bruno Gironcoli, (through July 15) was one of ArtReview’s Ten shows to see.

Last two days to visit the extraordinary Pol Bury survey exhibition at Bozar (Brussels)

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Nothing planned yet, this weekend? Then I strongly advise you to quickly go to Bozar, as today and tomorrow are the last days of their extraordinary Pol Bury survey exhibition (the first to be held in Belgium in 20 years). Pol Bury? I must confess that I wasn’t that familiar with the work of this Belgian artist (1922-2005) as well, except that I knew he had created some funny grey metal fountains, some of which were on display at the Museum Van Buuren, in 2009. But walking through the many rooms with Bury’s work, I got more and more fascinated, finding his sculptures in wood to be particularly enticing. I couldn’t help smiling, hearing the subtle sounds they were making – crackling, scraunching – seeing the barely noticeable movements of the small wooden tubes or balls. Bury was influenced by René Magritte and Alexander Calder and is regarded as one of the important artists working in kinetic art, but is now often overlooked. Tomorrow at 3PM there will be a performance directed by Miet Warlop in the exhibition. Yes, I know you would rather want to see that Yves Klein survey, but believe me, it’s Pol Bury you need to see first.

Look at Mother Nature on the run: John Knight takes his wood panels to CC Strombeek

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It’s closing tomorrow, so it’s probably too late to go and see for yourself. All the more reason for sharing some pictures of Bohemian Grove, as it was certainly one of the more peculiar contemporary art exhibitions in Brussels, recently. And another one reminding me it’s always worth checking out what’s going on at CC Strombeek.

Metal giants, ceramic gods and other strange creatures: Antony Gormley, Johan Creten and Folkert de Jong in Brussels

Just some pieces of metal, I know, but I can’t help finding them very moving, those two, lying there. Just as the other guy, seemingly disappearing into thin air. Or that Mr. Big, a tiny bit too tall for the hallway he finds himself in. You think you know all the tricks Antony Gormley has up his sleeve, but I can’t help it: being in the presence of his works of art always touches me. It’s one of at least three interesting sculpture shows in galleries in Brussels, right now.

Slowly going to the heart of the matter: Morton Feldman’s ‘Piano and String Quartet’ by Ictus & Fumiyo Ikeda

Once in a while a photographer takes a picture, and when he looks at that picture, he notices the presence of some ghostly figure. Someone who wasn’t in the room at all when the photo was taken. That’s what I had to think of, watching the Belgian contemporary music ensemble Ictus perform Morton Feldman‘s Piano And String Quartet (Kaaitheater, Brussels). On stage with them: Rosas veteran Fumiyo Ikeda. Was it that peculiar piece of music, or her dancing? It seemed as if she was there while not being there at all.

It’s like… He talks a bit and she dances a bit: ‘Shown And Told’ (Meg Stuart & Tim Etchells)

“I dance because I wanted to be a magician but I’m not good with stuff”, Meg Stuart tells the audience, somewhere along Show And Told, her collaboration with Tim Etchells. If the piece proves one thing, it’s how good the American choreographer and the British (performance) artist actually are with stuff. Be it other stuff. Movement stuff. Language stuff.

Making the ungraspable tangible. Or how Romeo Castellucci gets his ‘Minister’s Black Veil’ right the second time

When was the last time these people had been queuing up to get into a church? Not to admire a unique painting or a stained glass window, but for a real service? Just a thought, as I was standing on the steps of Antwerp’s Sint-Michiels church, watching the crowd, waiting for the doors to open, thinking about religion, theatre and rituals. Three things I was sure this evening was going to be about. The Minister’s Black Veil. Five years ago Romeo Castellucci tried to stage it, but he failed. So I was really curious to see what he would do this time, with the help of American actor Willem Dafoe.

Crack effect of another kind: Mark Manders explores working on a larger scale (‘Dry Clay Head’ at Zeno X, Antwerp)

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“You have to walk around a sculpture. A sculpture doesn’t have four sides. There are many ways to look at it.” The more I was inspecting Mark Manders‘ Dry Clay Head, the more I felt drawn to it. And I remembered what Berlinde De Bruyckere had told me once, about the complexity of creating a sculpture. Looking at this impressive, peaceful face reminded me also of the fact that watching pictures on a gallery website can never beat the sensation of actually being in front of a work of art. Because although Dry Clay Head doesn’t speak, it will talk to you. You’ll wonder about the clay (it’s bronze) and about the tension created in the work by that plank, slightly bent, and that rope. With works such as Dry Clay Head (through December 17, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp) the Belgium-based Dutch artist is exploring working on a larger scale. Manders was recently invited by the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis) to create a sculpture for their sculpture park, to be opened June 2017. He is also working on a bronze fountain for Amsterdam’s Rokin, and was asked to create a large sculpture for Central Park in New York (2018).

A trip towards the sublime: “Rain” (live) by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker & Rosas

It’s as if you are searching for something that you’re never able to find. What a reader of this blog once told me. A remark I suddenly remembered, as I was watching Rain, version 2016, fifteen years after Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker had put it to the stage for the first time. I realized that person was right. Although I know there are other things in art to aim for than the sublime, part of me will always be looking for that: beauty’s more exalted version. And here it was.

Mourning in a museum of another kind: ‘Moeder’ (Mother) by Peeping Tom

A painting starts to bleed, a sculpture comes to life, and isn’t that coffee machine behaving rather strangely? Welcome to Peeping Tom‘s universe, where “normal” is a concept that doesn’t seem to exist. With Moeder (Mother) the Brussels-based company once again puts on stage a piece resembling a surreal dream, in which one strange event follows the next.

Torn clothes and shattered hopes: ‘Nicht Schlafen’ by Alain Platel & Les Ballets C de la B

The piece reached its low point somewhere near the end, when one of the dancers pulled his briefs down and started fucking the dead horse that had been lying there all the time, legs wide open. It was not a scene depicting utter hopelessness or despair, it was a scene that stood for the lack of directorial vision I had been feeling for quite a while, watching Nicht Schlafen; at that point a piece that seemed not to know where to go anymore. Just do something, and it will be okay. Even fucking a horse.

A florist of a different kind: Taryn Simon’s historical bouquets at Almine Rech (Brussels)

 

What would I do? It’s a question I sometimes ask myself, playfully, visiting exhibitions. What if I would be an artist? What kind of work would I make? What would it look like? Probably something like this, I thought recently, looking at Taryn Simon‘s striking photographs of floral bouquets at Almine Rech (Brussels, through November 5). Something eerily beautiful and puzzling at the same time. Work for which a lot of research and patience is needed and that contains references to stuff that matters to us in this world, today.

Those magic fingers are at it again: “Cold Blood” by Jaco Van Dormael and Michèle Anne De Mey

“Three, two, one”, a voice said. “When you open your eyes, you are still alive.” The lights went on, and it seemed as if everyone around me was waking up. A few moments later everybody in the theatre (KVS, Brussels) got to their feet for a roaring standing ovation. If there’s one thing filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael and choreographer Michèle Anne De Mey are good at, it’s this: bringing a packed theatre into a state of collective reverie. Yes, Cold Blood, the successor to that immensely successful Kiss & Cry (180.000 spectators, 300 performances, 20 countries) has its flaws, but to make a theatre with grown-ups look at things with the same sense of wonder they had when they were kids? Quite unique.

Where’s that Rauschenberg? The paintings are on the move! “Répétition” at Villa Empain (Brussels)

That first view was rather disconcerting. A guy was walking away carrying a canvas. Other paintings stood on the floor, rather randomly, backs against the wall. Did I arrive too late? Was the exhibition already over? But then the guy came back and introduced himself. “I will be your host today. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate.” Euhm, yes: the paintings? “I’m moving them around”, he said, smilingly. “It’s all part of the exhibition. If you’re unable to locate a specific work of art: just ask.” And off he went. Suddenly I noticed that one of the other visitors had begun to move rather strangely, in the hall of that ever so grand Villa Empain (Brussels). You’re in for a few surprises, if you visit Répétition uninformed (through August 21).

A picture of a painting that was a picture: “Photorealism – 50 years of hyperrealistic painting” at Musée d’Ixelles (Brussels)

Why would you want to take a picture of a painting that is so perfect you’d swear it is a picture? Funny even, knowing that the painting tries to be the exact copy of a picture. So: a picture of a painting that was a picture. Seeing the cameras and smartphones made me smile, but it made me realize as well: it must be the reason why so many people were visiting Photorealism – 50 years of hyperrealistic painting (Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels, through September 25) on that hot Sunday afternoon. Those photorealism painters trigger the same sense of wonder as magicians do. How the hell do they pull it off?

About a strange ad and a visit to the bathroom: Joseph Kosuth and Robert Morris recreate the past at Jan Mot (Brussels)

Don’t you hate it when you can’t find the answer to a riddle? Luckily I had forgotten about the one that had kept my mind busy for a day or so. Until I entered into Jan Mot gallery (Brussels), weeks later. There it was, on the table, that newspaper, opened on the same page that had caught my attention June 3rd. Suddenly I remembered that peculiar ad I had been staring at, that morning, sipping my coffee, not understanding what it was trying to tell me. It was part of an exhibition? Yes, and probably one of the strangest recent shows in Brussels too (through July 23; so: last days!).

“We’re Pretty Fuckin’ Far From Okay”: Lisbeth Gruwez’s deconstruction of bodies in distress

One doesn’t say no to Avignon. So when the French summer festival asked Lisbeth Gruwez for a new piece, she accepted, notwithstanding her company Voetvolk’s very busy international touring schedule. We’re Pretty Fuckin’ Far From Okay – which actually premiered at Julidans in Amsterdam – is the last part of a trilogy focusing on the ecstatic body, comprising also the successful performances It’s Going To Get Worse And Worse And Worse, My Friend and AH|HA. This time around the Belgian dancer/choreographer zooms in on fear and what it does to our body and breath.

Things are not always what you expect them to be: Rinus Van de Velde’s “Donogoo Tonka”

Much talked about exhibitions. You know how it goes: you’ve read all the articles and the interviews, you’ve seen the images and you wonder: should I really bother to go? Because you’re almost sure you’ve seen everything there is so see. Sort of what my feeling was about Donogoo Tonka, the successful solo exhibition by the adored Belgian visual artist Rinus Van de Velde at S.M.A.K. (through June 5). But then I happened to be in Ghent, and I decided to drop by.

This town ain’t big enough for both of us: some notes on Art Brussels and Independent Brussels

So: 25.628 visitors for Art Brussels 2016 – previous editions: 30.836 (2015) and 28.829 (2014) – and 9.000 visitors for that first edition of Independent Brussels (they had hoped for 10.000). But it’s not about those numbers, isn’t it? Other numbers are of a greater importance: did the participating galleries sell enough works of art? While the big question remains  – Is Brussels big enough for two art fairs? – one thing is certain: it’s just too much art to take in, in just a couple of days. I visited both fairs (plus that much smaller Poppositions) and read all the press. Here are a few notes, quotes, pics and conclusions, just as the art world is heading for New York, for Frieze.