Downtown Brussels Art returns for a new edition in the heart of the capital
17 art venues bring the centre of Brussels to life with an artistic parcours.
Following its growing momentum, Downtown Brussels Art returns this spring with a new edition set to animate the city centre on Saturday, May 30th, 2026. Bringing together galleries, institutions, private collections and artist-run spaces, the event invites visitors to discover Brussels through a curated route spanning multiple locations in the heart of the capital.
From established institutions to independent initiatives, Downtown Brussels Art highlights the richness of local practices while fostering connections with international artists and audiences. Visitors can follow the parcours using a dedicated map allowing them to navigate the different spaces at their own pace. Conceived as an open invitation to both art professionals and curious visitors, the event offers a unique opportunity to experience the city through a cultural lens.
More than an exhibition format, Downtown Brussels Art contributes to the vitality of the neighbourhood. By opening doors and creating synergies between venues, artists, collectors and the wider public, the initiative supports Brussels-based artists while reinforcing the city’s position as a dynamic hub for contemporary art.
Among the highlights of this year’s edition, argos centre for audiovisual arts presents Becoming Ancestors, a group exhibition bringing together international artists to reflect on memory, transmission, and the role of ancestry in shaping possible futures. Through a dialogue between Indigenous and Western perspectives, the exhibition questions how connections to the past can inform new imaginaries.
At UNLOCQ53, artist Marin Kasimir opens his artist-run space for Downtown Brussels Art. Developed as an extension of his long-standing practice, the space reflects his ongoing exploration of architecture, urban space, and perception. Through installations using translucent carbon paper and panoramic compositions, Kasimir transforms the site into a luminous environment, where layers of memory, light and spatial experience unfold.
Also featured, Galerie Greta Meert presents two solo exhibitions of new work by Belgian artist Pieter Vermeersch and American artist Noam Rappaport. Vermeersch’s new marble works continue his exploration of material and perception through subtle gradients that oscillate between abstraction and representation, while Rappaport’s shaped canvases and painterly constructions blur the boundaries between painting and sculpture through unexpected formal relationships.
Meanwhile, the Vanhaerents Art Collection presents Reflections on Breathing by Jeppe Hein, an immersive and participatory exhibition centered on the act of breathing. Through interactive installations, visitors are invited to contribute to a collective work, transforming an individual gesture into a shared experience. On the occasion of Downtown Brussels Art, thepublic will also be invited to take part in the relational artwork Breathe With Me by painting their own breath onto the walls of the Project Space.
Across the parcours, visitors will encounter a wide range of practices; from painting and sculpture to photography, installations, and performances, reflecting the plurality of today’s artistic landscape. The event will also create unexpected encounters by bringing art into diverse contexts, encouraging visitors to rediscover familiar spaces through a new perspective.
Participating venues include: MAD Brussels, Sofie Van den Bussche, Cloud Seven, Vanhaerents Art Collection, Dépendance, //GAGGARIN//, Wouters Gallery, Saint Martin Bookshop, Galerie Christophe Gaillard, Galerie Greta Meert, isSI Projects, UNLOCQ53, Harlan Levey Projects, ARGOS, iMAL, From Brussels With Love and Fondation Carrefour des Arts.
Downtown Brussels Art is supported by VISIT BRUSSELS, NECA, AESTHETE STUDIO and the City of Brussels.
Practical information
Saturday 30 May 2026: Downtown Brussels Art
Link to website: https://www.downtownbrusselsart.be/
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