Belgique - België

TLmag speaks to Brussels-born Valentine Witmeur, who made herself known as an influencer before turning to knit sweater design.

At 25, this Namibia-born, Belgian-Japanese designer chose to change his career path – making one of the best decisions of his life. Immersed in multiple cultures, but deeply rooted in the dynamics of the Belgian design scene, he embodies ‘Belgitude’ 2.0.

Having been CEO of leather goods brand from 2012 to 2018, Marco Probst is (since December) once again the happy CEO of his Maison. He guards his secret with Germanic rigour mixed with a smidgeon of Belgian fantasy.

Valcke Art Gallery’s recent exhibition presents the transformative works of three distinct craftsmen: David Huycke, Christophe Desvallées and Guy van Leemput. TLmag talks to director Johan Valcke about the exhibition, as well as his take on the contemporary Belgian art scene.

With 38 galleries participating, an exhibition turned city trail, a blossoming off-programme and a brand new website – Brussels Gallery Weekend’s 13th edition is set to be full of innovations.

Founder of the fashion department of the Ecole nationale supérieure des Arts Visuels (ENSAV) in Brussels, in 1986, which she later baptised La Cambre Mode(s), Francine Pairon continued to pursue her vision, eventually creating a postgraduate degree in fashion design at the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) in Paris.

The path between BOZAR and Gooik leads to the Third Paradise, in a landscape that evokes the Primitive Dutch canvases.

Collaborator of our sister gallery Spazio Nobile, Matthias Kohn, developed a project about home, nature, and hospitality. In essence, the concept is based on the idea of placing furniture, most often used in private interior settings, thus adapted for this type of use, and suggesting comfort, in exterior settings, where the impact of the piece on the respective surroundings is allowed to develop fully.

For the next two months, pieces from the MANIERA collection find a new home in De Beir House, an early example of architect’s Huib Hoste’s modernist designs.

Now a year into his third curatorial “season” at La Verrière Hermès, TLmag caught up with French curator Guillaume Désanges to discuss the influences behind their latest exhibition ‘Musa Nuit’ – leading to a conversation about challenging dominant social and political structures and art’s role within them.

Xavier Hufkens is delighted to announce that his third gallery space will be inaugurated by artist Sterling Ruby as of June 18th with a new series of assemblages. The origins of these works can be traced back to the WIDW paintings that were first exhibited at the gallery in 2018.

This UK-born, Brussels-based, Franco-Irish designer embodies what Belgium does best in terms of multiculturalism. We recently met with this prolific designer who is as comfortable creating luxury products for Hermes, Philips, Delvaux or LVMH. as he is reflecting on the challenges of contemporary design.