Search form

menu menu
  • Daily & Weekly newsletters
  • Buy & download The Bulletin
  • Comment on our articles

What's on this week: 25-31 March

Coloured Swans dance series at KVS by Moya Michael
13:48 24/03/2022
Contemporary dance, portraits of women from across the ages and an exhibition from the global phenomenon View From My Window… discover our cultural highlights for the coming week

Coloured Swans 3: Harriet’s reMix is a dance performance that forms the third part of Moya Michael’s intriguing Coloured Swans series (pictured, main image). In this latest show, the Brussels-based South African dancer collaborates with four young creatives – Loucka Fiagan, Oscar Cassamajor, Milo Slayers and Zen Jefferson – to investigate the future in relation to the past and the present. A sub-Saharan African proverb says that we stand on the shoulders of giants. But what if we cannot tap into the greatness of our ancestors to guide us safe and sound into the future? 29 & 30 March 20.30, KVS Box, Quai aux Pierres de Taille 7. Sorry! Our prize giveaway has now closed and the winners have been notified.

Elina Brotherus

Borrowing the title of Henry James’ famous novel, Villa Empain presents artworks illustrating the infinite variety of representations of women in its new exhibition Portrait of a Lady. Grouping selections of ancient and contemporary pieces, it establishes a dialogue between different cultures and civilizations from the East and the West. From Venus to Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Berthe Morisot and Cindy Sherman, the show, curated by the museum’s director Louma Salamé, also presents specific journeys of a few exceptional characters. It promises a colourful and insightful journey into how society has portrayed women over the ages. Until 4 September, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67 (Ixelles)

View from my window (c)Kjell-Erik Ruud

Belgian graphic designer Barbara Duriau had no idea what was to come when she launched the Facebook page View From My Window during 2020’s global lockdown. Millions of photos from around the world arrived, as people were keen to share what they could see from their own homes. It proved to be a highly-revealing concept that turned into a book and now an exhibition, featuring audio-visual installations, personal stories, webcam footage and time-lapses. Until 29 May, Atomium (Laeken)

David Lynch exhibition Dreams

For the exhibition David Lynch. Dreams - A tribute to Fellini, the cult filmmaker and artist created a series of outstanding lithographs paying homage to the final scene of the film Otto e Mezzo. He also selected around a dozen drawings from the Italian director’s foundation. Join the end-of-show finissage (reservation only) at the Maison des Cultures de Saint-Gilles on Tuesday. 29 March 18.00-21.00, Rue de Belgrade 120 (Saint-Gilles)

Sidney Poitier film

When Sidney Poitier died in January, America lost one of its greatest and most distinguished actors. Cinematek is screening 18 films starring Poitier and five that he directed. The first African-American to win the best acting Oscar (for Lilies of the Field), he would go on to star in ground-breaking films that challenged the country’s deeply rooted racism, from In the Heat of the Night to Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. 29 March to 30 May, Baron Horta 9

Live Magazine, Picture Festival 2022 © DR-GR

The latest edition of Live Magazine – a stage show in which seasoned journalists lead the audience through the fascinating back stories of pieces or series that had an impact – is collaborating with Brussels’ Picture Festival for a special edition on illustration. Graphic artists will tell their stories through images, music and words(in French). 30 March 20.00, Bozar, Rue Ravenstein 23

Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald BlueLine Jazz Group

BlueLine Jazz Group honours the first lady of swing in its album concert Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald at the Music Village on Saturday. Maud Moucheron leads on vocals, accompanied by Xavier-Edouard Horemans (piano), Alain Cupper (sax), Gaëtan Casteels (bass) and Georges Triantafylou (drums). The group released their tribute album to Fitzgerald in 2021 to mark the 25 years of her passing. 26 March, 20.30 (doors open 19.30), Rue des Pierres 50

Olivier Mosset

Internationally-renowned Swiss-American artist Olivier Mosset presents his most recent monochrome paintings in The Last Cowboy Songs. The Baronian Xippas Gallery hosts this first solo exhibition of the Tucson-based artist, considered a key figure in post-war abstract painting. The works on display here – several polyptychs and a grid of nine panels (pictured) are restricted to a palette of green, purple, beige and grey in a deliberate ploy to provoke a reaction in the viewer. Until 14 May, Rue Isidore Verheyen 2 (Ixelles)

Brussels Holiday Fair Ardèche region France

Slow tourism or how to avoid the crowds is the theme of the 63rd edition of the Brussels Holiday Fair at Brussels Expo. A smaller gathering after an absence of two years and a couple of postponements due to you know what, but finally the fair returns to promote holidays and travel. Promising the world under one roof, from exotic places to camping and sporting adventures, cultural and gastronomic tours, we may need little tempting! The south-east French region of Ardèche is the destination of honour (pictured). Until 27 March, Place de Belgique 1 (Laeken)

Candle for Ukraine

People’s Prayer for Peace is a solidarity initiative for Ukraine that invites people to gather and light a candle for the citizens of the war-stricken country at Cinquantenaire park over the next couple of Friday evenings. 25 March, 1 & 8 April, 18.00-19.00near Mérode metro station (Etterbeek)

Party animals can take advantage of the new Brussels Nightlife Pass that offers entrance to 10 of the city’s best nightclubs for €29. The one-night access pass is available on Fridays and Saturdays. Party venues range from a train station, 1950s movie house, a church vault (Spirito, pictured) and a former power station. The volume pass also gets you into the Design Museum and Atomium. Until June, multiple venues

Mary Beard (c) DR GR

Get tickets now: Mary Beard  Rarely does a scholar of ancient Roman civilisation become a celebrity, but Cambridge professor Mary Beard is an exception. With her blog for the Times Literary Supplement BBC specials such as Meet the Romans and Shock of the Nude, and numerous books, including the best-seller Women & Power, she is a feminist classicist to be reckoned with. Postponed from last autumn, this discussion between Beard and Belgian journalist Annelies Beck – part of Bozar’s Writers & Thinkers series – should prove highly entertaining. 7 April 20.00, Bozar, Rue Ravenstein 23

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

Japanese Garden (c) Visit Hasselt

Perhaps you’ve noticed that cherry trees are starting to bloom. There’s few places with more outstanding specimens than the Japanese Garden in Hasselt – the largest Japanese garden in Europe. It has just re-opened for the season and welcomes visitors to stroll about the grounds and take part in one of its many events and activities. Not least of which is the Cherry Blossom Festival every April. Open until 31 October, Gouverneur Verwilghensingel 23, Hasselt

For Civilisation (c)Courtesy Davidsfonds

Many of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East originated during the Great War, when borders were redrawn according to the interests of the Western powers. The ambitious exhibition For Civilisation: the First World War in the Middle East retraces historical events and relationships that gave way to the Armenian genocide, jihad and the Arab Revolt. Until 2 October, In Flanders Fields Museum, Grote Markt 34, Ypres

Procession Pétange Esch2022

Luxembourg’s second city Esch-sur-Alzatte proudly celebrates the title European Capital Culture this year and Belgium’s neighbour is brimming with activities and attractions all year long. Under the slogan Remix Culture, Esch2022 aims to breathe new life into a region undergoing post-industrial transformation. The programme proposes 2,000 events, also hosted by nearby communes in Luxembourg and France. This weekend, starts the carnival tradition in the municipality of Pétange; the colourful De Péitenger Wand reflects the region’s industrial past with parades, processions and parties. Until 21 April, multiple venues, Pétange, Luxembourg

Written by Sarah Crew and Lisa Bradshaw