ARTISTS FROM BRUSSELS AND PERIPHERY
OCTOBER 10, 2024 - FEBRUARY 2, 2025
CENTRALE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, BRUSSELS
The entrance to Centrale has changed. The side alley that used to run alongside the bell tower of the former Sainte-Catherine church is gone. Access is now directly from the square, next to the Mer du Nord / Nordzee high tables. The new layout is brighter and more fluid—take a stroll through the centre, and you find yourself in a museum. This shift transforms how the space is perceived. Previously, visitors encountered the walls along the narrow side of the rectangle. Now, the rooms extend seamlessly, one after the other, along their full length.
In the booklet handed out at the entrance, I read that HOSTING was inspired by the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. I picture London crowds, walls densely packed with paintings, and the exhilarating energy of showcasing a wide variety of artists. Here, there’s no rush—and that’s nice—but there’s still a strong creative pulse. The announcement of 347 works by 247 artists had me worried, but wrongly so. After three visits, I’m convinced: beyond the strength of individual pieces, the exhibition’s success lies in its curation and the selection of works.
With no set theme, HOSTING is above all a celebration of local and peripheral diversity. The layout is based on the architecture of the site and Richard Venlet's structures. There are no heavy didactic groupings, but no bric-a-brac effect either: you move from island to island, with breathing space.
From the very first room, a light-colored wooden ensemble, complete with matching benches and stools, evokes communal hanging panels. Further in, a white cube, ideal for video projections, features a long, uncluttered bench. At the far end, imposing yellow structures—both airy and geometric—allow a large number of works to be displayed without overwhelming the space. These formations create twists and turns, offering glimpses of the backs of canvases, revealing fascinating details of materials and framing. From the very first room, a light-coloured wooden ensemble, with matching benches and stools, recalls the communal hanging panels. Further on, a white cube, perfect for video projection, with a long, uncluttered bench. At the far end, imposing yellow structures, light and airy, where the crossed beams allow a large number of works to be hung without weighing down the space. They form twists and turns, giving glimpses of the backs of the canvases - fascinating details of the materials and framing.
A distinct sense of care and instinctive selection, based on photographs, emerges from the juxtaposition of diverse works. Faced with thousands of submissions, decisions had to be made swiftly. No genre or medium seems to have been excluded, and the jury’s boldness is evident. I wouldn’t have chosen Laura Dos Santos’s toucan in profile on a yellow background, yet in the last room, it stands out—vibrant and compelling.
The prices shown in the booklet make the works strangely accessible. Not because the prices are for everyone, but because a price has been set and is displayed. Some pieces are NOT FOR SALE (NFS), communicating a particular attachment or positioning strategy. An interesting system: 20% of the sale price goes into a solidarity fund, which is distributed to all the artists.
Among the most striking works are two by Mohammed Alani: on the floor, a grid made up of used pens and felt-tips, and in the last room, on the floor, a school rucksack - big and ugly -pierced with decorated arrows (beautiful and elongated). School bullying? The schoolbag as a shell? A revolt against the education system? Who are the savages?
A funny moment with Le voyage du tourne-disque by Jérôme Porsperger: in the foreground, a record player, while videos scroll past in the background - shirtless men, in the open air, doing body-building a video with a backhoe on a pile of rubbish. The sound seems to overpower the image, relegating it to mere décor—soundtrack over imagetrack.
And also number 265, Sans titre by Mathias Roche. A diagonal grid on a blue-grey background reveals a harlequin figure at its centre. They look angrily at me, their red hair a mess.
On the way out, one last piece catches my eye: a mini black bin bag, suspended by its red cord, accompanied small black cushions and bells. Tsurushi Kazari by Yukali Modéran evokes the delicate Japanese hanging garland made from kimono scraps, traditionally used for New Year's Eve. In Brussels, these garlands take on a completely different form: adorable little bin liners. The idea is both fair and beautiful, and could enrich Brussels folklore. Why not make an annual ritual out of it, with everyone making and offering the garlands to appease the garbage demons that haunt the city?
Roshan Di Puppo
PS - In a previous text on Love is Louder at Bozar, I expressed my discomfort with the profusion of works. HOSTING takes a different approach. Its title, far from weighing down the works, evokes the art of hospitality, extended here to the periphery. Located in the heart of the city, Centrale explores the notion of convergence. The exhibition becomes a meeting place, with each work finding its place while preserving its autonomy. Spontaneous dialogues arise around unexpected details, especially visual ones. Shapes, colours and materials resonate with each other, allowing perception to guide reflection.
PS - I hope HOSTING becomes an annual event.