Brussels in English

Tour & Taxis is evolving into a nexus of great things to do; fun, interesting, entertaining and culinary. The latest permanent addition is the World of Mind (WOM). Raphaël Remiche, Director of Tempora, unveils for us this truly mind blowing attraction. https://worldofmind.be/en/

The Brussels Comics Art Museum is one of the most popular attractions in Brussels with over 250,000 visitors a year. Marie Neefs of the institution's communications team explains how the combination of the comic arts, the special building that houses the collection and the high number of temporary exhibitions makes this a blockbuster attraction. www.cbbd.be

The House of European History's new exhibition Throwaway - The History of a Contemporary Crisis, is a detailed look at the history of rubbish and how attitudes towards waste, what constitutes waste and what to do about it have changed. Curator Kieran Burns explains. Through 14 January 2024. historia-europa.ep.eu

The Brussels Fashion and Lace Museum is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Diane von Furstenberg's iconic wrap dress  with an exhibition entitled Woman Before Fashion that celebrates the Belgian born designer's life and career. We spoke with her about her childhood in Brussels, about what made her wrap dress unique and so popular, about her philanthropic activities and about the inspiration she d...

Valérie Leplat had the crazy idea to take the basic Belgian bun, the Pistolet, and build a sandwich shop of Belgian specialties around it. Now she's celebrating her tenth anniversary of selling the simple bun, crunchy on the outside and soft inside, filled with an array of Belgian foods. She has regularly invited famous local chefs to create a sandwich and for this milestone she has asked Yves Mat...

Turkish mural painter No More Lies has painted many murals in his hometown of Istanbul and has come to Brussels at the invitation of the venerable Brussels music and cultural festival Balkan Traffic to paint a mural. He tells us what his inspiration was for this mural which is a sorely needed breath of spring.

Ahead of this October's Writers Festival of Belgium, we meet Esther Anatolitis, the Editor of Australia’s oldest and most venerable Literary Journal ‘Meanjin’. Esther is a stalwart of literature festivals, one of the founders of the Australian Emerging Writers Festival, now in its 20th year, and previous head of Express Media. She wants to ensure that all voices are heard in the run up to the Abor...

The Brussels Short Film Festival (BSFF) is back with eleven days of the best and most daring in short films. There are 300 films in over 90 screenings including three competitions, the National, the International and the Next Generation. But there are also a plethora of themed screenings from Found Footage to the All Night Program to the Very Short Shorts. Co-coordinator Romane Pangrazzi tells us...

The Royal Museum of Art and History has inaugurated a new exhibition highlighting the origins and the breadth of their Ancient Egypt collections. Exhibition Coordinator and Curator Elisabeth Van Caelenberge explains how Brussels houses one of the top five collections of Egyptian artefacts in Europe.

During this Year of Art Nouveau in Brussels 2023, The aim of the Horta Museum's latest exhibition Victor Horta versus Art Nouveau is to present Horta in a different light.  Curator Benjamin Zurstrassen tells that Victor Horta called himself a "modern architect" and explains the different movements that informed the architect's style and philosophy. Through 8 January 2024. Free. www.hortamuseum.be

Beloved Belgian cartoon hero Le Chat is having a moment with two exhibitions at once in Brussels. Creator Philippe Geluck explains what is going on. http://lechat.com/en/homepage/

We interview Artem Mozgovoy, Russian journalist and writer living in Brussels who has written a novel, Spring in Siberia, which is being published by Red Hen Press the first week in April. The book is a coming of age story, of a young man growing up gay in Siberia during the painful dissolution of the USSR and his long journey to a fulfilling life in the European capital. www.redhen.org Photo: Ale...

It's the time of year for Klarafestival - the biggest broadcast festival in Belgium. Festival intendant Joost Fonteyne gives us the details. Until 26 March www.klarafestival.be

"Music and politics" is the theme for the second edition of the Writers Festival of Belgium, in October 2023. In this first podcast, festival director Alia Papageorgiou meets Dr Leah Broad, an Oxford researcher on female composers in classical music. She's been researching what seems to be the concerted effort to remove female classical music composers from the public discourse. Her new book, Quar...

BANAD, the annual festival of Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture that takes place across Brussels is particularly loaded with events this year as 2023 has been proclaimed the Year of Art Nouveau. Alessandro Porotto, Scientific Coordinator for Explore. Brussels fills us in. Weekends of 11&12, 18&19 and 25&26 March https://www.banad.brussels/en/

Belgian French rocker extraordinaire Johnny Hallyday had millions of die hard fans across the French speaking world. Now Johnny Hallyday the Exhibition brings his story and career to life in an exhaustive show. François Henrard, Director of Projects for Tempora tells us what we can expect. Through 15 June, Brussels Expo https://www.johnnyhallydaylexposition.com/

Using the interiors of the Atomium as a canvas, the artists' collective Visual system has sculpted two very different and spectacular light and sound  environments, RESTART, which is temporary, and CENTRALE, which is permanent. Collective member Pierre Gufflet explains the differences. www.atomium.be

With the 42nd edition, Anima, Brussels' highly respected animation film festival is back completely live and in person. Co-Director Karin Vanderydt tells us all about the myriad screenings and special events taking place. www.animafestival.be

Credited with the invention of the concept of supermodels, Peter Lindbergh was one of the most respected fashion photographers. Untold Stories, the current exhibition at the Espace Vanderborght offers a unique perspective on his work, covering the totality of his career through photos, videos and very large formats. It's a unique show because Peter curated it entirely on his own. We spoke with Tho...

Jules Buyssens was one of the most prolific and respected landscape architects in Europe in the first half of the 20th century with over one thousand projects in Belgium and in France, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia and Switzerland. CIVA has put together an exhibition: Picturesque:Jules Buyssens Landscape Architect. Curator Ursula Wieser Benedetti tells us about the...

Now presenting its 68th edition at Brussels Expo, the Brussels Art Fair (BRAFA) is ranked as one of the top five art and antiques fairs in the world. 130 leading galleries from 15 countries  are represented, including 13 galleries new this year. On display will be furniture and art objects from the Middle Ages to the present, ancient and modern painting, contemporary art, design, sculpture, tribal...

The Art Nouveau masterpiece that is the Maison Hannon is being meticulously restored in all its facets, stained glass, ironwork, woodwork, stonework and painted murals. Phase 1 of the restoration will be complete June 1st when in collaboration with the Horta Museum an exhibition of the work of numerous Art Nouveau artists will open. But in the meantime on Sundays January 15 & 22 (reservations...

It's been fifty years that  there has been a Québec Delegation in Brussels where it promotes Québec in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and the European institutions, To celebrate, the delegation has offered the Manneken Pis his 1103rd costume. At the inaugural event we spoke with Geneviève Brisson, Delegate General, and with Jean-Claude Poitras, the artist who designed the costume.

Isabelle Ravet is a rare contemporary artist in that she exclusively paints still lifes. This month she will be opening her Ixelles studio to the public. She spoke with us about her inspiration. http://isara-finearts.be/en/accueil-english/

Brussels is full of artisans creating and selling a variety of products. Thanks to a collaboration between the City, website Wecandoo and 50 artisans, you can participate in a workshop and go home with a handmade bag, chocolate, perfume or other creation that you made yourself. Alderman Fabian Maingain, organizers Katia Jacques-Serres and Edouard Eyglunent and artisan Kristina Zouein tell us how i...