Bold Exhibitions to See in Brussels This Spring

In recent years, Brussels has emerged as one of Europe’s most compelling art hubs — a place where established names and rising talents converge, where innovation is not just welcomed, but expected. This season, the city once again delivers, with standout exhibitions from Rinko Kawauchi, Nazanin Pouyandeh, Nathanaëlle Herbelin, Bendt Eyckermans, and more. Whitewall has selected the must-see shows to catch on your next trip. 

Matt Connors: Mysterious Leap

Xavier Hufkens

Ixelles

Matt Connors “Mysterious Leap” presents a number of new works, including small- and large-scale paintings accompanied by related drawings, creating a series that feels unified yet visually diverse. The exhibition is inspired by Sigmund Freud’s concept of the “mysterious leap”—the unfathomable transition between physical and unconscious states, mind and body. Connors’ collection also draws from a wide range of sources, including everyday observations, Clarice Cliff pottery, and the cover of a 1944 U.S. edition of Paul Valérys “Monsieur Teste,” reimagining them into abstract compositions that invite a sense of ongoing discovery. 

What we love: Each piece remains open-ended, offering no fixed meaning. The exhibition offers endless rediscovery, with each encounter revealing something new. 

Matt Connors at Xavier Hufkens 
March 20—May 17, 2025

Rinko Kawauchi: M/E

Meesen Gallery

Ixelles

Returning for her third solo show with Meessen Gallery, Rinko Kawauchi presents “M/E” (“Mother/Earth” and “Me”), an exploration of our deep, personal connection to the planet and the interdependence between all living and nonliving things. Spread across three gallery spaces, the exhibition features a mix of new and archival visual works from Kawauchi‘s time in Iceland and Japan. The exhibition includes a video collage of simple, everyday moments; a quiet series of photographs, and, in the back space, printed fabrics suspended lightly from the ceiling, inviting guests to walk through them— creating ripples and mirroring our own inevitable impact on nature. 

What we love: Rinko Kawauchi’s invitation to slow down and savor the fleeting moments often overlooked in everyday life. 

Rinko Kawauchi at Meessen Gallery 
March 14—April 26, 2025

Nazanin Pouyandeh: Beneath the Fabric of the World

Galerie Templon

Saint-Gilles

Talented Iranian artist Nazanin Pouyandeh makes her debut in Brussels at Galerie Templon with “Beneath the fabric of the world.” The show presents fifteen new works, created between 2024 and 2025, that reflect her personal history and experience of exile. Pouyandeh approaches painting as an act of freedom and resistance, often depicting memories of fleeing Iran, or depicting the lives of female figures across a range of settings—ruined cities, to intimate living rooms, and art studios. Drawing on a range of influences, her work deeply examines women’s roles, sexuality, and survival. 

What we love: the dream-like, layered worlds she creates — full of color, symbolism, and hidden histories. 

Nazanin Pouyandeh at Galerie Templon
April 23—June 7, 2025 

Bendt Eyckermans

Mendes Wood DM

Petit Sablon

In his latest exhibition at Mendes Wood Dm, Bendt Eyckermans blurs the line between memories and dreams, offering an unsettling glimpse into fractured realities. Drawing from personal hauntings, fleeting impressions, and eerie stillness, his paintings feel both vividly real and strangely dislocated—like snapshots from a world just slightly off. Working in his grandfather’s former studio, Eyckermans weaves nostalgia, unease, and surreal beauty  into paintings and sculptures, where ghostly figures, twilight landscapes and uncanny still lives flicker between past and present. 

What we love: The eerie stillness— his use of muted colors and the feeling of things almost frozen in time pulls us into a world that feels both hauntingly familiar and oddly off-kilter. 

Bendt Eyckermans at Mendes Wood DM
April 23—May 31, 2025

Lien Buysens: Can Can

Schönfeld Gallery

Bascule

Lien Buysens’ first solo exhibition with Schönfeld Gallery, “Can Can”, is the culmination of her ongoing exploration of the ever evolving nature of creativity. Through a dynamic combination of rhythm, structure, and playfulness, Buysens’ vibrant drawings and paintings come alive, celebrating the relationships between forms. Drawing inspiration from everyday forms,  work blurs the line between the familiar and the abstract, imbuing even the most mundane with new meaning. With intricate line work and soft colors, Buysens invites viewers to pause, step into her fluid world, and see beauty we often overlook. 

What we love: How Buyssens’ art is a joyful dance—rhythmic, spontaneous, and always evolving. There’s an infectious energy in her work that makes us want to move with it, discovering new shapes at every glance. 

Lien Buysens at Schönfeld Gallery
March 16—May 10, 2025

Terry Ekasala: Take My Hand

Schönfeld Gallery

Bascule

Terry Ekasalas latest exhibition at Schönfeld Gallery is a vivid celebration of paintings’ emotional and physical possibilities. Her new work balances wild, expressive strokes with thoughtful compositions resulting in canvases that crackle with energy and depth. The exhibition includes pieces like “Those Days in Paradise” and “Family” which blend memory and imagination to offer a layered look at connection and identity. Through dynamic color choices and energetic yet controlled linework, she invites the viewers into a world where emotion, memory, and form collide in beautiful, unexpected ways. 

What we love: The vibrant chaos—Eksalas bold gestures and layered textures create a lively tension, drawing us into paintings that feel spontaneous yet thoughtfully composed.

Terry Ekasala at Schönfeld Gallery
March 16—May 10, 2025