Hi Apugarians,

I'm currently in Brussels on vacation, eager to see new and different photography. I know that several of you live here, in this underrated (if sometimes dank) country. Could any of you possibly tell me about any photo exhibitions here which I may have overlooked?

My fingers are swollen from surfing the web for Belgian exhibitions, so I already know about the popular venues such as Young Gallery and Bozar, etc. I'm curious to also see work by local photographers, students, non professionals, serious amateurs, etc. Thanks for any help.

Cheers and flavored beers,

Christopher


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Chris, I don't think that July is the best month for this kind of thing in Brussels. La Cambre (my school) has their annual exhibitions during the month of June (as well as other art schools).

Check Galerie Contretype, although they also probably are closed for the summer. You can visit "Campion", the famous (and expensive) photography shop in Ixelles (place St Boniface) and ask if they know about any exhibitions taking place during the summer. There might be billboards advertising some events on their windows, too...

George is right, the art scene in Belgium is quite sleepy at the moment.
If you have not found that site yet:
http://www.opbrussel.be/agenda.aspx?libID=774&colID=34&menuID=67&themaOPB=4

For the rest, Belgium is not that big. Thus you have the chance to look around within the whole country.

Hi Christopher
You may visit " atelier Ph7". It should still have some CHristina Andreson's tricolor gum, he (Roger) also some of my prints and other alt printer. I think you should call before going there , and do not forget to ask to see more print than the exhibited one.

Have nice hollidays (Isn't Belgium a lot tainy these days?????)

Dear Christopher Nisperos,

There are two rather interesting musea for photography in Belgium. One of the Flemish Cultural Community in Antwerp, see : www.fotomuseum.be and one of the French Cultural Community near Charleroi, see : www.museephoto.be .
Both have a permanent collection and temporally exhibitions.
You can also check the gallery of the 'Jardin Botanique' in Brussels for a temporarily exhibition, but I am not sure about an photography exhibition at the moment.
Of course there are the several Musea for Fine Arts all over the country as well as the Musea for Modern (and Contemporary-) Arts who have photography in their permanent collections (Gent, Antwerp, Brussels, liege, ...).

Not to mention the private and commercial initiatives of course.

Have a nice stay in Belgium!

Philippe

Chris, I don't think that July is the best month for this kind of thing in Brussels. La Cambre (my school) has their annual exhibitions during the month of June (as well as other art schools).

Check Galerie Contretype, although they also probably are closed for the summer. You can visit "Campion", the famous (and expensive) photography shop in Ixelles (place St Boniface) and ask if they know about any exhibitions taking place during the summer. There might be billboards advertising some events on their windows, too...

EUXapIOTW George, I know both places and I'll check them out.

Best,

Christopher Mousmoulos

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George is right, the art scene in Belgium is quite sleepy at the moment.
If you have not found that site yet:
http://www.opbrussel.be/agenda.aspx?libID=774&colID=34&menuID=67&themaOPB=4

For the rest, Belgium is not that big. Thus you have the chance to look around within the whole country.

Thanks again, AgX. As I mentioned in my pm to you ..and for the benefit of anyone else reading this who is also in Brussels at this moment... that exhibition at the Bozar is a must see (I haven't yet).. but the brochure says:

"The exhibition features work by (among others): Berenice Abbott - Ansel Adams - Manuel Álvarez Bravo - Eugène Atget -Bernd & Hilla Becher - Margaret Bourke-White - Bill Brandt - Edward Burtynsky - Edward Cranstone - Robert Cumming - Imogen Cunningham - Bruce Davidson - Andreas Feininger - Roger Fenton - Robert Frank - Frank Gohlke - Ernst Haas - Lewis Hine - Germaine Krull - Dorothea Lange - Joel Meyerowitz - Inge Morath - Paulo Nozolino - Bill Owens - Robert Polidori - Albert Renger-Patzsch - Aleksandr Rodchenko - Wilhelm Roentgen - Mark Ruwedel - W. Eugene Smith - Edward Steichen - Alfred Stieglitz - Hiroshi Sugimoto - Edward Weston"

...jeez. Who's not in it? (except you and I). I'll pack a lunch for the visit and bring my eyedrops.

Friendlily,

Chris

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Hi Christopher
You may visit " atelier Ph7". It should still have some CHristina Andreson's tricolor gum, he (Roger) also some of my prints and other alt printer. I think you should call before going there , and do not forget to ask to see more print than the exhibited one.

Have nice hollidays (Isn't Belgium a lot tainy these days?????)

Hi Christian, hope you're doing well, my friend..

Thanks for the information ... exactly what I was looking for (though George and AgX are right...I'm probably here at the wrong time of year. Even the Young Gallery just closed up for vacation).

And yes . . . the cherry on the cake, after all the galleries being closed in an already sleepy ...if charming... city... the ^¨à;("§è&ç!§ rain.
But at least it's not as bad as last year... ah, la draaache...j'ai même vu Noé et l'arche. As Cosby would say, "Right".

I'll call you after I return to Paris.

A plus,

Christopher

Dear Christopher Nisperos,

There are two rather interesting musea for photography in Belgium. One of the Flemish Cultural Community in Antwerp, see : www.fotomuseum.be and one of the French Cultural Community near Charleroi, see : www.museephoto.be .
Both have a permanent collection and temporally exhibitions.
You can also check the gallery of the 'Jardin Botanique' in Brussels for a temporarily exhibition, but I am not sure about an photography exhibition at the moment.
Of course there are the several Musea for Fine Arts all over the country as well as the Musea for Modern (and Contemporary-) Arts who have photography in their permanent collections (Gent, Antwerp, Brussels, liege, ...).

Not to mention the private and commercial initiatives of course.

Have a nice stay in Belgium!

Philippe

Hello Philippe,

I was just in Antwerp today .. very sorry to see your kind suggestion only now, after returning. It's a good excuse for me to return .. it's only an hour away. Thanks very much for the information. (and I always have a nice stay in Belgium, no problem..) (even with the rain)

Best,

Christopher

PS - yes, I see what you mean by "private and commercial initiatives" .. I've found tiny exhibitions, here and there in cafes and the like... some of them very interesting.

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Since Philippe mentioned it, IIRC the Antwerp photography museum has some exquisite daguerreotypes on display... the Charleroi one never stroke me as something really worth visiting, although things might have changed since I was there... at least the director has changed, for sure... for the one that was in charge back then was really incompetent...

But I thought that you were looking for something contemporary, avant-garde, new... not museum pieces or old and widely known work by established artists...

To be fair, the FotoMuseum Antwerp has always a smaller exhibition of someone lesser known.
Furthermore it is going a little bit more technical by showing more of their camera collection. They have since long got a lot from renown Michael Auer and from collections around Gevaert. And after the splitting of the Agfa-Historama collection the technical collection went from Cologne to Antwerp last year. (The pictorial part stayed in Cologne.)
It has a comprehensive library too!

On August 18 (Nacht van de Antwerpse Musea) there will be a `Hollywood Night´ at the FotoMuseum. (The Museum is a filmmuseum too in the sense that it has a varied film screening.)


A lesser known exhibition you will find in Brussels housed in the Bozar. A filmmusem showing technical exhibits and screening films too.

You mean the "Musee du cinema" housed in the "Palais des Beaux Arts" ???

Yes.