got into brussels today to do some galleries... first stop was wiels where they were showing the work of the polish, alina szapocznikow and the morrocan, yto barrada. much preferred yto barrada's work, even gave me inspiration to paint my blank bedroom walls! her work consisted of mainly large c print photographs, a few installations, and a video. yto barrada is currently deutsche banks artist of the year (2011). this award is not based on financial aid but gives the artist the opportunity of a solo show at the guggenheim in berlin, then wiels, a publication and acquisitions for the deutsche bank collection.
second stop was at botanique. there, i saw wunderkammer which was curated by antonio nardone, who i worked for as an intern over the summer. it was great! it was a modern take on 16th century curiosity cabinets, and featured the work of jan fabre, wim delvoye, ulrike bolenz etc.. it had everything from crabs with legs to a knight in shining armor! must see if youre into the weird and wonderful.
and the third and final stop was at bozar. we saw 'art in brazil (1950-2011)', "brazil.brasil", and "extremes" which were all under the umbrella of europalia brasil. they had a particularly cute little tv spot for it. europalia is a major international arts festival which is held every two years. it first began in 969, and its aim it to celebrate an invited countrys cultural heritage. not only does its programme organise exhibitions, but also music, cinema, theatre, and dance. i would have to say that the "brazil.brasil" exhibition was my favourite- and mainly because of the way it was curated and displayed. the bozars impressively high walls were covered in plunging curtains, with a different colour representing each different room. they were made specially for the show. the works protruded through the curtains on metal rods and gave the illusion that the works were floating. it was magical!! (watch 2nd video, 11sec-30sec)
