What’s on this week: 30 January to 5 February

RePose ExPose CounterPose is a retrospective of work by Tarrah Krajnak at Foundation A Stichting. Exploring identity, memory and art history through photography, performance and archival material, the artist continually questions her own origins and dual identity. Born in Lima and residing in the US, Krajnak’s self-reflection is enriched by a critical reinterpretation of the history of photography. Until 17 May, Avenue Van Volxem 304 (Forest)

Hector Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini at La Monnaie is a larger-than-life operatic fantasia that blends a turbulent story with grandiose music and an exuberant staging. It is based on the tempestuous autobiography of the Florentine sculptor and goldsmith of the same name, and this première at the Brussels opera house is a colourful masterpiece. Until 22 February, Place de la Monnaie

Semaine de la Musique Belge puts the spotlight on local talent with a week-long celebration of Belgium’s diverse music scene. Concerts, radio and TV broadcasts, album releases and special events take place across Brussels and beyond, highlighting artists from all genres and communities. Organised by cross-Belgian partners including Court-Circuit, VI.BE, RTBF and VRT, the initiative aims to boost the visibility of Belgian music and encourage audiences to discover both emerging and established acts. Expect live performances, media specials and plenty of opportunities to explore what’s happening on the national music scene right now. Pictured: Didier Laloy (Cirque Royal 8 Feb). 2-8 February, multiple venues in Brussels and across Belgium

Cutting-edge contemporary dance and music ensembles Rosas, P.A.R.T.S. and Ictus celebrate the opening of their newly-renovated performing space in Forest with the festival 164VAN VOLXEM. Inspired by the iconic dance Rosas danst Rosas, it features dance performances, concerts, workshops, films, exhibitions, guided tours, talks and a dance battle. The festival kicks off with a performance by Rosas’ Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker as well as the concert and dance production Hoketus (pictured above). 30 January to 22 February, Avenue Van Volxem 164 (Forest)

The biennial festival It Takes a City returns for its second edition, highlighting the speciality of Brussels’ multidisciplinary performing arts with new productions, exciting read backs and a look at what local artists are creating today. Spread across nine venues and eight partner organisations, the programme includes 13 shows, talks, a workshop and parties, all featuring theatre, dance and performance by a diverse lineup of creators. Curated to bridge language communities and connect local talent with wider audiences and international professionals, the festival celebrates the energy of the city’s artistic scene. Pictured: La Noche de Aparición, a playful horror tale Désirée 0100 and Lulu Muñoz (12-13 Feb). 5-14 February, multiple locations

The Botanique’s visual and contemporary art space stages three exciting exhibitions showcasing a diversity of technique practiced by artists today. Emilie Terlinden, who exhibits widely in Belgium and abroad, presents a series of paintings and a reinterpretation of Daguerre’s Diorama (pictured) in the show Timelapse, while Valentine Jolibois and Elvy Tremor explore rituals and speculative fiction via soft textiles, fragile ceramics, industrial objects and figurative drawings, and Ghita Remy in Mythica, looks to fossils and archaeological archives to transpose historical myths by layering intertwining narratives, ancient figures, archaic images and buried fantasies. From 5 February, Rue Royale 236

With a mission to make art accessible to everyone in a relaxed setting for art enthusiasts and collectors alike, the Affordable Art Fair Brussels sets up its stands in Tour & Taxis from Wednesday to welcome some 91 Belgian and international galleries presenting thousands of pieces of art by more than 600 emerging and established artists. Works are priced between €100 and €10,000, it is truly an international affair and for the 17th edition, the theme Nature and Connection is a timely reflection on the important relationship between humans and the natural world. 4 to 8 February, Tour & Taxis (Shed 1 bis), Rue Picard 3

Book now Flagey Piano Days For its 13th edition, this musical festival celebrates diversity, both in its repertoire and aesthetics, with artist performing classical, contemporary, neoclassical and jazz. It includes established international names Beatrice Rana (pictured) and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, rising stars Alexander Malofeev and Eric Lu and young talents Tony Siqi Yun and Laurie Torres. Belgian artists Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Julien Libeer and Korneel Bernolet, along with Romanian pianist Ionut Cibotariu and Bulgarian pianist Plamena Mangova, join them. 11-15 February, Place Sainte-Croix (Ixelles)

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

M Leuven presents OXOMORON, the first institutional solo exhibition by Antwerp based painter Els Nouwen. Drawing on images from everyday life, art history and popular culture, Nouwen works through contradiction: figuration and abstraction, humour and violence, order and disruption. Starting from photographs, she intervenes through overpainting, scratching and erasure, leaving the scars of the painting process visible. Working across paper, canvas and copper plate, her layered works resist easy interpretation and reward slow looking. The exhibition takes its title from the oxymoron, a fitting metaphor for Nouwen’s unsettling, ambiguous visual language. 30 January-22 November, M Leuven, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28, Leuven

The first edition of Roeselare Arts Festival adopts the theme Anemochorie, a poetic Greek word signifying the natural dispersal of seeds by the wind. Here in the West Flanders town, the contemporary festival is spread around seven different locations for what promises to be a vibrant celebration. At its heart is the exhibition Anemochorie with more than 90 works by Belgian and international artists. Until 22 March, multiple locations, Roeselare (West Flanders)

The University Theatre of Louvain (TUL) promotes amateur theatre in Festival Universatil, a three-week showcase of passionate stage talent that is entirely free. Open to everyone, it includes special evenings and carte blanche sessions for performers. 2-20 February, Passage de Dinandiers 3/002, Louvain-la-Neuve (Walloon Brabant)

Small in stature but still a towering historical presence, relive the era of the fallen French emperor in Napoleon, the Immersive Saga at Saint-Pholien Church in Liège. The historical virtual reality adventure is the latest stop in an international tour, taking visitors to the heart of the period, combining technological innovation with historical accuracy. Until 31 May, Rue St Pholien 9, Liège

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

Photos: (main image) Fondation A Stichting ©BE_Culture; BENVENUTO CELLINI Gen @SimonVanRompay; La Noche de Aparición by Désirée 0100 and Lulu Muñoz; 'Beyond Horizons III by Emilie Terlinden ©Hugard & Vanoverschelde; AAF Brussels 2025 ALMICHEAL Fraay; Beatrice Rana BR RT; Cauliflower Ears XOOOO', Els Nouwen, 2023 ©the artist/Kristel Van Ballaer