Art Brussels 2016

Changes are afoot at Art Brussels this year with its relocation to a striking new site for its 2016 edition. Running from 21-24 April, the four-day event will take place at Tour & Taxis, a turn of the 20th century customs house. The fair will use the new space to emphasise quality over quantity, by decreasing the number of exhibitors down to 141. This edition will also be the last under the tenure of Katarina Gregos, who has held the position of Artistic Director since 2012. In the last four years the fair has undergone and introduced numerous changes, such as the introduction of not-for-profit spaces and the redesign of its architecture for each year.

Another significant change is the addition of new section, SOLO, which will feature exhibitions devoted to a single artist’s work from 24 international galleries from 18 different countries. Notable presentations include visual artist Ester Fleckner represented by Avlskarl Gallery, Copenhagen, and fine art photographer Dinh Q. Lê, showcased by Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Santa Monica. Accompanying sector PRIME focuses on well-known artists and established galleries, and boasts among its participants Sorry We’ve ClosedBrussels, the internationally-based Galleria Continua, and Lyles & King, New York.

DISCOVERY, introduced at last year’s fair, is a space for younger artists and galleries to display their work. This year it has expanded to cover over 20% of the fair, and will present works created from 2013 onwards by emerging galleries such as Tiwani Contemporary, Alma and Ellis King.

Elsewhere, REDISCOVERY encompasses exhibitions from 14 galleries focusing on the work of artists who have been overlooked, underestimated or unduly forgotten. The focus is overtly on the historic avant-garde. It will contain artworks from between 1917 and 1987, linking the beginnings of conceptual art with the advent of neo-conceptual practices and highlighting the importance of art historical memory. Highlights in this section include photographer Roy DeCarava, the first African American photographer to be awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and Vera Molnar, a pioneer of computer-based and algorithmic art.

The 2016 edition will also promote an exclusive creative campaign and an annual artistic project. This year, the former has been created by Belgian photography collective OTTOMURA, and uses images taken within the venue with coloured smoke to explore the nature of the exhibition space in all its ethereal emptiness. The artistic project will be Cabinet d’Amis: the accidental collection of Jan Hoet, and contains a selection of artworks from the personal collection of the celebrated Belgian curator, with artists ranging from Christian Boltanski to Joseph Kosuth.

Art Brussels, 21-24 April, Tour & Taxis, Avenue du Port 86C, BE – 1000 Brussels.

For additional information, visit www.artbrussels.com.

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Credits
1. OTTOMURA.