Art Brussels will open its 39th edition this week from 20th – 23rd April at Brussels Expo.
As one of Europe’s oldest and most established fairs, Art Brussels has a reputation for discovery, and this year 152 galleries from 32 countries will present a mix of established and emerging talent as well as artists to rediscover. The fair will present the best of the contemporary gallery scene, showcasing more than 800 artists as part of a vibrant programme. Alongside the new initiatives and projects commissioned for the fair, Art Brussels will feature works that engage with technology and Artificial Intelligence, spirituality and mysticism, and themes of race, identity and gender politics.
The participating galleries are divided into four different sections according to the artists exhibited: PRIME (for mid-career and established artists), DISCOVERY (emerging artists), REDISCOVERY (unduly underrepresented or overlooked artists from the 20th century) and SOLO (solo artist presentations).
The fair continues to show its dedication to curated displays by hosting a high number of SOLO presentations, with 29 galleries highlighting the work of individual artists.
Key SOLO presentations include: Jim Dine at TEMPLON (Paris, Brussels), the prolific, genre-defying pioneer of art ‘happenings’ in the ‘60s; Gavin Turk at MARUANI MERCIER (Brussels, Knokke, Zaventem), one of the YBA movement (Young British Artists Group) whose installations and sculptures playfully recontextualize everyday objects and address issues of authorship, authenticity, and identity; Thilo Heinzmann at dépendance (Brussels), who presents three new paintings made from forcefully applied clusters of pigment; Ria Verhaeghe at Richard Saltoun (London, Rome), whose Verticals series features newspaper images of deceased individuals and arranges them in an ethereal vertical form against striking backgrounds layered with gold leaf; and Hans Op de Beeck at Ron Mandos (Amsterdam) whose work reflects on our complex society and the universal questions of meaning.
The best SOLO presentation will be awarded the SOLO Prize (supported by Hiscox), with the winning artist receiving €10,000.
Full list of SOLO projects: Angel Vergara Axel Vervoordt Gallery | Tessa Perutz Baronian | Korakrit Arunanondchai CLEARING | Marinella Senatore Ceysson & Bénétière | Regine Schumann Dep Art Gallery | Thilo Heinzmann dépendance | Marria Pratts Everyday Gallery | Noé Sendas Galeria Presença | Ryan Wilde Galerie Julien Cadet | Jérémie Cosimi Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire | Hans Op de Beeck Galerie Ron Mandos | Dirk Van Saene Gallery Sofie Van de Velde & PLUS-ONE Gallery | Willehad Eilers Harlan Levey Projects | Catherine Repko Huxley-Parlour | Navid Nuur Jahn und Jahn | Léonard Pongo Kristof De Clercq gallery | Marcos Avila Forero LMNO | Gavin Turk MARUANI MERCIER | Thu Van Tran Meessen De Clercq | Giangiacomo Rossetti Mendes Wood DM | Ana Karkar Nosbaum Reding | Rodrigo Hernández P420 | Ria Verhaeghe Richard Saltoun Gallery | Aneta Kajzer Semiose | Kate Gottgens SMAC Gallery | Machteld Rullens Sorry We’re Closed | Jonny Niesche The Hole | Jim Dine TEMPLON | Nathanaëlle Herbelin Xavier Hufkens.
Other works at the fair examine notions of gender, identity and the body. Examples in DISCOVERY include: melanie bonajo at AKINCI (Amsterdam), whose immersive installation gives a glimpse into her project about the body and sexual identity at the Venice Biennale in 2022; Louka Anargyros at SEPTIEME Gallery (Paris, Cotonou) whose construction of a motoGP locker room with ceramic protective suits invites reflection on masculinity and its symbols; Selma Selman at KUK GALLERY (Cologne) whose work explores the racist isolation, classification, and denunciation of those who are ‘different’ or ‘foreign’; and Ali Salazar at Ginsberg Galeria (Lima, Madrid) who presents five works belonging to the series Unworthy of Being Human, which portray genderless and sometimes faceless figures in a state of metamorphosis.
Art Brussels is known as a hotbed of young talent, and a number of artists aged under 35 are exhibiting in the DISCOVERY section including: Hugo Cantegrel at Galeria Foco (Lisbon), who presents four different bodies of work exploring postmodern theoretical discourse and the relative nature of truth; Pei-Hsuan Wang at Ballon Rouge (Brussels), whose immersive installation forms part of her ongoing investigation into her true relationship with her niece Iris; Rudi Ninov at Sarieva / Gallery (Plovdiv), whose solo project Voice Lines is inspired by the opening paragraph from the visual and mail art poet Vesselin Sariev’s MANIFESTO, 1990; and Luana Vitra at Galeria Bruno Murias (Lisbon) who, in dialogue with fellow artist Bruno Cidra, conveys an intense connection in their thoughts on memory and emotions through their use of materials such as metal, iron and rust. Awarded in recognition for their work nurturing emerging artists, the best DISCOVERY presentation will be awarded with the Discovery Prize – supported by Moleskin – with the winning gallery receiving €5,000.
An expanded REDISCOVERY section (12 galleries vs 7 in 2022) will enable visitors to uncover gems created between 1945-2000 by artists unduly underrepresented or overlooked from an older generation or who are no longer with us. New for 2023, REDISCOVERY has a dedicated area at the fair and includes presentations of works from the 70s by Vincentiu Grigorescu (1923-2012) with 418 Gallery (Munich, Cetate), who embraced geometric expression and abstraction as a way of freeing himself from politically imposed Socialist Realism; Sibylle Ruppert (1942-2011) with Blue Velvet Projects (Zürich), who created a radical oeuvre and a brutal aesthetic between dark surrealism, eroticism and an intimate but strong processing of her own traumas; and TAPTA (1926-1997) with Maurice Verbaet Gallery (Knokke), who was one of the most important members of a generation of artists engaged in redefining sculpture through the use of threads and textiles.
Art Brussels takes place from Thursday 20th April to Sunday 23rd April 2023
Opening day: Thursday 20th April – Preview from 11am to 4pm, and Vernissage from 4pm to 9pm
Public opening days: Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd April from 11am to 7pm
New location! ?? Brussels Expo, Hall 5 & Hall 6 Place de Belgique 1, 1020 Brussels?
Tickets: artbrussels.com/en/visitor-info/tickets/ @artbrussels
Art Brussels: Contemporary since 1968
Preserving its youthful profile as a discovery fair, Art Brussels is one of Europe’s most distinctive and established fairs, which will hold its 39th edition in 2023. Since its foundation, Art Brussels has emerged as one of Europe’s leading contemporary art fairs and is a highlight of the international art calendar. From 20 to 23 April 2023, the European capital becomes a focal point for collectors, gallerists and art lovers from around the world. Art Brussels offers a unique opportunity to explore the artistic treasures and diversity of the city, which is now home to a growing number of emerging and established artists, galleries and curators.
