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What’s on this week: 30 September to 6 October

09:21 29/09/2022
Party with the art brigade, sample Brussels’ gourmet treats, dive into Korean film and the oeuvre of Chantal Akerman and explore the capital’s Neo-classic architecture… a packed agenda of events awaits!

Popular arty party Nuit Blanche now becomes Art + Paper. The nocturnal platform for the capital’s contemporary arts scene has been transformed into a biennial to involve even more community projects. The celebration this year, propelled by a post-pandemic need to reinforce social contact, will see art and people come together. Join festive banquet Les Grandes Tablée with Cucine(S), an artistic investigation into culinary practices including pasta workshops and a photo exhibition in Place de Ninove (pictured). 1 October 19.00-1.00, multiple venues and public spaces in the Senne district

Vertige

Eat Festival is enticing visitors with the best of Brussels gastronomy. Cheesemongers, mixologists and pastry chefs, among others, serve their signature dishes and drinks for all to taste. New additions this year include a collaboration with chefs at Gare Maritime Food Market who will each come up with a unique dish priced at €8. A market filled with local produce, a cocktail bar and a beer bar with best Brussels brews share their specialities. Wine merchants from Vins de Bordeaux set up a wine bar and a workshop and Tipick DJs are cranking up the music on Friday and Saturday night. There’s entertainment for little ones with a bouncy castle and a treetop adventure course. This is a perfect opportunity to discover the city’s diverse gastronomy, including the latest addition to the Sang Hoon Degeimbre family, VerTige (pictured). 29 September – 2October, Gare Maritime, Tour & Taxis, Rue Picard 11-1,000 (Molenbeek-Saint-Jean)

023_Maha Maamoun

Alexandria: Past Futures invites visitors to consider the Egyptian city and its extensive history from a dual angle of archaeological research and contemporary art. The major Mediterranean port city was a centre of Hellenic civilisation and multiple cultures. This Bozar exhibition includes artifacts dating from more than seven centuries, since the city’s founding by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. Some 200 works from major European museum collections showcase the heritage and legacy of the megapolis, while 17 contemporary artists highlight how Egypt’s second city remains also a vibrant modern capital. Until 8 January, Rue Ravenstein 23

Korean Film Festival

For its 10th anniversary, the Korean Film Festival takes a nostalgic look back on the last decade of Korean cinema with the theme “Remembering the future”. Three sections showcase the variety of films that represent the country’s culture through different genres. Korean Film Today features among the biggest movies from this year, Decision to Leave and Broken, which both won awards at the 2022 Cannes film festival. A focus on women directors, includes the thriller Ando and the documentary Coming to You. While 10 Years of Legacy offers hits such as A Hard Day by director Kim Seong-hun. Last but not least, Music on Screen features a variety of films and documentaries. Through Song of the Poet, K-Classics Generations and Kokdu: A story of Guardian Angels (pictured), audiences will learn more about Korean culture and music. Talks with directors Hong Sung-eun (Aloners) and Byun Gyu-ri (Coming to you) follow each of their screenings. 29 September-7 October, Bozar and Cinéma Galeries (Brussels)

House of European History films

Each of the films in this House of European History miniseries European Memories on Screen explores key political and social developments in 20th-century Europe via a personal lens, private stories, memories, propaganda or protests. First up is Federico Fellini’s semi-autobiographical Amarcord (1973). Europa Europa (1990) by Agnieszka Holland) follows on 13 October and L’une chante, L’autre pas (1977) by Agnès Varda on 20 October. Each screening is presented by film curator Anke Brouwers. A free tour in English of current exhibition When Walls Talk is available from 18.00 (registration necessary). 6 October 19.00, Rue Belliard 135

Brussels Biennale Neoclassic

Asked to name a defining style of architecture in Brussels, many would answer Art Nouveau, but it’s neoclassicism that dominates the city’s 18th and 19th-century landscape. Its emphasis is on columns and geometric forms with Greek and Roman flair: think Cinquantenaire Arch and the federal parliament building (pictured). Brussels Biennale Neoclassic invites us to explore the histories and particularities of facades we pass by every day but whose details we usually miss – and invites us inside to nose about. 1-2 & 8-9 October, across Brussels

chantal-akerman

Master Belgian film director Chantal Akerman ended her own life on 5 October 2015. Seven years later to the day sees the launch of Chantal Akerman: une cinéaste à Bruxelles, a two-year exploration of her work and its invaluable influence on feminist and avant-garde cinema. Screenings, walking tours and talks will place the Brussels-born auteur in the landscape of her hometown – and vice versa. It kicks off with a reading from Akerman’s book Une famille à Bruxelles (she was the daughter of Holocaust survivors) and a screening of her short films. From 5 October, Cinematek and other locations in Brussels

Art on Paper (c)Geoffrey_Fritsch_4

Contemporary art often brings to mind installations, but Art on Paper is dedicated to drawings by contemporary artists. It’s a fair, too, so everything is up for sale. Not only will you be amazed at how diverse this art form can be, you’ll find tours, workshops, talks and performances on the programme. The event is a highlight of Brussels Drawing Week, with a huge number of activities across the capital. Brussels Drawing Week 3-9 October; Art on Paper 4-9 October, Vanderborght, Rue de l’Ecuyer 50

St Michael's Weekend (c)Palazzetto Bru Zane Fonds Leduc

It’s the 200th birthday of César Franck, the Liege-born composer, pianist and organist. Also a teacher, his influence on younger composers of his day cannot be overstated. This year’s St Michael’s Weekend – Brussels’ annual organ festival – is dedicated to Franck this year, with a full programme of his works. 30 September to 3 October, across Brussels-City

Kimsooja

Artists from around the world, including Jean-Pierre Raynaud, Andy Warhol and Jonathan Horowitz, were inspired by flags. Discover their artworks at Villa Empain’s new exhibition, Flags. Conceived by curator, Alfred Pacquement, and organised by the Boghossian Foundation, classical historical and contemporary art pieces explore the question of territory, multiple identities and intercultural dialogue. From their colour and stripes down to their symbolism, the exhibition explores the representation of flags in modern and contemporary art. 29 September to 22 January, Villa Empain, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 67 (Ixelles)

Taming of the shrew

Book now The Taming of The Shrew If you’re a fan of Shakespearean comedy, you’ll enjoy this production of the classic romance set in 1920’s sunny Venice, presented by the Brussels Shakespeare Society and directed by Charles Bouchard. Tickets are €17, but €14 for students. 5-8 October, Centre Culturel Jacques Franck, Chaussée de Waterloo 94 (Saint-Gilles)

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

brabants_grondwitloof_20clander_loeckx

Discover some of the Flemish Brabant’s finest local produce in the culinary tour Belgian chocolate meets endive and beer. The first of a series of special tours for internationals in Belgium, this event combines tastings of endive, chocolate and beer with a nature walk around the fields of Kampenhout, the capital for Belgian chicory. Among the samplings will be classic coffee, chicory coffee, and a Belgian praline and beer made with endive (tour costs €30). 1 October, 14.00-17.00, Chocola-Tuti, Leuvensesteenweg 125, Kampenhout

RetourASeoul_01©AuroraFilms

The Festival International of Francophone Film (FIFF) rolls into Namur for its 37th edition with more than 120 features, animations and documentaries. While showcasing movies from the francophone world, the focus as ever is on multicultural filmmaking, such as Retour à Seoul by Davy Chou, about a young French woman who heads to South Korea to track downr her origins (pictured). It also continues to screen films that value solidarity, empathy, hope and emancipation. In addition to the competition programme, a full line-up of ‘off’ events transform the Walloon city into a mecca for film fans, including DJ sets in La Nef, a former church. 30 September-7 October, cinemas across Namur

Heavy Metal (c)Henk Deleu

Usually we only hear about when something is dug up around Ypres if it’s a stray bomb from the First World War. But all kinds of wonderful stuff is found during building projects and on active archaeological sites. In the free exhibition Heavy Metal you’ll see chests and jewellery and coins and tools and all sorts of other metal objects that shed light on how people lived and worked in the middle ages. Until 29 January, Yper Museum, Lakenhallen, Grote Markt 34, Ypres

Hoppy Days

Hoppy Days throws its annual festival this weekend in Liège with a promise of beer, music and pancakes. During its three days, the festival hosts at least 20 beer stands offering rare and unique beers from breweries in Belgium. The Hop bar will also serve around 40 different types of beers chosen by a team of amateurs and professionals. In total, 130 different types of beer alongside different regional alcohols and quality food will be available, in other words it’s Liège’s Ocktober fest. A new event takes place on Sunday with the first ever Pancake festival offering all types of pancakes. Tickets are €7 for the first two days and are free for the Pancake festival. 30 September to 2 October, Caserne Fonck, Rue Ransonnet 2, Liège

Studio Stuk (c)Chris Almeida

Before it became a TV studio for iconic programmes like 10 om te zien (the Flemish version of Top of the Pops) and the long-running soap Thuis, it was one of Europe’s biggest nightclubs, hosting live acts like New Order and Marvin Gaye. Now The Manhattan Studio on the Leuven canal will be home to Studio Stuk, a seven-week programme hosted by the Stuk culture centre. It is moving to the legendary building while renovation works continue at its normal site a few kilometres away. There’s a queer arts night, a hybrid dance concert, DJ sets and lots more. Until 12 November, Kolonel Begaultlaan 21, Leuven

Slot machines, Nevad, Reno, 1949 © Lisette Model avec l’aimable autorisation de Baudoin Lebon et Avi Keitelman

Charleroi’s Photography Museum’s autumn flagship exhibition, Lisette Model, is devoted to the work of the Vienna-born American photographer and teacher (1901-1983). Highly acclaimed as a street photographer, rooted in social criticism, her documentary approach depicted various aspects of modern society. Among her most famous series, are images of the idle rich holidaying on Nice’s Promenade des Anglais in 1934 and later bathers at Coney Island, US. Until 22 January, Musée de la Photographie, Place des Essarts, 6032 Charleroi (Mont-sur-Marchienne)

Arboretum-Tervuren-7439-scaled

Experience the enchantment of Tervuren’s Arboretum in a Howeward Bound Forest Therapy session. George Biesmans, a trained guide, leads regular groups in the woodlands to help people reconnect with the natural world. Forest therapy is the practice of slowing down, awakening the senses and listening to your body. 30 September, 14, 21 & 28 October, 9.00-12.00

Photos: Alexandria: Maha Maamoun; Kimsooja To Breathe - the flags, 2018/2022 © Lola Pertsowsky; Art on Paper (c)Geoffrey_Fritsch; St Michael's Weekend (c) Palazzetto Bru Zane Fonds Leduc; brabants_grondwitloof_20clander_loeckx; Studio Stuk (c)Chris Almeida; Slot machines, Nevad, Reno, 1949 © Lisette Model avec l’aimable autorisation de Baudoin Lebon et Avi Keitelman

 

 

Written by Sarah Crew, Lisa Bradshaw, Louis Kernoa-Pascoe