What’s on this week: 28 March to 3 April

Discover work of the world’s first female film-maker Alice Guy (1873-1968, France) at the new Jules Verne cultural centre in Forest. This opening exhibition comes complete with one- and two-minute short films. Making over 600 films, from burlesque to political, including The results of feminism and Falling Leaves, Guy mastered framing, directing, lighting and sound. She also used the first gimmicks such as the ‘Cut Camera’. A series of panels brings her ‘parcours’ – from production manager at Gaumont, France, to Hollywood – to life via comic strips from Catel Muller’s graphic novel. Until 29 June, Chaussée de Neerstalle 63-67 (Forest)

The 9th edition of the Brussels Art Nouveau Art Deco Festival (BANAD) wraps up this weekend with a final round of open day visits of heritage buildings (pictured, Eglise Sainte-Suzanne). A highlight of the programme is the popular Object Fair and Restorers & Experts Fair at Art Nouveau School No. 13 in Schaerbeek on 29 and 30 March. Some 50 collectors and dealers are showing off and selling ornaments, small pieces of furniture, glassware, silverware, ceramics, books and posters. Meanwhile, restoration experts demonstrate their skills and free valuations are available on Sunday. Free entrance for Banad ticket holders. Until 30 March, multiple locations in the city

For its 10th anniversary edition, the major literary event Passa Porta Festival invites over 100 authors and artists to 22 cultural hotspots across the city. One of the headliners is best-selling British author Jeanette Winterson who opens the programme with a talk on her work and the festival’s theme this year: Ghosts. Other writers speaking in English are Sandro Veronesi, David Nicholls, Paul Murray, Philipp Oehmke, Solvej Balle (Passa Porta's writer in residence in March), Karim Kattan, Andriy Lyubka, Charlie Porter, Merethe Lindstrøm, Eduardo Halfón and Tash Aw, among others. 28-30 March, multiple venues arounds the city

K-Culture Playground is a new initiative that transforms the Korean Cultural Center into a playground of Hallyu experiences. Each of the six events offers interactive and immersive activities focusing on a different aspect of Korean culture. The first serving is K-traditional arts with a hanbok Experience and traditional games such as tuho arrow throwing, gonggi (Korean jacks) and jegichagi (Korean hacky sacky). Photo ops guaranteed – images printed on-site. It’s staged every last Saturday of the month, until October (except July & August). 29 March 14.00-16.00, Rue de la Régence 4

Award-winning British film director Ken Loach is the guest of honour at the 17th edition of the Millenium Festival, which is dedicated to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The international festival showcases 70 powerful documentaries from around the globe, exploring four main themes: the virtual world and our future, peacebuilding, self-reconstruction and environmental challenges. It also runs the Emergence programme, which serves as a springboard for emerging talents. Screenings and events are at Flagey, Vendôme, Centre Bruegel and CIVA. Pictured: Dad’s Lullaby by Lesia Dia (Ukraine-Romania-Croatia 2024). 28 March to 6 April, venues across Brussels

Brussels photographer Vincent Peal journeyed across the Asian continent to capture extraordinary moments from often overlooked cultural and spiritual practices. The resulting book Rites & Ceremonies of Southeast Asia is presented in a special exhibition at the Chapelle du Grand Hospice. Peal immersed himself in these communities, recording events such as the Thaipusam festival in Malaysia, the Holy Week in the Philippines (pictured) and spiritual mediums in Borneo. 29-30 March, Rue du Grand Hospice 7

ICONS is one of the most comprehensive retrospectives of the acclaimed US photographer Steve McCurry. After Lisbon, Madrid, Mexico City, Chicago, Sydney, and Melbourne, the exhibition makes its Belgian debut at the Grand-Place exhibition space. Featuring over 100 large-format photographs from the past 40 years of his career, it includes his famous 1984 portrait of Afghan girl Sharbat Gula (pictured), as well as other captivating images from around the world. McCurry himself shares insights in an audioguide. 3 April to 1 September, Grand Place 5

Come and explore the varied oeuvre of Editions Tandem – a Gerpinnes-based publishing house created in 1974 by Wallonian artists Gabriel Belgeonne (1935) and Thérèse Dujeu – presented as shining stars in the ‘Tandem galaxy’. The show at Wittockiana highlights book covers like the ‘Conversations avec…’ series, engravings, prints and illustrations, revealing the collaborations and friendships between participating creators. You can also see the library’s other exhibitions – wonderful Art Deco book bindings to celebrate Brussels’ Art Deco year 2025 and renowned Brussels-based photographer Vincen Beeckman’s images of Woluwe park life – before it is too late. Until 21 September, Rue du Bemel 23 (Woluwe-Saint-Pierre)

For a new take on ultra-modern art, Super Conceptual Pop, in Fondation CAB’s industrial white space, is a joyful experience. The 18 featured artists include former Turner Prize winner Martin Creed (1968), whose works include ‘an athlete running through Tate Britain’, and Dan McCarthy (1962), famous for delightful ceramic ‘facepots’ and mixed media sculptures. The show’s name comes from one of Mexican artist Stefan Brüggemann’s (1975) Arial Black ‘Show Titles’. Other noteworthy headings in this original artwork are ‘Unproductivism’, ‘Things on the wall’ and ‘When I shit, I look at Andy Warhol’s books’. Until 31 October, Rue Borrens 32-34 (Ixelles)

Snap up some vintage or contemporary design furnishings at Brussels Design Market, which returns to Gare Maritime this weekend. Dealers from across Europe offer an array of home furnishings, from furniture to lighting to art to decorative objects. You’ll find vintage and contemporary pieces at a range of prices. 29 & 30 March, Tour & Taxis, Avenue du Port 86

Book now The Dining Room AR Gurney’s poignant and witty play is about this space where families come together, traditions take root and generations leave their mark. The American Theatre Company (ATC)’s production, directed by Ashley Norman and Aravind Dhakshinamoorthy, brings to life the bittersweet beauty of family memory— one moment at a time. 20-24 May 20.00, Warehouse Studio Theatre, Rue Waelhem 69A (Schaerbeek)

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

Hasselt’s Z33 contemporary art mecca, housed in a former béguinage and the award-winning, ultra-modern Vleugel 58 building, presents two new exhibitions. Modelling Life, featuring 14 Belgian and international artists including Kasper Bosmans, Rosemarie Trockel (pictured), Helen Chadwick and Mark Manders, explores how we are formed by the spaces in which we live. In The Wet Wing, British-French duo Daniel Dewar (1975) and Grégory Gicquel (1975) showcase creations such as farm animals set in stone and a giant freshwater fish-covered silk painting ‘streaming’ through five galleries. From 30 March until 24 August, Bonnefantenstraat 1 (Hasselt)

Abby Kortrijk is a new “playful, accessible and multi-voiced” museum for visual art. Together with a diverse network of organisations, creators and communities, and with art as a universal language, it explores what defines and connects us as humans across borders, generations and cultures. A festive opening weekend is an opportunity to explore the inaugural exhibition F**klore. Reinventing Tradition, which includes Belgian artist Rinus Van de Velde’s art installation Living Room (pictured). From 29 March, Begijnhofpark, Kortrijk

Other Worlds Are Possible is the first exhibition entirely dedicated to virtual reality in art and storytelling at Namur’s digital culture space Le Pavillon. This immersive journey into the imagination combines technology and art with artists reinventing the world through their works, whether in literature, painting, or music. Since the 1950s, technology has gradually become a form of expression, but now in the age of smartphones and artificial intelligence, this trend has never been stronger. Each artist here pushes the boundaries of what is possible, imagines unprecedented realities, and brings to life universes that defy our imagination. Until 21 September, Esplanade de la Citadelle, Route Merveilleuse 65, Namur

The Euro Space Center launches its new immersive and multisensory exhibition Back to the Moon with a special weekend of activities. Among the highlights are a scientific spectacle Show Me the Moon and workshops on exploratory robots and the various phases of the moon.  29 & 30 March, Rue Devant les Hêtres 1, Transinne (Luxembourg province)

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

Photos: (main image) Alice Guy at Jules Verne, Forest; Banad Festival, Eglise Sainte-Suzanne ©EB Endre Sebok; Jeanette Winterson ©Sam Churchill; Hasselt Z33 Rosemarie Trockel, Kinderspielplatz detail, courtesy the artist and De Pont Museum, Tilburg ©GRAYSC; Le Pavillon ©Felix Paul