“Art Brussels attracts adventurous and curious international collectors of all ages, as well as Belgian collectors, who are known for their engaged approach and penchant for risk-taking in their collecting” says Anne Vierstraete, the managing director of the Art Brussels. Contemporary Lynx team mingled with the crowds at the fair. We distilled three key topics and trends among the exhibitors from 32 countries.
1. The stands turned into a site-specific installations
Let’s be honest. The competition is huge. There are only 4 days to sell the artwork and if your gallery was lucky to be selected to participate in the fair, you had to compete with 147 other exhibitors. Many galleries chose to make their stands colourful and painted the walls of their booths in a way that the walls become an integral part of the artwork. That way, the whole stand turned into a site-specific installation. See our gallery.
2. Nature
While thousands of protesters took over London with the core message that climate change is a global emergency that threatens our planet, on the other side of the channel – in Brussels, we have observed more and more environmentally engaged art. Artists reminded us of the beauty of nature and invite us to go back to the roots and appreciate the flora and the fauna.
3. Textile and texture
In itself, it is nothing new, that contemporary art embraces textiles, weaving techniques and the use of various fabrics. What is new is that it became a real trend – we have noticed many pieces which marry traditional craft techniques with contemporary contextualised art. We were amazed by artworks in the form of hanging carpets, tapestries, and mysterious weaves.
