Arts – The Word Magazine

Art

The love movement

A few weeks ago we asked our readers to send us a photograph which, to them, illustrated the word 'love'. Here are the 13 photographs that made the cut.

Neighbourhood life

Projet Digilence’s Emilie and Valentin

Emilie Pischedda and Valentin Souquet are a duo in lots of ways: they are artists, lovers, parents and founders of Brussels-based art production hub Project Digilence.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing

The weekend 09.02

Exhibitions of Cy Twombly, Chantal Akerman and Naoto Kawahara, Azari & III and Jedi Mind Tricks in concert, plus a London getaway special revealing the must-sees on the island this weekend.

Art

Grey Gardens

By telling the story of the aunt and cousin of Jackie 'O' Kennedy, 1976 documentary Grey Gardens shows the face of the American aristocracy fallen from grace.

Neighbourhood life

SteytPeña’s Luis and Laurence

Luis Peña and Laurence Steyt met while assisting the same photographer in Paris back in 2004. These days, they're busy with their venture, SteytPeña, and their very own Brussels studio.

Art

Photographer Kelly De Block

In our continued bid to shine a light on rising Belgian talent, we speak with recently-graduated fashion photographer Kelly De Block about collages, contrasts and connecting with people.

Neighbourhood life

Felicia Atkinson and Bartolomé Sanson

In the fourth part of our series on illuminating couple-collaborators, we introduce multi-talents Felicia and Bartholomé whose pooled resources include books and records.

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The weekend 03.02

It's a balmy minus 8° out there, but these weekend shindigs should warm you up: ProPulse Festival, Catclub and a Pierre Besson expo in Brussels, vintage shopping and a metal gig in Antwerp, and electronic music in Ghent. Have an outrageous weekend.

Art

Illustrator Joost Stokhof

We continue our series on emerging talent with an interview with Utretcht-based illustrator Joost Stockhof

Neighbourhood life

Face to Face’s Delphine and Flore

On a total love buzz, we've begun harvesting some of February's Valentine spirit. We've decided to while away the month by introducing you to some inseparable Belgian two-pieces. Some are musicians. Others photographers. The odd DJ-duo, even. We kick off our series with Brussels-based graphic design team Face to Face.

Neighbourhood life

Memymom’s Lisa and Marilène

Part II of our fascination-feature on outstanding Belgian two-pieces. Drumroll please for Memymom, a photography venture concocted by mother and daughter duo Marilène and Lisa.

Art

In Sickness and In Health

In this unconventional family portrait, photographer Colin Gray offers you the ability to gaze into the spheres of a dying woman.

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The weekend 26.01

This weekend has exhibitions of Don Brown, Wouter Feyaerts and Daan van Golden in store. Plus: Get your hands on a contemporary art piece without getting your wallet out at Bozar and take in your dose of music at Transardentes or the Gym Class Heroes concert.

Art

Christopher Coppers

With his exhibition at Bodson Emelinckx Gallery having just opened, we sit down with Brussels-based cut-up artist Christopher Coppers to talk about his biggest show to date, the state of TV and Belgian politicians singing the wrong national anthem.

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The weekend 19.01

Christopher Coppers' exhibition opening in Brussels tonight, the incomparable Chilly Gonzales on Sunday night and a couple of design (Tomas Alonso at Victor Hunt), photography (Ben Murphy at Stieglitz 19 and Swedish photography at Zebrastraat) and art (Nikolay Oleynikov at Komplot) shows in between.

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The weekend 12.01

With exhibitions by American artist Shirley Jaffe, Belgian Fauvist Ferdinand Schirren and fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh, as well as shows on the Brazilian design scene and the best album artworks of 2011, the start of the year sure is high on culture.

Neighbourhood life

Fifteen questions to Pablo Piatti

We sit down with fashion illustrator Pablo Piatti in Antwerp to discuss his craft, drawing faces and viewing illustration as a complement to photography.

Art

The whiteboard

From teapots to toothpaste, these are the items that inspired us for our white album.

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The weekend 15.12

Three exhibitions, a Black Lips concert and a DJ set in Brussels, photography in Antwerp, painting in Ghent, popular culture in Leuven and, last but not least, a quick-shot selection of leftfield Christmas markets to catch this weekend.

Art

Hans Op de Beeck’s stark realities

Although many artists describe themselves as ’multi media artists’, few deserve the tag as much as Brussels-based Hans Op de Beeck.

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The weekend 09.12

Weekend's about to kick off and we have just what you need in terms of culture-fix: Three exhibitions and a party in Brussels, three shows in Antwerp and one in Ghent.

Neighbourhood life

The shelf: Shedding light

Chinese living, the most dangerous city in America, the disappearance of landmarks in Colorado, colour-coded foreplay and a personal history of the household. Five fine art and photography books that'll see you through the winter months.

Art

Facing the blank canvas: Rinus Van de Velde

In the third instalment of our series discussing the challenges for artists in facing a blank canvas, we speak with Belgian artist Rinus Van De Velde, who currently is exhibiting in Berlin.

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The weekend 01.12

Lineart Art Fair and Hercules and Love Affair's Andy Butler in Ghent, Belgian photography and discount designer shopping in Antwerp, Jasper Johns in the countryside and, last but not least, Robert Devriendt and a temporary design store in Brussels.

Art

Facing the blank canvas: Manor Grunewald

Five emerging Belgian artists talk to us about what it feels like to stare a blank canvas in the eye. First up, Ghent-based painter Manor Grunewald (26), featured on our white album's cover.

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The weekend 25.11

Suuns tonight. Then our white album release party and The Herbaliser at Bozar tomorrow night. A couple of shows (Harry Gruyaert, Boris Tellegen and Valerie Snobeck) and a party (the Catclub) on Saturday. Then, energy-levels permitting, a pop-up sale at Bozarshop (Martin Margiela). Phew.

Art

Into the light

A light-sensitive series of juxtaposed animated gifs that has the entire office finding itself a new-found love for the digitally-bettered arts.

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The weekend 11.11

A camera phone photography exhibition in Ghent, a Paul Smith exhibition in Antwerp, a fashion show of second-hand creations, a gay-cinema festival, I Love Techno in Ghent and a rap concert in Brussels.

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The weekend 04.11

An exhibition of Belgian designer Walter van Beirendonck, Is Tropical and Gablé in concert, a night packed with music and art at Plastic, Walter Salles' award-winning movies and last but not least a jazz evening to bring a busy weekend to an end. A mouth full.

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The weekend 07.10

With exhibitions of photographers Dirk Braeckmann and Florian Maier-Aichen, tea time at Paul Smith, a Crystal Antlers gig at L'Ancienne Belgique and the Catclub's season opening party, this weekend promises to be high in emotions.

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The weekend 30.9

Short on plans for this weekend? Sift through our hand-picked selection of film and art festivals, exciting exhibitions and booming all nighters to keep you busy.

Neighbourhood life

The interview: Magne Furuholmen

We speak with 80s pop icon and a-ha founding member Magne Furuholmen about his work as a visual artist and eco-activist.

Art

Closing our blue chapter

Up and coming Antwerp-based photographer Joke De Wilde, a former intern of ours, delivers a mesmerising blue-lined series of eight portraits, bringing our blue album chapter to a close.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing

The weekend 16.9

From design city strolls and exhibitions to not-to-miss parties and concerts: Here comes our handpicked list of what to do over the weekend.

Neighbourhood life Do the right thing

The weekend 09.9

In a new weekly selection of things to do in Belgium over the weekend, we handpick and review everything from exhibitions and festivals to new shop openings and parties.

Neighbourhood life

The shelf: Pictures speak louder than words

Discover the photography of Wim Wenders, Jeff Wall and Gregory Crewdson or learn about the global rise of denim: Take a look at our newest selection of books we would like to see on your shelves, illustration-focused but more than just to be displayed on your coffee-table.

Kenneth Anger’s wet dream

His fans include Jean Cocteau, Tennesse Williams or even Martin Scorsese. American avantgarde director Kenneth Anger (84) is without a doubt the underground cinematic icon to a generation of filmmakers, best know for the homoerotic aspect of his films at a time when displaying love between men on the big screen was still a big no-no.

Art

Rise and shine: Photographer Julie Calbert

The photography of young, up-and-coming Brussels-based photographer Julie Calbert (25) are marked by their mystification of the ordinary. Dive into the haunting, dreamlike world of this promising artist on the rise.

Art

Gone in 12 hours: Art Asylum

There’s something about spontaneous, one-off initiatives that gets our clocks ticking. You see, we’re firm believers in ‘mix-and-we’ll-see’ creative collisions, preferring the unknown to the predictable, the loose-ended to the pre-defined. So it was with much trepidation (and, granted, a raised eyebrow or two) that we stepped into Art Asylum, a 12-hour-only, 20-man-strong get together […]

Art

Culture: The reading retreat

With summer approaching and plans for much-needed rejuvenating escapes slowly taking shape, we wanted to imagine what our retreats would resemble. This year, we’re feeling something entirely removed from civilisation. A pared-down hut lost in the middle of the Amazonian jungle with only but the bare necessities on hand: a typewriter and reading material. Photographer […]

Music

It takes a lot of beans to make a Chilly

With more facets to his talent than a chameleon on shuffle mode, Chilly Gonzales is a hard man to pin down. His new album, The Unspeakable Chilly Gonzales, just out, we caught up with the Canadian-born virtuoso in his Paris apartment to talk bathrobe fetishes, wannabe industry poseurs and paying for you own Guinness World […]

Art Studio visits

Studio show: Matthew Crasner and Christine Philipp

Galleries and museums are all fine, but they can sometimes be rather bland and impersonal affairs. You know, white walls, empty spaces and an overall sense of detachment from the actual art on show. That’s why we like studio shows so much. They immerse you in the artist’s world, draw you in and impregnate you […]

Art

Photography: Winners of the Nikon Press Photo Awards 2010

Press photography is that oft-forgotten corner in the world of professional photography that really never gets a lot of attention. It doesn’t exactly have the same cachet as fine art photography, nor does it have the glamour and sparkle of, say, fashion photography. One thing you cannot deny, though, is that it has a sense […]

Art

Exhibition: Paper perfect

In its second edition this year, the Brussels Drawing Fair – which opens its doors next Thursday 28th April at the city’s White Hotel – has somewhat come-of-age, with its program now open to photography too and an extra day added to the weekend-long festivities. The perfect place to sharpen your eye, beef up your pencilled […]

Art

In progress: Paul McCarthy’s solo show at Brussels’ Charles Riva Collection

With only a week to go before the opening of Charles Riva Collection’s solo show of American provocative prankster Paul McCarthy, we dropped by the loft-like gallery to get a preview of the show’s preparations. Amongst the boxes, bubble wrap and brown tape, the first signs of a show slowly begin to appear: McCarthy’s “Silver […]

Art

Festival: A weekend in Berlin. In Ghent.

For the past decade, Berlin has forged an undisputable reputation as capital of the arts, music and film. Here’s your chance to immerse in this vibrant scene for an entire weekend, without having to leave the country. For its first edition, the Berlinaire festival will invest the Ghent’s Vooruit cultural centre, bringing the hottest talents […]

Art

Culture: The scarlet letter

Bankrupt (2004) by Phillip Toledano – Twin Palms Publishers Bankrupt presents no foreword nor summary, its subject matter being quite self-explanatory. A handful of anonymous termination emails are featured as the only textual elements, eluding to the sense of incomprehension or disbelief their recipients might have felt upon first read. New York-based photographer Phillip Toledano […]

Art

Photography: Hedi Slimane exhibition opens at Almine Rech Gallery in Brussels and Paris

After documenting London’s burgeoning indie scene and redefining the male silhouette of the 00s at the helm of Dior Homme, Hedi Slimane seems to have stepped in the new decade with a fascination for American culture. With two simultaneous shows at the Almine Rech galleries of Paris and Brussels, the former designer, who’s always nurtured […]

Art

Extending the black album’s reach

Inspired by the black album, film maker Gaetan Saint-Remy and photographer Nicolas Kengen produced a men’s fashion series that we’ve taken somewhat of a liking to. With the impulse of stylist Aylen Torres and of set designer Magalie Denoue, the video blends cinematic and photographic sensitivities to create a sensuous, sometimes even tenuous, dynamic. Suicide’s Ghost Rider […]

Art

Private view tickets to win for Brussels’ Affordable Art Fair

It’s that time of the year again, where the city’s Tour & Taxis plays host to the Affordable Art Fair – that most democratic of art fairs. Doing probably more than anyone to bring contemporary art to the masses, breaking down the high barriers to entry to the art world, AAF as it has affectionally […]

Art

My funny Valentine

It’s that time of the year again and just as all the shop windows mimic each other’s cringe-inducing red displays and cheesy slogans, we’re grateful a few peeps out there haven’t lost their sense of humour. Three movies. Three venues. And three perfectly valid excuses to skip the overpriced Valentine’s restaurant menu – complete with […]

Art

The black books

Turn the lights off, and this month’s pick of books suddenly looks more menacing than their authors had intended them to be. You won’t hear us complaining though, as it probably means we’ll get to hold on to them a little longer… Photography Yassin Serghini Drawings – Work comes out of work (2008) by Richard […]

Art

Fish for thought

At the Filip Kesteloot Sculpture Gallery, you are treated to the aquatic bronzes of Pieter Vanden Daele (Belgium, 1971) along with the slate and glass creations of mosaicist Sylvie Guyomard. Opening this Thursday, the artists will be on hand to talk about their art in the relaxed setting of this bijou gallery, located in the Sablon/Zavel […]

Art

Ink like a Russian crim

The Russian Issue is out and it only seemed right that we checked out the ‘Russian Criminal Tattoo Exhibition’ currently showing in London. Hosted by FUEL Design and Publishing, the creators of the lauded Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volumes I, II and III, the original artworks from this popular series are displayed for the first time. […]

Art

Photographer Ulrike Biets speaks the truth

Raw and uncut. Two words that best describe Ulrike Biets’ photography. One of The Word’s closest allies pretty much since the magazine’s launch, Ulrike has over the last few years been developing a body of work highly personal in its approach (she essentially captures her everyday surroundings – be they people, musicians or even animals) […]

Art

Reading faces: more images from our latest cover shoot

Is there such a thing as a “Russian face”? Intent on documenting the various different facial features of the world’s largest country, we spent an afternoon couch-hopping with six individuals originally hailing from the region, hearing stories of migration, thoughts on modern Russia, and how their heritage translates in to their everyday lives. Photography Toon […]

Art

Can’t see the forest for the trees

The thing about forests is the inherent mystery they exude. There’s something eerie about them, ghost-like even. They don’t bother nobody, if nobody bothers them. Well, recently, that propensity to keep a low-profile went up in smoke, literally. Raging fires surrounded Moscow, with forests showing the type of damage they were capable of doing. You […]

Art

Calling all photographic talent: the portfolio

Part of our annual re-jigging of some of the magazine’s pages and sections, we thought it necessary to shine a new light on a section of ours that, we feel, has somewhat been left to run its own course. The portfolio is a photographic carte blanche given to a photographer whose work we like. The […]

Art

Win a night for two in a Brussels hotel + two entrances to the Magritte museum

People often think of giving museum entrances as a Christmas present, but never actually get around to it. It might be because two tickets in an envelope can me misleading (the recipient might actually think he or she is receiving wads of cash, and ends up being disapointed) or, quite simply, because you never get […]

Art

FAntastic and FAbulous: the opening of FA Gallery

The project was an ambitious one right from the word go. The idea, although simple, was massive in its scope: to reinvigorate a dire and rather stale local fashion and art landscape (in this case, that of Kuwait), and infuse it with much-needed pep. Whilst style staples such as Villa Moda had dominated the local […]

Art

Ik hou van Charleroi

Our relationship with Charleroi and its locals was left somewhat shaky after a feature we ran in last year’s Heritage Issue. Conceived as a tribute to the city’s industrial heritage, the piece garnered its fair share of controversy and even a few angry comments. We felt we owed the city a fresh new look and […]

Art

Tour operator

It’s only been a year now, but Brussels can finally pride itself on having a collective reopening of art galleries worthy of a true art capital. Simply labelled Brussels Art Days, two days of intense gallery hopping and openings just took place this past weekend, with no less than 30 new exhibitions, among which some held […]

Art

C’est arrivé près de chez vous

A cult movie of the 90s, C’est arrivé près de chez vous (Rémy Belvaux, 1992) is probably the most striking example of the black humor and brutality that pervades Belgian cinema. The fake documentary about a serial killer draws inspiration from a Belgian TV show of a new genre that appeared on the national broadcast channel RTBF […]

Art

The Shelf: rough, rugged and raw reads

These are some of the novels and photo-books we had lying about the pool house over the summer. Some were good reads, some were immersing reads, whilst others just made us reach for the ever growing pile of trash-mags, the result of 10 days of poolside dilly dallying. Slaughter on a snowy morn by Colin Evans, […]

Art

Its all in the name: Hunting and Collecting

With autumn comes the new season’s arrivals at Brussels’ most talked about concept store, Hunting and Collecting. As the name suggests this is about sourcing the very best of fashion, design and art around, and is a labour of love for owners Neils Radtke and Aude Gribomont. Joining their collective experiences of not only the […]

Art

Scanning Arequipa

With only three days to go until our Rough Edges Issue comes out, we thought it fitting to run with a series that’s been tantalising our rough-sides so much we actually featured it in September’s edition at the last minute. Yves Decamps’ Scanning Arequipa series documents his four-year stay in Peru, where he settled with […]

Art

Antwerp’s thorn

Belgium has a number of reputable festivals all year-round but if you’re looking for a low-key urban initiative, Deurne is now to be added to your summer ‘to-do list’: this municipality of Antwerp premiered a “route of art” and festivities between Wednesday 18th and Sunday 22nd August. Named Deurnroosje after the Sleeping Beauty tale (i.e. […]

Music The music throwaway project

Jimmy Edgar

Photography and captions Jimmy Edgar

Art

Vulnerable moments

Sofie Vandam’s work caught our eye at Narafi’s final year students’ exhibition held at the begining of the summer at Tour & Taxis. “Photography and psychology are often closely related. Get your camera up and people will often adopt an attitude or behave differently.” Her Vulnerable Moments series portrays people in their own environment, exposing their […]

Art

Sealed anguish

We first stumbled upon Melika’s work when she started interning for The Word back in April. She managed to come up with a teaser for our Breakthrough Issue, portrayed dance sensation French Horn Rebellion when we met them for an interview, and immortalized the opening of our Skin exhibition and party, whilst wrapping up her […]

Art

Brussels: where we peruse art

Dog days like these – when meagre desk fans just won’t cut it and the prospect of being in closed quarters has your forehead dripping – are ideal to seek refuge in the vast and deliciously chilled premises of the city’s art centres and galleries. Below are some of our locations of choice when it […]

Art

A photography pilgrimage

Sarah travelled from the Shanghai expo into the highlands of Sichuan Province and brought us back this arresting series of photographs. Her customary soft-spoken snapshots offering somewhat of a poetic narrative to her travels, we thought accompanying credits would simply ruin it. No words, just imagery…

Art

Must See: Wangechi Mutu at Wiels

Today sees the opening of a great new retrospective exhibition of the works of Wangechi Mutu at the Wiels Centre of Contemporary Art. The exhibition is a wonderful array of installation, painting, collage and video, which together represent Mutu’s incredible perception of the world around her. Born in Kenya and currently based in New York, […]

Art

Skin, the videos. Skin, the pictures.

The lovely folks at Sep Stigo Films directed and produced two short films for the photography exhibition and after-party we organised back in April. The first, shot at Delvaux, was projected during the party, greeting and entertaining guests whilst waiting to get in. The second, shot during the exhibition’s Collectors’ Brunch, gets some of the exhibiting artists talking. […]

Art

Stadium invasion

With World Cup craze conquering the globe since last Friday, Nike figured the time was right to launch a new collection of NSW (Nike Sportswear), celebrating this noble sport and the team pride of six of the participating countries. For each country, an artist was selected to design a kit of footwear, coordinated with matching […]

Art

Fragments of the abstract

Three days until our Breakthrough Issue hits the street, here’s a mini teaser series courtesy of Melika, our current photography intern. Soft-spoken and suggestive, the duplicity of its meaning as well as its layered finish lends the series a powerful, theme-specific narative. Photography Melika Ngombe. The serie’s first image will also be making a short […]

Art

Our second exhibition!

So you have it, our second exhibition. This time, we’ve gone for something a little closer to home, presenting the works of five of the magazine’s photographers: Ulrike Biets, Sébastien Bonin, Kris De Smedt, Sarah Eechaut and Sarah Michielsen. The show opens on Friday 23rd April, from 18h00, in the centre of Brussels. Strong work, […]

Art

The unprintables – Your days are numbered

We asked Felicie to create somewhat of an alternative board game for our Morning After Issue. Here, you get the chance to download the game’s unadultured and unobstructed version (complete with an online-exclusive title), as well as an interactive ‘how to play’ guide, just to make your fun that much easier on you… To put […]

Ming Magazine profiles us

How does a Hong-Kong-based magazine with a distribution of over 350,000 copies in China hear about The Word? This is how it all happened: someone from Hong Kong visited Brussels, stumbled upon our Nippon Issue, brought it back to show one of his or her colleagues, who so happened to be a writer for Ming. […]

Art

The unprintables – The shelf

You get in with a preconceived idea. Give it an hour or two and what you had imagined to be the shoot of the decade has changed entirely. For the better… Photography Yassin Serghini, Art direction Melisande McBurnie, Defacto model Lalita Davis For Amazon links: Design Revolution (Thames & Hudson), Remake it Home (Thames & […]

Art

The unprintables – The Word On

To some, the morning’s first rolling stock means blurry eyes, out-of-pocket trips and last stop wake up calls. To others, it means the start of the daily grind, a last chance for inner peace before the routine begins. To Ulrike, it really is just a chance for morning voyeurism. Hazy, absent and unobstrusive. First off, […]