Belgium: What’s On in Belgium in the coming weeks…
Mondo Cane – Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys: In 2019 a new edition of the Venice Biennale took place. The Belgian pavilion hosted an exhibition of twenty dolls made by Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys. The dolls in the central area of the pavilion were artisans: a spinner, a potter, a painter, an organist and a town crier. The spaces to the sides were closed off to the public by prison bars. Behind these bars were the captives. They included a living statue, a collaborator, a ventriloquist and a disgruntled old lady in a wheelchair. A number of the dolls were powered by electric motors that enabled them to perform repetitive movements. In these spaces, the figures will become part of a Contemporary Museum of Folk Art, a place where old traditions and contemporary customs intersect. 19 February – 24 May. BOZAR. www.bozar.be
Brussels, dance! Brussels, dance! will once again put contemporary choreography in the spotlight. Brussels attracts creative professionals from here and elsewhere, who come to take advantage of the effervescence of a lively, inventive and exciting capital where dance talent can meet and produce. Fourteen cultural venues are exchanging and pooling their
programming under the label Brussels, dance! to provide greater visibility for contemporary dance being done today and to show its richness and diversity. It makes Brussels shine and encourages audiences to enter sites that are sometimes unknown to them, by encouraging spectators and artists to move around. This year, 14 cultural centres will bring together their programmes under the label. 1 February – 4 April. Various venues, Brussels. www.brusselsdance.eu
