Tag Archives: Belgium

MSSNDCLRCQ, Brussels: Exhibitions of Anish Kapoor, Sarah Botswick and Fabrice Samyn

Posted on December 12, 2009 | Leave a comment

IF this – Anish Kapoor, the famous Brit artist, makes you feel baffled, so open wider your eyes to discover the other artists. First Kapoor: in a small bright white room, lighted with a white neon, a rectangle covered with blue pigment. Difficult to know if the rectangle is pasted, painted or inlayed in the wall. If it is, how buying the work of art ? With the wall? Forget it, here the work of art is a stainless steel plate positioned precisely. Because I’m not an expert, I often have many weird questions. The fourth floor gallery’s space is stonished and the team is really nice and helpful. First level, in half-light: “Grand Central” of Sarah Botswick in collaboration with Jim Campbell. The picture below doesn’t exactly show the work of art. We’ve spent lot’s of time to figure out the technique of the amazing video effects: really impressive! On the sculpted resin, blurred shapes of men in different sizes. Hypnotic back and forth. I’ve really liked it.

Few steps higer: the “Mirror” installation. I love it. The gallery’s co-owner, Mr. De Clerq explained us with passion the genesis of Fabrice Samyn’s art. The Belgium artist works focusses on time’s perception. I’ve instinctively enjoyed this mirror. Usually concepts bother me, that’s why contemporary art sometimes bothers me. We can read different words on the mirror depanding on the light and the meaning changes, it’s really exciting! I guess you have more and more doubts: go to the gallery and discover the installation in situ. Hurry-up, the different exhibitions: “Woods. Absence of Objects” of Anish Kapoor, “Passages” of Sarah Botswick and “Je suis un Hôte” of Fabrice Samyn, end December 19!

Thanks to the MSSNDCLCRQ gallery. Adress: 2 rue de l’Abbaye, B 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium.

Xth Biennale de Lyon (2009, France)

Young Gallery, Brussels: Exhibition of Nick Brandt, “A Shadow Falls”

Show Off: Art Contemporary Fair in Paris, October 22-25

DESTINATIONS

Victoire magazine, Brussels: Meeting Anne Pochet

Posted on November 26, 2009 | Leave a comment

Discovering by chance Victoire‘s site:

first I’ve really enjoyed the column « comme chez moi » (« come at my home » about Belgium artits interiors). Different, fun and refine and I absolutely wanted to meet its charming enthousiastic Editorial Director, Anne Pochet. For three years and half , the Victoire‘s paper issue has been the week-end additional magazine of daily paper Le Soir, about trends in culture, lifestyle and fashion.

– It’s not a women magazine. The first challenge was this magazine must not be sexually identified: 52% of our readers are men. It’s a subjective vision with a proximity idea about what’s going on in Belgium. We avoided all the fashion magazines clichés. Let’s talk about us (Belgium people), not by chauvinism, but to know where is the Belgium ine the world trends. We’ve always found lots of recognition abroad, but really few at home. With Victoire, we kindly look at the country.

So where is Belgium in world tendancies?

– Very good question! It’s really really difficult to say, the image moves fast: lots of people have great ideas and projects. It’s a subtile networking : everybody knows each other, a small land with many shooting stars.

Gratuated of journalism,

Anne’s worked first for women magazines and as a production director and a Web project manager for the media group Sanoma for fifteen years. She’s also been a youth litterature’s critic for ten years :

– A great job. I was a young mom and I was happy to make parents discover less formal worlds.

She became a specialist in education’s philosophy and has presented a less “formal vision of eduction and the pratical aspect, without any activist message” in a radio show. And she’s hosted a short tv show at the RTBF 1 and 2, co-produced by One (Belgium offism of childhood and birth) and in collaboration with One’s experts: Air de Familles, viewed by 200.000 homes every week. And today as the editorial director of Victoire, her first big difficulty was to make the team. Her eyes sparkle:

– Everything works with human, but human has to bring content. I am a very good pitcher, choosing the columns. I delegate a lot, cause I want the people who works for the magazine know their responsability is complete and their skills tested in a positive way. Today my big pleasure is to manage my journalists team. During the week-end, I am the most difficult reader of Victoire visiting spots recommened by my journalists.

Victoire‘s future?

There is a world between the today Victoire and the one of three years ago : the magazine slowly changed, like a tectonic plates sliding. Since September 2009, we’ve had new sections « comme chez moi », « city strip », « petite semaine ». I am worried to get stocked in something successfull. My will: making changes with new contents, not only by the lay out . Victoire magazine has to be a beautiful object: a small world.

– I have the big luck to be born in Brussels

and not in a Texan corn field, it’s a real mental comfort. Brussels is a bit hung-up and a bit complicated and nice for living. And I’m happy here.

A hotspot :

WIELS,“in a splendid building, for my cultural gym : it’s terribly difficult for me to appreciate contemporary art”, Av. Van Volxemlaan 354, 1190 Brussels.

Thanks a lot Anne! Victoire: in kiosk every week-end with the daily paper Le Soir.

Young Gallery, Brussels: Exhibition of Nick Brandt, “A Shadow Falls”

Posted on November 17, 2009 | 2 comments

Rewind, November 10, 8 p.m.: arriving at the Conrad Hotel, surprise surprise, it’s crowded in front of the Young Gallery. My first opening in Brussels, course Nick Brandt is a star. Ok, I make my way through peolpe to get in the gallery: “Excuse me, are you a press officer?“. And I find myself in front of a press photographer’s camera of the opening. I cheese and catch my kind gallery officer: “Well, I’d like to make an interview of Nick Brandt, the photographer“, “Oh! He’s…mmmh around. He’s got a jacket with inscriptions on his back“. Good…”And what does he look like?“, “My height, not really tall“, “Thanks!“. Perplexed. An amused look at the moving crowd: how locating in half light an inscription on jacket’s back? Fantastic pictures (big crush on the elephants ones) and great gallery’s atmosphere: I quickly forget the interview for those snapshots! Enjoy!