Since its inception, Art Brussels has evolved into one of the top European contemporary art fairs and is a must-see in the international art calendar. Over 26 – 28 April 2019 (Preview & Vernissage 25 April 2019), the European capital becomes a focal point for collectors, gallerists and art lovers from all over the world. Art Brussels provides a unique opportunity to explore the artistic richness of the city, which is home today to an ever-greater number of artists, galleries and curators.
This year for our 37th edition, Art Brussels continues to be pivotal to the development of the city’s dynamic art scene – Anne Vierstraete
“As always, the fair will display expertly curated and high-quality booths with works from some of the most exciting artists and gallerists internationally. Through initiatives such as the new INVITED section, the fair demonstrates its ability to innovate in the rapidly evolving contemporary art market and art fair landscape.” – Anne Vierstraete, Managing Director of Art Brussels. The 37th edition of Art Brussels presents 157 participants, among which are 148 selected galleries representing 32 countries. With works from recently emerging to internationally established artists, Art Brussels remains resolutely contemporary. Among the 800 artists represented, over 90% are alive of which nearly a third are under 40 years old.
This year’s PRIME section (99 galleries) welcomes back returning blue-chip galleries including BlainǀSouthern (London, Berlin) whose booth will include works by Sean Scully, Bill Viola, Yinka Shonibare, Mat Collishaw and François Morellet; Gladstone (Brussels, New York) brings new sculptural works by Ugo Rondinone, Kasper Bosmans and Sarah Lucas; Krinzinger (Vienna), who will bring new work by Hans Op de Beeck; Tim Van Laere Gallery (Antwerp), presenting artists including Armen Eloyan and Franz West; Almine Rech (Paris, Brussels, London, New York) whose two-part booth will feature works by Jan-Ole Schiemann on one side and a group show including Valentine De Wain on the other; Galerie Lelong & Co (Paris, New York), presenting artists including David Hockney, Etel Adnan and Kiki Smith; Xavier Hufkens (Brussels) who will present works by American abstract painter Lesley Vance; New Art Centre (Salisbury), showing works by Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, as well as dépendance (Brussels) who will present among others Haegue Yang and Jos de Gruyter and Kristin Hjellegjerde – London, Berlin will present a strong showing from her gallery roster.
Harald Thys (the artists’ duo representing Belgium at this year’s Venice Biennale), and Zeno X (Antwerp) showing Mark Manders, Mircea Suciu and Luc Tuymans.
Art Brussels launches a new section, INVITED, which focuses on nine galleries, many of which are challenging the traditional gallery model and dedicated to emerging artists. This section includes Ballon Rouge Collective, a nomadic gallery, which has had exhibitions in Istanbul, London, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Paris, New York and recently opened a space in Brussels, whose booth will present works by Merve Iseri and Philip Janssens; Weiss Falk (Basel), who will bring a show dedicated to works by Laura Langer.
The SOLO section continues to provide 23 stand-alone showcases for both established and emerging artists. This year’s jury for the SOLO Prize, supported by Van Den Weghe, is comprised of Iwona Blazwick, Chris Dercon, Vanessa Joan Müller, Raf Simons and Monika Szewczyk. Projects include immersive video-sculpture installations by Emmanuel Van der Auwera with Harlan Levey Projects (Brussels); a site-specific installation combining the mechanical and the natural by Daniel Steegmann Mangrané presented by Mendes Wood DM (Sao Paulo, Brussels, New York); Kayode Ojo looks at luxury lifestyle versus reality with Martos Gallery (New York); Vietnamese artist Bùi Công Khánh’s monumental porcelain works with 10 Chancery Lane (Hong Kong); Marcel Berlanger investigating the relationship between photography and painting with rodolphe janssen (Brussels), and American artist Jonathan Chapline creating “post analogue paintings” with The Hole (New York). More on SOLO
Art Brussels’ DISCOVERY section presents 38 galleries at the forefront of emerging international artists. The jury panel for this year’s Discovery prize, supported by Moleskine, welcomes Tessa Giblin, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Hélène Vandenberghe.
This year’s DISCOVERY section includes Tyburn Gallery (London), presenting new works by Zimbabwean artist Kudzanai-Violet Hwami; Richard Heller (Santa Monica) presenting Christian Rex van Minnen’s graphic figurative paintings; Parisa Kind (Frankfurt) showing never-before-seen works by Hannes Michanek; Pact (Paris) presenting paintings related to the digital world by Emily Ludwig Shaffer and The Ryder Projects (London) presents sculptures made from chairs found on the streets of Barcelona by Jaime Pitarch.
This year’s REDISCOVERY section (11 galleries) will include highlights such as acb Gallery (Budapest) and their presentation of works by Imre Bak, a key figure of the Hungarian neo- avant-garde and one of the most important Eastern European representatives of geometric abstraction; Eric Dupont (Paris) with works by the Argentinean Carlos Kusnir, based in Marseille, who questions the boundaries of painting, Axel Vervoordt (Wijnegem, Hong Kong) with works by Tsuyoshi Maekawa and a solo show of Georg Karl Pfahler, a leader of the geometric abstract style alongside Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly and Kenneth Noland, at QG Gallery’s booth (Brussels).
More on REDISCOVERY
Further stand-out booths include Maruani Mercier (Brussels, Knokke, Zaventem), presenting Jaclyn Conley’s The Oval Office, a series of paintings analysing and reimagining the ‘American ideal’; o v project (Brussels) who will bring together collages and assemblages exploring many great Dadaists; Galerie Antoine Laurentin (Brussels, Paris), presenting a curated booth on the revival of wood sculptures in Belgium from 1945-1970; Sofie Van de Velde (Antwerp) and PLUS ONE Gallery (Antwerp) will confront the stark contrast between figurative and abstraction, and Sorry we’re Closed (Brussels) where Christoph Ruckhäberle will cover the entire floor of the booth with a piece.
Performances
Paris) whose group show will include Mathis Altmann, Diamond Stingily and Matthew Lutz- and Freedman Fitzpatrick (Los Angeles,
Kinoy among others. Booth performances include Counter Space (Zurich) presenting Obsidian, in which Anne Rochat will press her naked body against a block of ice, creating an imprint; Freight + Volume (New York) in which Samuel Jablon will stand on his sculpture whilst reading aloud a poem; Catinca Tabacaru (New York), showcasing new works from Rachel Monosov’s The Blind Leader series, amongst which the artist will perform, and Charlot (Paris) with digital artist Manfred Mohr who will reenact his pioneering Plotter Drawings on a computer.
Monumental Sculpture Project
For the second year in a row, Art Brussels will show eight monumental sculptures at the entrance of the fair. This year’s project will include Gavin Turk – Maruani Mercier (Brussels, Knokke, Zaventem); Gijs Van Vaerenbergh – valerie_traan (Antwerp); Aurélie Pétrel – Ceysson & Bénétière (St. Etienne, Paris, Luxembourg, New York) and Sophie Whettnall – Michel Rein (Brussels, Paris) among others.
SCREEN IT
In collaboration with the Belgian Triennial Stadstriennale Hasselt-Genk (October 2019 – January 2020), SCREEN IT features 17 artists selected by curator Pieter Jan Valgaeren, whoseworksexploretheimpactofscreencultureontheartsandsociety. Participatingartists include Daniel Arsham by Galerie Ron Mandos (Amsterdam), Constant Dullaart by Upstream (Amsterdam), Mounir Fatmi by Ceysson & Bénétière (St. Etienne, Paris, Luxembourg, New York), Sam Samore presented by rodolphe janssen (Brussels), Emmanuel Van der Auwera presented by Harlan Levey Projects (Brussels), Ariane Loze presented by Michel Rein (Brussels, Paris), Jonas Lund presented by The Ryder Projects (London) and Laure Prouvost presented by Nathalie Obadia (Brussels, Paris), among others.
ArtBeats at The Belfius Lounge
For the third year in a row, Art Brussels proudly welcomes Belfius Wealth Management as the main partner of the fair. With a collection of more than 4,300 works, Belfius holds the largest private collection of Belgian art which spans five centuries and still continues to grow through the acquisition of contemporary artworks by Belgian artists. This year’s exhibition, entitled ArtBeats, will showcase a selection of 30 major works chosen by Belgian cultural personalities, providing a very personal insight into their passion for art.
Irmgard Speck at the Stibbe Lounge
In 2019, Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys will represent Belgium at the 58th International Venice Biennale, with the exhibition Mondo Cane curated by Anne-Claire Schmitz. This year, the lounge of fair partner Stibbe features the exhibition Irmgard Speck, by the duo De Gruyter and Thys. It will present a series of sculptures of 3D-printed heads, which are made from plaster, fake hair and paint and present the faces of notable figures such as politicians, dictators, celebrities and criminals.
Shared roots 2019 in the Ruinart Champagne Lounge
In the stand of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels, the exhibition curated by Nicolas de Ribou bringing the work of artist Lucie Lanzini and titled What comes out is what’s inside evokes both the liberated form of the mould and the work emancipating from the workshop. A set of sculptures realised by the technique of the moulding is presented to offer an introspective
glance on the forms, objects and tools of the workshop summoned daily by the artist in the realisation of her pieces.
The 37th edition sees the launch of the new and diverse INVITED section which supports a younger generation of international galleries who have never participated in the fair, giving them a complete carte blanche for their booth. This section will include galleries that are championing the shifting art market and challenging the traditional gallery model such as; Ballon Rouge Collective, a nomadic gallery which since 2017 has travelled to Istanbul, London, Los Angeles, Brussels, Sao Paulo, Paris, New York, and will launch a new hub in Brussels called B.R. Clubhaus; La Maison de Rendez-Vous, a new Brussels space initiated by four international galleries, LambdaLambdaLambda (Prishtina, Kosovo); Lulu (Mexico City); Misako & Rosen (Tokyo), and Park View/Paul Soto (Brussels, Los Angeles); Paid by the artist (Antwerp), a concept devised by Simon Delobel where the brand identity of his gallery-model adapts according to the artist’s vision. The INVITED section also presents galleries with more traditional models and internationally recognised emerging programmes such as Damien & The Love Guru (Brussels); Freedman Fitzpatrick (Los Angeles, Paris), High Art (Paris), and Weiss Falk (Basel) among others.
Highlights from the PRIME section include the recent merged gallery Baronian Xippas (Brussels), Gallery Baton (Seoul), Bernier/Eliades Gallery (Athens, Brussels), Blain|Southern (Berlin, London), Thomas Brambilla (Bergamo), dépendance (Brussels), Christophe Gaillard (Paris), Gladstone Gallery (Brussels, New York), Jahn und Jahn 7 (Munich), Galerie Krinzinger (Vienna), Lelong & Co (Paris, New York), Ron Mandos (Amsterdam), Meessen De Clercq (Brussels), Nino Mier Gallery (Los Angeles), Shulamit Nazarian (Los Angeles), New Art Centre (Salisbury), Nathalie Obadia (Brussels, Paris), OV Project (Brussels), Proyectos Monclova (Mexico City), Almine Rech (Brussels, London, New York, Paris), Repetto Gallery (London), Ronchini Gallery (London), SAGE (Paris), Semiose (Paris), SMAC Gallery (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch), Galeria Filomena Soares (Lisbon), Sorry We’re Closed (Brussels), Pietro Sparta (Chagny), Marc Straus (New York), Sofie Van de Velde (Antwerp), Isabelle van den Eynde (Dubai), Tim Van Laere Gallery (Antwerp), Nadja Vilenne (Liège), Upstream Gallery (Amsterdam), Wetterling (Stockholm), and Zeno X Gallery (Antwerp). Kristin Hjellegjerde – London, Berlin.
The fair is dedicated to a dynamic representation of SOLO booths, allowing for an in-depth view on one artist. Highlights include: Brussels based painter Marcel Berlanger with rodolphe janssen (Brussels); Berlin based Jenny Brosinski’s minimalist abstract paintings will be shown with Choi & Lager (Cologne) together with Division Gallery (Montréal, Toronto); Maruani Mercier (Brussels, Knokke, Paris) will bring a series of figurative paintings by the Canadian female artist Jaclyn Conley; large scale abstract paintings by Ethan Cook shown by Patrick De Brock (Knokke-Heist); Los Angeles painter Alex Gardner represented by The Hole (New York); the Bulgarian female surrealist contemporary painter and sculptor Oda Jaune represented by Daniel Templon (Brussels, Paris); Kayode Ojo’s sculptural installations that juxtapose luxury and reality presented by Martos Gallery (New York); Brazil-based Daniel Steegmann Mangrané known for his surprising installations, presented by Mendes Wood DM (Brussels, New York, São Paulo); Los Angeles-based female abstract painter Lesley Vance brought by Xavier Hufkens (Brussels), and Emmanuel Van der Auwera’s video sculpture installations shown by Harlan Levey Projects (Brussels).
The REDISCOVERY section will display works from the 20th century, among which several galleries will present abstract geometric paintings, such as: acb Gallery (Budapest) presenting Imre Bak; QG Gallery (Brussels) with Georg Karl Pfahler who represented Germany at the Venice Biennale in 1970; 418 Gallery (Cetate – RO) with Diet Sayler; and Callewaert- Vanlangendonck Gallery (Antwerp) showing works by Guy Vandenbranden, an important Belgian constructivist artist from the post-war art scene. Galerie Charlot (Paris, Tel Aviv) will show works by Manfred Mohr, one of the major pioneers of the digital art since its early inception; Axel Vervoordt (Wijnegem, Hong Kong) will bring works by Tsuyoshi Maekawa, a pioneer of the Gutai group; and Vigo (London) will present works by Sudanese artist Ibrahim El-Salahi.
For new discoveries, the DISCOVERY section will comprise emerging galleries with recently created works (2016-2019) from up and coming artists. Highlights include Freight + Volume (New York), Ani Molnár Gallery (Budapest), Parisa Kind (Frankfurt), mariondecannière (Antwerp), Nome (Berlin), PACT (Paris), SARIEV Contemporary (Sofia), Barbara Seiler (Zurich), Stems Gallery (Brussels, Luxembourg), The Ryder Projects (London), and Tyburn Gallery (London).
All photos © P C Robinson Artlyst 2019
Art Brussels 37 Friday 26 April – Sunday 28 April 2019 Preview & Vernissage: Thursday 25 April