On April 24 in Brussels, the celebratory 41st iteration of Art Brussels unfolds at Brussels Expo, on view through April 27. The leading and comprehensive presentation unites 165 galleries representing 35 countries for a thoroughly diverse creative journey. Five masterfully curated platforms, titled Prime, Solo, ’68 Forward, Discovery and Invited, collage the imagination and innovation of over 800 artists. Thoughtfully curated projects, tremendous new initiatives, site-specific activations, and singular prizes promise a spirited and transcendent fair experience for all.
A Dynamic Program with New Initiatives and More Unfolds at Art Brussels 2025
Claus Föttinger, “Mud volcano, Dieng Plateau, Java,” 2009,
light object: pigmented archival inkjet prints on cotton paper, laminated, sewn on metal frame, glass, electrics, h. 76 x 180 x 100 cm;
courtesy VAN HORN, Düsseldorf.
Within Art Brussels dynamic program, two unique initiatives are unveiled. An expertly curated video art presentation, The Screen, offers vibrant creations chosen by Eliel Jones, Curator of Performance and Time-based Media at KANAL-Centre Pompidou, and Brussels-based filmmaker Alex Reynolds. Coinciding, “Monumental Artworks” is a large-scale installations showcase skilfully curated by public art expert Carine Fol.
“For the second year running, Art Brussels is collaborating with the City of Brussels to present a selection of monumental sculptures by Belgian and international artists, based on gallery proposals, in front of the Palais 5 at Brussels Expo,” said Fol.
“Inside the fair, the artist Tapta, who initiated the City of Brussels’ Urban Art Committee in 1996 with the support of the College of the Mayor, Aldermen and Alderwomen, will be honored. This year’s selection reveals 13 artworks that are strongly rooted in the present-time and are formally oscillating between minimalism, expressionism and assemblage, etc. The artists give expression to formal and existential questions, certainties and uncertainties in the face of a world where democracy seems to be faltering. They underline how art offers an ultimate and humanist revenge, even a message of hope, on the dominant powers.”
“The artists give expression to formal and existential questions,”
Carine Fol
Further, a parade of riveting site-specific projects will enchant and immerse art lovers from across the globe. Upon entering Art Brussels, fairgoers will be greeted by a bespoke installation designed by artist Céline Condorelli with Galeria Vera Cortês, Lisbon, in addition to visionary Juan d’Oultremont’s archival exploration Carton plein. Curator Zoë Gray of Bozar spearheads the returning and meaningful KickCancer Collection, while soulful artist Maëlle Dufour unveils an enveloping installation with the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.
Ruinart Champions Biodiversity with Lélia Demoisy Alongside the 75th Anniversary of the Belgian Art Prize
“Untitled,” Englebert van Anderlecht, 1960, oil on canvas, 145 x 202 cm; © Daniel Meyer Photography, Courtesy of Dierking, Zurich.
In addition, inspiring Maison Ruinart raises the curtain on guest artist Lélia Demoisy’s divine new investigations within the brand’s creative and eco-conscious platform Conversations with Nature. The visionary’s signature sculpture works and installations champion ardent connection within Mother Nature, and her latest artworks speak to Ruinart’s uncompromising mission to biodiversity and safeguarding the environment. “I want to enable viewers to have new experiences with nature and better understand our interdependence,” said Demoisy.
“I want to enable viewers to have new experiences with nature and better understand our interdependence,”
Lélia Demoisy
Finally, the significant 75th anniversary of the Belgian Art Prize unfolds at the 2025 edition of Art Brussels, sparking a must-see exhibition titled “Back to the Future.” This expressive showcase will unfold within the Stibbe Lounge alongside an exhibition by SOFAM of artists who were recently honored with the Pomona Art Prize.
Art Brussels 2025 Gallery Highlights
Anonymous Gallery
Cristine Brache,
“Centerfold,” 2024,
oil and encaustic on cotton and wood,
33 x 60 x 2 in.,
83.8 x 152.4 x 5 cm.,
Photo by: Installshots.art,
Courtesy of the artist, Cristine Brache, and anonymous gallery, New York, NY.
Perceptive artist Cristine Brache delves deeply into realms of femininity, performance, erasure and more with a fresh series of works at Anonymous Gallery. Placing Canadian actress and model Dorothy Stratten at its heart, the artist examines a life cut devastatingly short by way of haunting, large-scale portraits as well as a partially AI-generated video. Visceral in its study of humanity, a relentless objectification by the media, and the preservation of memories, Brache’s works uncover that darkened space between rising star and tragic sacrifice.
AFIKARIS
Géraldine Tobe, “Dilemme de Nzinga,” 2023, Smoke on canvas,
140×170 cm / 55×67 in;
Courtesy of the AFIKARIS Gallery and the Artist.
AFIKARIS gallery offers the bold nature of Congolese artist Géraldine Tobe at Art Brussels this year, whose meditative works are held in prestigious locales such as the permanent collection of the Tervuren Museum and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The artist’s intense study of “A Faceless Person” makes way for a focus on the unknown individual throughout time and space. Invoking horrific moments of slave deportations or discrimination, Tobe brings forgotten human beings out of the shadows and into the light.
Andréhn-Schiptjenko
Linder, “No age will be silent,” 2017,
Photomontage,
Image: 41 x 68 cm,
(16 1/8 x 26 3/4 in.),
Frame: 55.5 x 83 cm,
(21 7/8 x 32 5/8 in.);
Courtesy the artist and Andréhn-Schiptjenko, Stockholm, Paris.
Forward-thinking Andréhn-Schiptjenko art space joins the fair once again with a group showcase of five unflinching creatives. Ridley Howard, Linder, Katarina Löfström, Sabine Mirlesse and Xavier Veilhan invite visitors to step into a lyrical exhibition of collage, painting, sculpture, installation, and photomontage. Here, British legend and collage aficionado Linder invites a closer look at the hallucinatory spheres of glamor and sensuality.
