But even the most delicate among us were able to seek out the region’s vibrant art scene. 30 minutes away in the village of Zaventem is Zaventem Ateliersa former industrial wasteland and paper factory turned vibrant community hub that houses 26 independent artists, designers, scenographers, and more in its workshop spaces. There, we peeked inside the studio of Belgian artist and designer Adeline Halotwho combines flax linen with stainless steel wire to create shimmering, ultra-precise tapestries; then headed to ATELIER185 under Clem Vanhee, who practices the almost lost art of Damascus steel forging and knife-making; and finally, to see KRJST Studio’s sumptuously colored woven textiles.
Venturing back into Brussels and heading to its densely populated Saint-Josse-ten-Noode neighborhood, we were also invited into the once-derelict 19th century building that hosts Aygo space. The five-person collective renovated the four-storey townhouse to create a stunning, surreal working and living artists’ space. Salvaged materials and everyday household objects bolstered the vast upcycling and redecorating project, each room with its own spirit: grotto-like bookshelves, a pink cloud of a bed with a fuzzy ceiling fresco like the fur of an anime character, a womb-like bath coated in urethane rubber. It’s a thrilling space run by a super friendly group, that speaks to the potential of a truly creative, sustainable practice, and encourages boundless imagination for your own personal spaces. When I ask around for somewhere to dance, I’m directed to the modernist office tower block that houses Bodies In Spacea temporary multidisciplinary artist residence and events spot hosting queer parties, techno nightsand improvisational dance shows.
Even Brussels’s long established gallery settings are spaces for innovation, with homegrown and international talent. Contemporary art gallery Xavier Hufkens has three locations in Brussels—when I visited its Van Eyck outpost, I caught the Nathanaëlle Herbelin show, with intimate paintings of grief and small, fleeting moments of connection. To mark its 35th anniversary back in 2022, the St-Georges Xavier Hufkens location expanded its minimal, light-splashed space to almost triple the size. Designed by Robbrecht en Daem, its monolithic concrete structure is entirely carbon-neutral. The once-roving Belgian gallery Objects With Narratives found its home in the historic, opulent Place du Grand Sablon in 2024, situating the richly textured metal works of Midnight & Alexander and Ben Storms’s sculptural marble furniture in a Baroque ballroom space. And uniting many in the local scene is Collectible, an annual fair that showcases 21st century design and emerging craftspeople. More than a few people recommended the Fashion & Lace Museum’s ongoing Exhibition about stylethe celebrated, artistic movement-galvanizing local boutique (which you can still visit) that has championed contemporary Belgian fashion for over four decades—on through 2026.
