BRUSSELS.- The 38th edition of Art Brussels brought together 157 galleries from 26 countries and featured a record number of SOLO presentations which helped to drive robust sales across the fair. After a two year hiatus due to the pandemic, the fair’s strong, international line up attracted an enthusiastic crowd. Local and international collectors flocked to Tour & Taxis, along with numerous institutions and high-profile personalities - including fashion designers Walter Van Beirendonck and Raf Simons, and Alexander De Croo, the Belgian Prime Minister - all adding to the fair’s undeniable energy and convivial atmosphere.

With visitor numbers at near pre-pandemic levels, smiling faces told the story of how good it was to be back and reunite with colleagues from around the world. 24,541 art lovers attended the fair and new and returning collectors included Frédéric de Goldschmid, Galila, Alain Servais, members of the van der Vorst family, Walter Vanhaerents and Qiao Zhibing. The fair welcomed more than 30 museum and collector groups including those from; Centre Pompidou, Paris; MAMCO - Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Geneva; Fondation Boghossian, Brussels; Mudam, Luxembourg; Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle; Tate, London; Spirit Now, London; Wiels, Brussels and the Young Stedelijk, Amsterdam.

Galleries came out in force with expertly curated booths and a unique mix of established artists and emerging talent across the PRIME, DISCOVERY, REDISCOVERY, SOLO and INVITED sections, cementing Art Brussel’s position as a vital platform for international contemporary art at the heart of the city’s thriving art scene.

Anne Vierstraete and Nele Verhaeren, co-directors of Art Brussels, said: “It was with a sense of elation, gratitude and pride that we brought the 38th edition of Art Brussels to close yesterday. A four-day celebration of contemporary art, the effervescent mood experienced by all our stakeholders was a testament to the fact that nothing equals encounters in real life. The unique character of Art Brussels shone through and everyone was impressed by the remarkable efforts the galleries made with regard to their curated presentations. The spirit of discovery for which Art Brussels is renowned was further strengthened this year by a record number of SOLO booths – many of which were installed by the artists themselves. It’s been an incredible week and we are enormously grateful to everyone who contributed to its success.”

SOLO and DISCOVERY Prizes

The SOLO Prize jury this year included: Diana Campbell, Artistic Director Samdani Art Foundation, Chief Curator Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh; Dj Hellerman, Curator SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah Georgia (US) and Kasia Redzisz, Artistic Director, KANAL - Centre Pompidou, Brussels, Belgium. They awarded the €10,000 prize to Senyi Awa Camara (b. 1939), who was showing with Baronian (Brussels, Knokke).

The jury said, ‘Senyi Awa Camara is an artist pushing the transnational discourse on ceramics and sculpture in the 21st Century. Her making process has developed through self-taught experimentation with open-hearth skills in Senegal, inspired by traditional pottery techniques and ritual objects. She re-contextualizes these references in her own artistic language that speaks to the interconnectedness of all forms of life and cultures. The jury wishes to acknowledge the thought and commitment Baronian put into presenting such important, fragile and powerful work in an art fair context. The SOLO prize is supported by Hiscox.

The DISCOVERY Prize jury this year included: Katerina Gregos, Artistic Director, National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), Athens, Greece; Antony Hudek, Director, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens (MDD), Deurle, Belgium and Martha Kirszenbaum, Independent Curator and Writer. Their unanimous decision was to award the prize to House of Chappaz (Barcelona) and Joey Ramone (Rotterdam) for their shared booth presentation of F.A.T.A.L by the duo Momu & No Es. “The jury was impressed by the expanded spatial installation comprising sculpture, digital prints and sound, framed within cultural theorist Donna Haraway’s concept of tentacular space. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the project questions the relationship of bodies to their habitats, but also indirectly comments on change and the difficulty of moving into the future from a challenging present. Finally, the jury found that the project deals with timely questions regarding rethinking ideas of community and social relationality.” The DISCOVERY prize is supported by Moleskine.

New initiatives for 2022 included a partnership with Parallel.art to create an NFT ‘touch point’ designed to inform, educate and support NFT collectors and visitors who are curious about blockchain-based art practices. Extending beyond the physical presentations at the fair, Parallel partnered with JPG, a curatorial protocol for NFTs, to showcase a selection of the NFTs presented by Art Brussels galleries. Galleries who engage with digital artists and artworks including OFFICE IMPART (Berlin), were delighted with the initiative. They presented work by Kim Asendorf, LIA, Jonas Lund and Cornelia Sollfrank.

Talks included the Art Brussels.NFT Speakers Series in collaboration with institutional partner iMAL, the leading New Media Art Center in Brussels. Art Brussels also offered several guided tours for VIP’s and visitors throughout the duration of the fair. Performances within the fair included Myrthe van der Mark with Art Contest, a wandering performance by VOID with LMNO and Elen Braga’s participative tapestry weaving with Waldburger Wouters.

The next edition of Art Brussels will take place from 20 – 23 April 2023 at Brussels Expo, opposite the iconic Atomium.