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SPOTLIGHT ON UNCOMMON MATERIALS
Each fair edition, our ‘Spotlight’ section highlights a country, technique, style or theme. For the 2024 edition, the fair celebrates galleries presenting contemporary artists using uncommon materials in their work. These galleries will present works made out of denim, oil plastic, forgotten books, recycled plastic bottles, and an array of other unconventional materials.
The Spotlight on Uncommon Materials section will bring together six galleries who will present works by over 25 artists: T&B Gallery, Gallery Ritter, A POSTERIORI, Chiefs & Spirits, Roof Art Gallery and Mookji Art Contemporary. Make sure to discover the unique practices of the artists that make up this section.
ENTRANCE INSTALLATION BY TOMISLAV TOPIC
The artist Tomislav Topic has created a stylistically unique and unmistakable body of work throughout his career. As part of the artist duo Quintessenz and as a solo artist, he has realised numerous installations and murals in public spaces worldwide. Tomislav is known for his colourful, site-specific art installations, in which he adeptly reduces his work to focus on colour and form. In the artist’s work, the uplifting power of beauty merges with the logic of science creating a symbiosis, that challenges us to perceive the environment with expanded senses.
For the upcoming fair edition and in collaboration with 44309//GALLERY, Tomislav has been invited to create a striking installation which will hover above the fair’s entrance.
ENJOY THE UNEXPECTED
Dutch artist Malou Cohen will be presenting at the fair a series of new works inspired by objects and situations found on a weekend trip to Switzerland’s capital of culture, Basel. In this special collaboration with This is Basel and Switzerland Tourism, Malou’s works encourage visitors to reconsider the role of unexpected materials and happenings in life and travel.
Malou works with ‘found objects’; a gold-colored candy wrapper, plastic flowers pulled from the dumpster, or fragments from a conversation. These objects, situations and images serve as gateways to new worlds.
Read our blog to find out more about the exhibition and to read our interview with Malou Cohen.
MURAL BY LINDERT STEEGEN
The Belgian multidisciplinary artist, Lindert Steegen is known for transforming spaces and places. With a background in graphic design and architecture, he quickly realised that his true passion lies in creating art. Over the years, he has developed his distinct abstract style, characterised by a bold colour palette. He works in a range of different mediums including murals, sculpture and paintings. His street art projects vary from large-scale outdoor works on buildings to transforming metro stations (Rogier in Brussels), vans, public squares, hype courts and festival stages. With his works, he wishes to have a positive impact on people’s daily lives and to spread joy by making his art accessible to all.
For Affordable Art Fair Brussels 2024 Lindert Steegen has been invited to create a striking 8-meter-long work. Additionally, Kalkman Gallery will present a solo show of the artist entitled ‘ Field Trip’ at the fair.
IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE BY JULES WITTOCK
The young Brussels based artist Jules Wittock is known for drawing labyrinths. Every work has an entrance and an exit, where the path to the solution forms a hidden word. At this upcoming fair edition Jules Wittock invites you to step into his world by discovering his new immersive installation. His hand-painted labyrinths will adorn the walls, inviting you to lose yourself in his art.
EMERGING ARTISTS EXHIBITION
Mardi Gras/Vette Dinsdag is an exhibition featuring three emerging artists based in Brussels, who share a common interest in folklore. Their visual language draws from tales, legends, proverbs and rituals. The title evokes extravagance, abundance and vibrant festivities associated with carnival. The three artists have each found a unique way to appropriate ancestral folklore and make it relevant to the modern world. Clément Jacques-Vossen paints self-portraits staged in folkloric settings in which he presents himself as a hero. Shen Özdemir invents a universal carnival, which she calls Karnavolo, for which she creates troupes in a variety of mediums. Alexane Sanchez makes figurative bas-reliefs that illustrate popular metaphors to explore the mythical animal and plant nature of human beings.
After an open call, the Emerging Artists Exhibition proposal by curator Natania Dan was chosen for Affordable Art Fair Brussels 2024. Natania Dan is assisted by Doriane Lorimier for this exhibition. Natania grew up in Brussels and currently lives in Amsterdam, where she works as curator public programme at the Jewish Museum. She is specialized in contemporary art and draws her inspiration from the creativity of the artists she works with and their way of interpreting the world.
CITY JEWEL
The fair is proud to present SOS Villages d’Enfants / SOS Kinderdorpen’s plans for a new permanent installation ‘City Jewel’ in Square Marguerite Duras and in collaboration with the Brussels-based artivist, architect and researcher Laura Nsengiyumva. The project is dedicated to creating awareness and understanding of ‘complex trauma’. Trauma survivors will transform their own individual experiences into hundreds of beads. Together and unified, these beads will be transformed into an impactful string-like city jewel, connecting people through their individual stories. Learn more about the organisation and the project in their stand.
LATE NIGHTS
Don’t miss our Late Nights on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 February. Open until 22:00, some of our galleries will be hosting live paintings, artist interventions and book signings for you. It’s the perfect arty night out to reconnect with friends on an evening after work.
Joining us from outside Brussels? Our partner hotel nhow Brussels is the perfect artsy hotel for your stay.
PROGRAMME
Thursday 8 February
Between 18:00 – 22:00
- Live painting and artwork creation by:
– Emilio Cárdenas (Galeria de Arte Casa Zóbel, stand F4)
– Marit Harte (WLD Collective, stand D17)
– Natalia Biasioli (Amar Arte, stand E16)
- Performance by Shen Özdemir of Karnavalo, her imaginary carnival, with the Someraj troupe. The procession will parade in the aisles of the fair, waving their ten flags with vibrant colours and grimacing faces. (starting at 19:00)
- Flash sale of small sculptures by Hamid Fakhoury (Galerie Cécile Dufay, stand C11)
Friday 9 February
Between 18:00 – 22:00
- Live painting and artwork creation by:
– Matt Frock (Frock Gallery, stand C2)
– Marit Harte (WLD Collective, stand D17)
– Sebastian Chillemi (Amar Arte, stand E16)
- Book presentation and signing by Marie-Claire Greve of the book: The Evidence Project – Look.Imagine.Act. at 18:00 (ART_020, stand F16)
- Flash sale of small gouache paintings made with natural colours on handmade paper by Jeanne André (Galerie Cécile Dufay, stand C11)
VDH ARTIST AWARD
Frédéric de Haan, art collector and managing director of our main partner Vander Haeghen, will give out an award and a prize of €1,000 to an artist at the fair during the Vernissage on February 7th. The award winner will be selected based on their artistic quality, process and the compelling story behind their artwork. The Belgian insurance company Vander Haeghen specialises in artworks, luxury cars, houses, and events. Their solutions are aimed at those who like to have tailor-made services suit their needs, highlighted in their motto: ‘The art of insuring passions’. The VDH artist award at Affordable Art Fair Brussels 2023 was given to the Brussels based artist Martin Coiffier.
Frédéric de Haan states: “The artist, through their art, tells us a story. Acquiring a work means receiving the story that accompanies it as a gift and in turn creating, with this work, an exciting new story.”
UNDER €1,000 WALL
In order to encourage visitors who are new to the world of collecting contemporary art to take the step of acquiring an artwork, there will be an ‘Under €1,000’ wall featuring a selection of artworks from our participating galleries.
FOOD & DRINKS
PREPARE FOR A FEAST! Our famously fabulous food market returns with some of our favourite Brussels restaurants! Delight your taste buds with dim sums and baos from Dim’s, mouth-watering burgers from Burger Gate, delicious bowls by Pokawa and sandwiches, salads and delicious smoothies by BON. Bon appétit!
WRAPPING STATION
At the fair you can take advantage of the free wrapping and packing service provided by our partner Wall to Wall Art Solutions. The wrapping station will be open throughout the fair and wrapping is available for all artworks purchased at the fair.
Can’t take your artwork home straight away? No worries, Wall to Wall Art Solutions provides a delivery service at a cost.