BRUSSELS.- After more than two decades as a distinctive presence in the European contemporary art scene, dépendance has announced that it will close in 2026.

Founded in Brussels in 2003 by Michael Callies and Stephan Jaax, the gallery developed over 23 years into a program-driven space known for artist-led practices, long-term collaborations and a strong commitment to intergenerational dialogue. Its final exhibitions, featuring Alexandra Metcalf in the gallery and ReschWilleit at VIEW, will close on June 27, 2026.

“Galleries come and go. Some are short-lived but leave a clear trace, others endure for decades without changing much,” the gallery said in its announcement. “dépendance has been there for twenty-three years and now we feel it’s time to say good-bye.”

The gallery also expressed gratitude to the many artists, collaborators, collectors and visitors who shaped its history, giving special thanks to Ayelet Yanai, Rachelle Dufour, Louis-Philippe Van Eeckhoutte and the rest of its team.

From its early years, dépendance was closely connected to an artistic network around the Städelschule in Frankfurt, where several of its early artists had studied or taught. Figures including Thomas Bayrle, Sergej Jensen, Michael Krebber, Henrik Olesen, Haegue Yang and Thilo Heinzmann helped define the gallery’s early spirit, one rooted in exchange, experimentation and sustained artistic conversation.

Over time, dépendance became associated with artists who would go on to gain broad international recognition. Michaela Eichwald, Jana Euler, Lucie Stahl, Peter Wächtler, Merlin Carpenter and Richard Aldrich were among those who either first exhibited with the gallery or developed long-standing relationships with it during its formative period.

The gallery later expanded its international program to include artists such as Ed Atkins, Linder, Gillian Carnegie, Allison Katz, Camilla Wills and Oscar Tuazon. At the same time, it maintained close ties to the Brussels art scene, supporting artists including Olivier Foulon, Simon Thompson, Alfred d’Ursel and Monika Stricker.

Its program also reflected an ongoing interest in language, performance, publishing and the social conditions of exhibition-making through long-term dialogues with artists such as Will Benedict, Christian Flamm, Karl Holmqvist, Nora Schultz and Josef Strau. In later years, artists including Graham Little, Katja Seib and Danai Anesiadou broadened the gallery’s focus across painting, installation, film and sculpture.

Across these developments, dépendance remained anchored in practices that questioned the boundaries between image-making, language and institutional critique. Artists associated with the gallery have appeared in major international contexts, including the Venice Biennale, Skulptur Projekte Münster, Documenta Kassel and exhibitions at institutions such as MoMA in New York, Tate Britain in London, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, WIELS in Brussels and Museum Ludwig in Cologne.

During the 2010s and 2020s, dépendance strengthened its place in the international gallery landscape through regular participation in major art fairs, including Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, Frieze London, Frieze New York, Art Brussels, ARCO Madrid, miart and Liste.

The gallery also created VIEW, a dedicated project space conceived as an extension of its main program. VIEW allowed for more flexible and experimental exhibition formats, with presentations by Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven and Willem Oorebeek, as well as collaborative projects with Dial Records and Texte Zur Kunst.

Although its exhibition program is coming to an end, dépendance will remain reachable until the end of August 2026 for inquiries and practical matters. Its website will continue as an archive after the closure, preserving access to past exhibitions and related materials. A complete exhibition history will also remain available through Contemporary Art Library.

For many in Brussels and beyond, dépendance leaves behind more than a gallery history. It marks the end of a space that helped shape artistic careers, fostered long-term conversations and offered a platform for some of the most searching practices in contemporary art.