Supermarket street art exhibition extended to end of April

A temporary street-art exhibition in a disused Ixelles supermarket has been given a four-month stay of execution and can now stay open until the end of April.

The organisers of Strokar Inside had initially been told they must vacate the premises on 31 December, but the exhibition can continue as property developers have yet to receive planning permission to turn the Delhaize Molière in Ixelles into apartments.

"We witnessed the birth of such a promising cultural project," said Gabriel Uzgen, chief executive of Besix Real Estate Development, the building's owner. "We wanted to make sure that it continues for as long as possible."

Strokar Inside opened in August, transforming the abandoned Delhaize store on Chaussée de Waterloo into a cathedral of urban art.

It briefly hosted an exhibition of works by British street artist Banksy, but the show came to an abrupt end when the works were seized by bailiffs. The company that had lent the pieces did not have the permission to do so.

Besix plans to build housing, shops, offices and parking on the site. But locals have raised concerns about the look and the density of the new project.