Art Brussels has announced the launch of a new fair in Antwerp, Art Antwerp, a regional contemporary art fair of approximately 60 galleries, taking place from Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th December 2020 at Antwerp Expo.
Just like when visiting a gallery, Art Antwerp will allow you to view art in situ. Art lovers are extremely keen to engage with art despite the context of the Covid-19 virus. From this point of departure and to support the regional art market, Art Brussels is launching this new initiative in full compliance with the security measures imposed by the Belgian government. Art Antwerp is already enthusiastically welcomed among contemporary art professionals.
Given the current circumstances, the fair will be organised on a smaller scale with most exhibitors hailing from Belgium and its surrounding countries.It’s no coincidence that the city of Antwerp has been chosen. It’s a vibrant city that is home to some of Belgium’s most prominent museums, counts numerous galleries, and is a hotspot for cutting-edge fashion.
“We look forward to gathering galleries and collectors at a small-scale fair that is locally embedded alongside a number of strong international players who accepted our invitation. We notice that there’s an increasing need for face-to-face meetings in the art world. Given the know-how that Easyfairs has in-house with regard to the application of strict security measures, we have all the necessary resources to organise Art Antwerp in record time while ensuring maximum security. The launch of Art Antwerp is of course challenging but utterly exciting.”
Anne Vierstraete, managing director and Nele Verhaeren, co-director
COVID-19 safety
Easyfairs, the company to which both Art Brussels and Art Antwerp belong, is an international leading company in the exhibition sector. In recent months, Easyfairs has invested heavily in safety procedures so that fairs can be organised in the safest way. To this end, it entered into a partnership with SGS, an international leader in compliance. SGS will ensure that all safety and hygiene measures are observed during Art Antwerp.
On July 24, 2020, we received the approval of the Belgian National Security Council that fairs could be held again as of September 1, subject to strict compliance with the trade protocol, which includes fairs. The sanitary measures that will apply to Art Antwerp will however be even more severe than those currently practiced in the trade.
Art Antwertp: Concrete security measures
Art Antwerp is dedicated to creating a safe environment for exhibitors and visitors. Visitors are asked to reserve a time slot in advance, aisles will be significantly larger to avoid crowding and there will be two separate entrances and exits. Visitors will be counted electronically when entering and leaving the exhibition hall to ensure the exhibition is never over capacity. Other measures include the regular cleaning of surfaces, mandatory social distancing and face masks. There will be no late openings or cocktails events.
The Art Antwerp team is of course closely monitoring the situation. The organisation of the fair will continue as long as it can be assured that the imposed security measures can be properly implemented and as long as new restrictions do not undermine the success of Art Antwerp.
Hosting Committee
The fair is working with a Hosting Committee, drawn from the Belgian members of the Art Brussels international committee, whose role continues to be the selection of the participating galleries “upon invitation”, ensuring the high quality of exhibitors that Art Brussels is known for.
The Hosting Committee members are:
Michael Callies (from dépendance, Brussels), Simon De Volder (from Xavier Hufkens, Brussels), Rodolphe Janssen (from rodolphe janssen, Brussels, Knokke) and Nina Hendrickx (from Zeno X, Antwerp).
“We are happy with this new initiative being organised under the helm of Art Brussels. After months of restrictions and cancelled art fairs, it becomes essential to step out of our gallery spaces and connect with our peers and with collectors and art lovers on a larger scale. Art Antwerp represents a perfect opportunity to match these needs within a safe and regional fair and the invitational process allows us to ensure quality within a balanced selection of galleries according to their profile and provenance.”
The members of the Hosting Committee
Art Antwerp takes place from Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th December 2020
Antwerp Expo, Jan van Rijswijcklaan 191, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
Participating galleries and more info: www.art-antwerp.com
