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22/4/2009

Artbrussels

Brussels Expo, Bruxelles

The 27th edition of artbrussels opens on 24 April 24th. The fair ranks among the top European contemporary art fairs and gains importance every year. Welcoming more than 32 000 professionals, collectors, and art lovers from all over Europe and beyond, the fair is the European epicentre for contemporary art in April.

More than 1 500 artists are represented: young, emerging talent and galleries alike, as well as established names showing a selection of their finest paintings, sculptures, photos, video, and other installations.

Brussels, capital of Europe
As European capital, Brussels has defined itself as an increasingly cosmopolitical and multicultural city, a hotbed and laboratory for contemporary art. Many foreign artists have settled in the city in recent years and foreign galleries have opened branches slowly but surely.
In this way, galleries such as Barbara Gladstone (USA), Nathalie Obadia (F) and Almine Rech (F) have recently opened new gallery spaces in Brussels.

Belgium is renowned for its large number of private collectors of contemporary art, which makes participating in artbrussels particularly attractive for foreign exhibitors. The corporate world shares a similar interest and supports the vibrant art scene in various ways.
Brussels also offers a rich variety of artistic events, coinciding with artbrussels, and can take pride in a unique architecture, a distinctive fashion and design scene and an incomparable culinary offer.

The importance of art fairs
Gallery owners actively take part in art fairs since more than three quarters of their turnover is realized outside of the gallery space. This is why art fairs have become increasingly more important. In a relatively short time span, the art lover can get an overview impression of the contemporary artistic landscape and compare prices and quality. The participation of 61 new galleries, some of which have returned after a shorter or longer absence, is significant.

The most prominent newcomers are:
Continua / CRG / Modern Art / Neu / Gladstone / Kewenig / The Breeder / Fons Welters / Alison Jacques / Filomena Soares / Beaumontpublic

Profile
artbrussels has a young and solid image, presenting – aside from distinguished names – a large number of works by young promising artists from various countries. This formula attracts an audience of art lovers as well as museum directors, art critics, and art collectors who are presented a comprehensive view of the current and avant-garde developments in the international contemporary art field.

Karen Renders, Exhibition Director
artbrussels is organized by Artexis. Karen Renders, exhibition director, explains her view as follows:
"The quality of the galleries and the exhibited art works is of the utmost importance, even more so than in recent years. Only those galleries who demonstrate an innovative, contemporary vision and promote their artists in an international context can be considered for participation in the fair. The restriction of the number of participating galleries is a conscious choice. The contemporary art world operates on a global level, erasing borders between countries. The fact that for years we have opted for quality is definitely - especially considering the present economic situation - of seminal importance.

The Luc Tuymans exhibition at Wiels opens, and this is no coincidence, on April 22nd. This is also where we have planned our party. This is just one example of collaboration between institutional organisations and our own private initiative. During the fair itself we also actively collaborate with various museums. For instance the kid"s corner organized by Wiels, the Bozar bookshop, and the debates in which Sint- Lukas (Gallery of the University College of Art and Design) is taking an active role, to name but a few. Following last year"s success, HISK will be organizing the café again.

Every year we pay specific attention to new projects. For this 27th edition, 7 women artists, living and working in Brussels, are invited to produce a site-specific work or intervention on the fair grounds, which is sure to add an extra dimension to artbrussels 27.

In collaboration with the City of Brussels we organise the exhibition !Art in the City", in which ten or so sculptures (presented by galleries participating in the fair) will be exhibited in Egmont Park (Avenue de Waterloo, adjacent to the Hilton Hotel). The city intends to acquire one of these outdoor sculptures. All of these elements, together with an exiting side programme, are sure to make artbrussels a unique event in Europe."

Off-programme and debates
The 27th edition of artbrussels will again present an off-programme including international exhibitions in Belgian museums and visits to private collections. A complete overview of the off-programme is included in the supplement.

Debates
The programme includes debates with prominent figures in the contemporary art world.
Friday 24 and Saturday 25 April, conference room Hall 3

Artists project artbrussels 2009

For the third consecutive time, artbrussels provides a platform for a number of artists, enabling them to create work specifically for the fair. Women artists have always been a minority. With the advent of feminism in the seventies, several women artists emerged, mainly within the conceptual art field. Presently, almost forty years onward, the percentage of women artists is still lower than that of male artists.
There is, however, no lack of talent, as exemplified by the selection of feminine art which has been selected according to the principle of established and new talent. The following 8 women artists, living and working in Belgium, were invited by exhibition director Karen Renders for the 27th edition of the fair:

Carla Arocha (& Stephane Schraenen) °1961 Caracas (Venezuela) / lives and works in Antwerp.
Charlotte Beaudry °1968 Huy (B) / lives and works in Brussels.
Fia Cielen °1978 Brussels (B) / lives and works in Brussesl.
Berlinde De Bruyckere °1964 Ghent (B) / lives and works in Ghent.
Sophie Nys °1974 Borgerhout (B) / lives and works in Ghent & Richard Venlet °1964 Hamilton (AUS) / lives and works in Ghent.
Els Opsomer °1968 Brussels (B) / lives and works in Brussels.
Kelly Schacht °1983 Roeselare (B) / lives and works in Ghent.

Sculpture project “Art in the City”

With the support of the City of Brussels, Artbrussels presents !Art in the City", an outdoor sculpture project with artworks provided by participating galleries. For the duration of the fair, the sculptures will be exhibited in Egmont Park (behind the Hilton Hotel). A committee of specialists, assembled for this very occasion, will make a selection from the exhibited sculptures. The City of Brussels will acquire the selected work and later provide a permanent display on avenue de Stalingrad in the Midi Station district. Brussels aims to energize its public spaces by integrating art in the city.

Collaboration with museums
Collaboration between the private sector and institutional organisations is not always obvious. artbrussels bridges the gap! SMAK, MUHKA, MIDDELHEIM, and Kunstmuseum aan zee will actively participate via five or so large projection screens installed at various locations on the fair grounds. The programme includes items concerning museums, artists, projects, the fair itself, the sculpture project, the artists" project, interviews... Additionally, there will be a great number of joint projects with institutional and private organisations.

PR Officer: Gerrie Soetaert - Press & Communications
Populierstraat 9 Rue du Peuplier BE-1000 Brussels T +32 (0)475 479869 F +32 (0)2 2193027 gerrie.soetaert@skynet.be

Preview: 23 April, noon till 4 pm (press + upon invitation only)
Press presentation: 23 April at 4 pm (press only)
Opening: 23 April, 4 tilt 10 pm (upon invitation only)

Brussels Expo, halls 1 and 3
Place de Belgique 1, 1020 Brussels
Ring Brussels 0, Exit 7bis or 8
Opening hours:
from 11.00 am till 7.00 pm
Tickets:
Day ticket: 15 $
Reduced price: 10 $ (for students and groups of more than 10 persons)
Catalogue: 25 $
Combi-ticket (1 entry ticket + 1 catalogue): 35 $

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