What’s on this week: 14 to 20 March

As part of the Polish EU presidency cultural programme, 13 contemporary artists from the country’s diaspora and minority communities tell their stories in Familiar Strangers. The Eastern Europeans from a Polish Perspective. The exhibition at Bozar is certainly timely: these personal explorations intertwine with social and political struggles that are currently shaping Europe. The artists are all seeking their place in the world, whether they originate from the Roma people, Vietnamese community, feminist movement or are Belarussian and Ukrainian artists now living and working in Warsaw. 14 March to 29 June, Rue de Ravenstein 23

The annual Banad Festival showcasing the capital’s Art Nouveau and Art Deco treasures, kicks off this weekend with an extensive programme of interior visits and guided tours. Some 60 architectural gems open their doors for this 9th edition, an opportunity to sneak a peek into interiors habitually off limits. This year its focus is Art Deco as the movement celebrates its centenary. Many of the visits are sold out, but tickets are still available for some tours and there’s a full agenda of satellite events. Staged over successive weekends in thee different locations. 15-30 March, across Brussels

Dress up in green along with the Brussels’ Irish community at the 16th annual Brussels Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the city centre. Organised by Irish in Europe, the festivities kick off at 13.00 in Halles Saint-Géry with the colourful procession winding through cobbled streets before arriving in the Grand Place at 15.30. The parade is led by the Brussels Caledonian (Corneymusers) Pipe Band. Along the route, shops and restaurants will show their support with Emerald Isle-themed decorations and illuminations. 16 March 13.00-15.00, city centre

The River Jazz Festival has swapped its usual autumn slot to bring jazz fans festive sounds to herald the spring. Celebrating its 10th edition in 25 years, the convivial festival in the intimate setting of Marni, Jazz Station and Senghor offers 17 concerts, an exhibition of jazz drawings, a kids' event, film screenings and a firework finale. Showcasing Belgian artists with a sprinkling of international talents, the line-up includes David Linx, J-P Estievenart, Ivan Paduart, Peter Berstein & Jesse Van Ruller, Patrick Pedron Quartet, 3’Ain and Duo Manu Hermia & Simon Leleu (pictured). Until 29 March, multiple venues

As the uneasy ceasefire continues in Gaza, Children in War Zones invites visitors to discover poignant photographs illustrating the reality of children living in bomb-laden conflict areas in Gaza, Syria and in Ukraine. Through the eyes and lenses of photographers, including photojournalist Doaa Albaz from Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, the Palestinian painter and photographer Fadi Badwan and freelance photographer Areej Shaheen, who tragically lost her life on 3 January in an Israeli airstrike, Brussels’ both moving and informative Migration Museum’s latest exhibition makes clear the impact of war on the most vulnerable. Until 30 April, Rue des Ateliers 17 (Molenbeek)

Hangar Gallery invites French photographer Maxime Riché to present his solo show Paradise about a California community that had to rebuild their lives following devastating forest fires. Riché travelled to the town of Paradise in 2020 and 2021 to meet people rebuilding their own ‘paradise’ in a place that now seems deeply inhospitable. This series of images serves as a parable about the human capacity for adaptation and the slow healing process required after disasters whose causes are increasingly human. 14 March to 11 May, Place du Châtelain 18 (Ixelles)

From local Josaphat park landscapes to far-flung climes, in Evasion éphémère, Dominique Peeters, a photographer who has lived in Schaerbeek for 60 years, shows his eye for light, colour and the unexpected, for example in colourful, rippling water scenes. This retrospective celebrates Belgium’s urban and natural landscapes from Brussels to the Hautes Fagnes. More far-flung vistas also feature from Peeter’s travels around the world, many on two wheels. Indeed, Peeters cycles more than 10,000 km every year in search of new and original angles to “open our eyes differently”. Until 9 May, Centre Culturel de Schaerbeek, Rue de Locht 91 (Schaerbeek)

What place does caring for others occupy in busy public hospitals today? This is just one of the questions Brussels-based French photographer Marin Driguez asked as he shot images and spoke to medical staff in three of the capital’s frontline hospitals. His newly-published book and photo exhibition Prendre soin is a moving documentary and testimony to a fragile world where suffering and joy are intertwined. 15 March to 13 April, 13.00-19.00, Reset Atelier, Place Sainte-Gudule 5

Don’t miss the Klara Festival, which celebrates its 20th edition honouring its core mission of exploring creative dialogues between different genres, from classical to jazz, gospel and new music. Guest musician violinist and composer Patrica Kopatchinskaja performs in three concerts and other highlights include the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop, US jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis (pictured), an evening dedicated to Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and a vibrant gospel concert featuring local choirs. The Mont des Arts is transformed into an open-air stage on 22 March for a project celebrating the musical richness of Brussels. 20-30 March, Bozar, Flagey & other venues in the city

The Nine women’s club hosts the event Clean Beauty, Powerful Voices in support of the Desert Flower Foundation. Organised by BUFARMA, the evening focuses on education and the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM). The skincare brand uses buffalo milk and organic ingredients to create sustainable products. Join Kiera Chaplin, president of the Desert Flower Foundation for an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and contribute to a meaningful cause. 20 March 19.00-21.30, Rue Archimède 69

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

Chill Comedy Night offers a bevy of stand-up comics accompanied by wine and craft beer this Saturday evening at The Courtyard International School in Tervuren. Entertaining audiences with a barrel load of laughs for the English-language show are Heli Pärna, Robin Weinburgh and Rahul Venkit. Tickets are priced at €15. 15 March 20.00-22.30, Stationsstraat 49a, Vossem-Tervuren

Holocaust memorial centre Kazerne Dossin presents a new temporary exhibition Sports and sportspeople in KL Auschwitz, revealing an often-overlooked aspect of life in the concentration camp. Sport had a double meaning: it was a way to survive, but also a form of oppression and became known as pseudosport as the Nazis forced prisoners to do exhausting exercises in combination with drilling and singing. “It was usually not seen as competition, but more as a way to spend free time outside of compulsory work,” says curator Renata Koszyk. Letters, photos and testimonies tell their impressive stories, including those of prisoners who were pre-war Olympians and national champions. 20 March to 10 December, Goswin de Stassartstraat 153, Mechelen

Mariemont Museum has extended its temporary exhibition Sensing the Buddha, a fascinating immersion in the history, art and emotions around the religion and tradition. Inviting a contemplation and a deeper understanding of Buddhist practices, some 100 works on display originate largely from the museum’s own collection; rare artefacts that have not been seen in public for almost 65 years, including 23 pieces specially restored for the occasion. Until 11 May, Royal Domain of Mariemont, Chaussée de Morlanwelz 100, Morlanwelz (Hainaut)

Discover more upcoming events at The Bulletin's events page.

Photos: (main image) Malgorzata Mirga-Tas in Familiar Strangers at Bozar; Van Buuren Museum and Gardens ©Visit Brussels/Jean-Paul Remy; Schaerbeek ©Dominique Peeters; Prendre soin ©Marin Driguez; Wynton Marsalis ©Frank Stewart; Kazerne Dossin Pseudosport ©Stojka Kolodziej; Buddha ©Musée Royal de Mariemont