I like to work from the city library in Antwerp. It’s in one of the city’s most diverse neighbourhoods, where the whole world seems to come together. It reminds me of the readers of this newsletter: many of you are based in Belgium, but quite a lot are reading from abroad too, with North America and Canada in the lead.
At the moment, the library has a beautiful book on display by photographer Stephan Vanfleteren. I’m a fan of his series Façades & Vitrines, a ten-year project in which he photographed storefronts of shops, cafés and small businesses across Belgian cities. And this ABC Cinema Spectacle stood out.
ABC… The building blocks of the alphabet, now turned into a few artistic departure points for the coming weeks, for my American, Belgian and Canadian readers alike. Enjoy!
See you next week
Emily
A: Not to be missed in New York City (US)
I recently bumped into the work by Olivia Van Kuiken (b. 1997) and I absolutely loved it. She is currently having a solo show at Matthew Brown Gallery, on view until 18 of October. Please go and enjoy it; I’ll be there in spirit. Send me pictures, will ya?
B: Not to be missed in Kortrijk (Belgium)
ELDERS is a Belgian nomadic collective that shows contemporary artistic practices in Kortrijk and the surrounding region. This is their 7th and most ambitious exhibition to date, on view until 2 November. And they should be very proud of themselves. It’s a very beautiful curation with interesting artists with diverse practices. You can see that they really have a strong understanding of the undercurrents of the art world that are shaping the future of the arts.
B: Not to be missed in Ghent (Belgium)
Please go and see the show by German artist Jonas Dehnen (b. 1992) at Pizza Gallery in Ghent. Incredibly layered and challenging compositions with beautiful rhythmic movements. I was really stunned by his innovative way of capturing and showing the diversity of the act of painting.
C: Not to be missed in Toronto (Canada)
A must-visit Toronto gallery is Conditions, based in a ground-floor apartment, with art in the bathtub and above the bed. And yes, its owner, Bonny Poon, also lives and works there. The gallery was originally founded in Paris in 2017, but is now based in Toronto. A swift return to Europe is already soon, as they are preparing for their participation in the art fair Aaahhh!!! Paris Internationale at the end of October, which I’m very excited about!!
