What’s on this week: 6 to 12 February

The Sewer Museum’s new exhibition Back on Senne unlocks the hidden river beneath its premises via a new installation by artists Romain Tardy and Coline Cornélis. Projections, spatial sound and laser beams immerses visitors in a sensory landscape of moving light, tones and water movement. Live data from the Flowbru network further shapes the installation. The temporary show presents the river as a living entity — the memory of a vanished landscape with regenerative potential; inviting visitors to imagine a future for the city’s mythical river. There are also workshops, guided walks and more.  From 7 February, Porte d’Anderlecht

Those looking for a change from blockbuster films at home or in the cinema should make their way to the Brussels Independent Film Festival that wraps up this weekend. The programme showcases new, experimental and culturally diverse work, offering the chance to discover emerging talent on screen. Expect more than 60 feature and short films from 23 countries, including narrative films, documentaries, animation, experimental pieces and music videos. All screenings are free and presented in English or with English subtitles. Until 8 February, Rue des Fripiers 15 (Cinema Aventure)

The ALIMENTERRE International Film Festival brings food, farming and environmental issues to the screen through documentaries by filmakers from the Global North and South. Screenings explore the realities of peasant agriculture and are paired with debates, workshops and discussions that encourage reflection on fairer, more sustainable food systems. By creating a space to critically engage with current environmental and farming challenges, they invite you to take part in this awareness-rising experience. 5-8 February, Vendôme Cinema (Ixelles); 8-25 February, venues across Brussels and Wallonia

Fans of traditional folk music might like the upcoming Bartók Festival. In an ode to Béla Bartók (pictured), composers, musicians and dancers present their work and talent over the course of a week. Rooted in folk traditions, the programme goes beyond concerts to include performances that blend traditional motifs with classical elements. Hungarian and Romanian influences run throughout, echoing Bartók’s fascination with regional music and inviting you to discover it too. 6-12 February, Palais de la Bourse and other venues

Home and renovation fair Batibouw sets up shop once again in Brussels Expo for its 66th edition. The biggest salon of its kind in Belgium focuses this year on innovation in making homes more affordable, sustainable and adaptable for new forms of living. This is 'the place' to pick up info from building professionals, whatever your home project. There are workshops on a range of topics as well as hundreds of stands. 7-15 February, Brussels Expo, Place de Belgique 1 (Laeken)

Becoming Ancestors brings together Western and Indigenous artists whose work explores ancestral memory, disconnection and the imaginative potential of inherited knowledge. The exhibition at the argos centre for visual arts highlights how traditions rooted in Indigenous cosmologies and concepts of memory, land and time intersect with diverse Western artistic practices that unearth suppressed histories, wisdom and traces of colonial violence. Through installations, video and mixed media, the show invites visitors to reflect on the legacies that shape us and to imagine different futures beyond historical patterns. Free entry for under 18s and those with a museumpass. 7 February to 28 June, Rue du Chantier 13

Do you want to learn Polish, explore Turkish language and culture, or try your hand at Chinese calligraphy? All this and more is possible during Brussels Multilingualism Week. The free programme ranges from workshops, language classes and creative sessions to film screenings, discussions and educational talks. In a culturally-rich city like Brussels, it’s a great opportunity for newcomers and long-time residents alike to connect, exchange perspectives and meet people from different or shared cultural backgrounds. 9-14 February, venues across Brussels

FestiVita! returns for its fifth edition, inviting audiences to a rich celebration of early and baroque classical music in the elegant private salons of the Cercle Royal Gaulois. Over five days, the festival features 15 concerts by over 100 performers, a historic Valentine’s Day ball, banquets and family friendly programming, exploring works from the age of classics and beyond. Highlights include traditional liturgical and chamber music, emerging ensemble showcases, instrument exhibitions and social music experiences in one of Brussels most prestigious cultural settings. 11-15 February, Cercle Royal Gaulois, Rue de la Loi 5

Michel Tombroff address the topic Conceptual Art and Infinity at the International Study Group’s upcoming gathering. “A work of art is a risky statement. Whatever its form, this statement is a promise of infinity,” says the Belgian artist, who considers the arrival of conceptual art in the 1960s, its visual language, its promises and its practice. Non-members welcome for a fee of 15 euros payable upon entry. 9 February,10.00, Chateau Malou, Allée Pierre Levie 2 (Woluwe Saint-Pierre)

Book now How I Learned to Drive is the American Theatre Company’s (ATC) upcoming production at the Warehouse Studio Theatre. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Paula Vogel pairs laugh-out-loud humour with fearless storytelling, inviting audiences into a coming-of-age story that’s as entertaining as it is resonant. At a time when one in five girls worldwide experience sexual violence or harassment, Vogel’s play feels urgent without ever becoming heavy-handed. “Come for the wit, stay for the insight, and leave reminded of theatre’s power to move, challenge and delight,” says the ATC. 26 February to 7 March, Rue Waelhem 69A (Schaerbeek)

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

Want to stay up late for the biggest night in American sports? Odds Sportsbar Boncelles is hosting a full Super Bowl watch party, with kick off at 00.30 and the atmosphere warming up starting at 22.00. Expect burgers to keep you going through the night, a kitchen open until midnight, plenty of cold beers and a 100% American style game day vibe. There’s even €100 to win with a prediction contest of the game. Whether you’re a die hard fan or just in it for the show, it promises a fun and lively late night experience. 8 February, Odds Sportsbar, Route du Condroz 13, Seraing (Liege province)

Charleroi’s contemporary art space BPS22 presents dual retrospectives. The first, Porcelaine et faits divers by Bachelot & Caron (pictured above), shows the pair’s photographic, painted and ceramic works as part of a vast installation-performance designed to provoke feelings of beauty, desire and disgust. This orgiastic banquet recreates the surrealist universe of René Magritte, the feminine world of Chantal Ackerman and the vegetal imagery of Jean Lurçat. The second,  puisque bafouillent aussi les astres, is dedicated to Brussels photographer Chantal Maes, revealing her entire oeuvre by interweaving well-known series, previously unseen ensembles and recent works created for the occasion. Until 3 May, Boulevard Solvay 22, Charleroi

A meeting between James Ensor and Albert Einstein on the Belgian coast serves as the starting point for this solo exhibition by Edith Dekyndt at Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens. Only a few fragile photographs remain from that encounter—images that would later inspire Robert Wilson and Philip Glass in their opera Einstein on the Beach. At the centre of this show exhibition is Ensor’s Still Life with Chinoiseries, from MDD’s own collection. Until 17 May, Museumlaan 14, Sint-Martens Latem (East Flanders)

Can an exhibition feel like a massage? Visitors can make up their own mind during this experience at STUK arts centre during the festival Artefact 2026. Grind Grind Grind, Release. An Exhibition as a Massage challenges you, pushes your pain points, and calms you at the same time, just like a real massage. The artists in the group show invite visitors to explore their interior senses. “Come in, feel, relax and may you wake up refreshed!,” they say. 12 February to 1 March, Naamsestraat, Leuven

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

Photos: (main image) Back to Senne ©Sewer Museum; courtesy Brussels Independent Film Festival; Béla Bartók ©GR-DR; argos centre for visual arts Subash Thebe Limbu, Ladhamba Tayem, Future Continuous, 2023 ©the artist(s); BPS22 Holopherne ©Louis Bachelot ©Marjolaine Caron; MDD ©Edith Dekyndt