We all know the not-so-secret recipe for Belgian fries: we double fry. But do you know where we serve them? At one of the many frietkots found on main highways and town squares (reportedly over 5000 in our little country). These traditional fries shops are slowly disappearing from the street view due to strict food regulations and urban planning. Luckily we have the paintings of Gillis Houben to remember us of the strange beauty of a patched up van alongside the road. Read the rest of this entry »
13
May
2013
May
2013
Frietkot Painting
22
Apr
2013
Apr
2013
Five questions for Liv Vaisberg
Next up is Poppositions founder and director Liv Vaisberg. Conceived as an experiment with the art fair format, Poppositions is a pop-up fair changing location for each edition and featuring artists proposed by galleries and organisations working with site-specific exhibitions. They want to provide an alternative to the white cube environment of standard fairs while nurturing high artistic standard. Read the rest of this entry »
21
Mar
2013
Mar
2013
Cabinets Of Curiosities
A cabinet of curiosities is an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorial boundaries were yet to be defined. Modern terminology would categorize the objects included as belonging to natural history, geology, ethnography, archaeology, religious or historical relics, art works and antiquities. Read the rest of this entry »
20
Feb
2013
Feb
2013
Knitted Psychedelica
Design Platform Limburg was so kind to invite the I Love Belgium design editor to judge a bunch of new creative talent for the Toegepast 18 competition. It was here that we discovered the work of Isabel Tesfazhi. We were immediately captured by her graphic knit and art/design proposals. Organic forms, artisan knit knowledge and a passion for tribal culture make the work of Isabel unmistakable fascinating! Read the rest of this entry »
6
Feb
2013
Feb
2013
Kanal Art
It’s all about art! Or at least in Belgium. Enter a small village and an artwork will welcome you, enter a small house and a piece of art will be hanging from the wall. Probably it wont be a Magritte, but at least the art loving DNA is embedded in our culture! One more reason to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the canal Roeselare-Leie in West-Flanders with an artistic collaboration project. The idea? What do you get when several artists get in contact with local industrial companies who thrive throug the waterway? Read the rest of this entry »
8
Jan
2013
Jan
2013
Them Sculptures
The Christmas and New Year’s Eve period is best know for its bright lights and musical abundance! Yet this winter something with the same elements but with a whole different outcome drew our attention. We’re talking about the work of Them Sculptures. Belgian-Dutch artist duo Tom Dekyvere and Han van der Tol are the masterminds behind light, form and sound projects which they’ve been designing for several European light festivals. Read the rest of this entry »
3
Dec
2012
Dec
2012
I Love Belgium interviews Athos Burez
From super models (check our last interview with Belgian hottie Cesar Casier) to photography, is only a small step. The I Love Belgium team met young photographer Athos Burez in the Ghent party scene a few years ago and even than there was something special about him. He has a master in fine arts and a master in photography. In his photography, he combines elements from both disciplines to give an imaginary twist to seemingly mundane daily life scenes. Read the rest of this entry »
26
Nov
2012
Nov
2012
Storytelling Art
Once in a while the I Love Belgium mailbox receives some excellent Belgian creativity! This was also the case when Tournai based illustrator Stéphanie Maton contacted us to showcase her work. We immediately fell in love with here drawings and the stories behind them. Centred around individualism and the conformity which reigns our society, her work perfectly represent contemporary conceptual illustrations! Read the rest of this entry »
17
Nov
2012
Nov
2012
Bonom: graffiti art
Britain has Banksy, Belgium has Bonom! Since 2006, Bonom showcases his own impressive style: going for big, remarkable, sketch-like, fluid lines that end up in animal and skeleton drawings. For these he searches grey and basic buildings in the city centre of Brussels. Hanging from a rope he paints the night away. This gave Bonom the past years the unofficial title of a town legend. Read the rest of this entry »
30
Oct
2012
Oct
2012
Luc’s Factories
Who says industrial buildings can’t be pretty? Ask graphic designer turned artist Luc Van Maldern and he’ll convince you of the opposite with his highly-stylized prints. Since 1978, Luc celebrates the beauty of imaginary and virtual industrial buildings without any element of melancholia. Read the rest of this entry »
17
Oct
2012
Oct
2012
Mind Interiors
Every year, thousands of creatives flock to Belgium to start or continue their eduction in one of our many highly esteemed art schools and conservatories. One of those is Serbian born Dušan Lazić who decided to spend some time at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent (also known as KASK). In June, Dušan graduated from the master program in Media Arts, where he presented his highly stylized visual art/motion design. Read the rest of this entry »
4
Oct
2012
Oct
2012
The Sublime Stephane
With art fairs Art On Paper, Fotofever and art festival Nuit Blanche ahead, another art-packed weekend awaits Brussels! But what to see? The I Love Belgium team recommends Stéphane Mandelbaum’s retrospective. The work of Stéphane, murdered at the age of 25, is an exceptional display of a natural tormented talent! In his frenzied search for an identity, Stéphane obsessively and repetitively committed to paper anything which came into his head. Read the rest of this entry »
13
Sep
2012
Sep
2012
Beyond the Picturesque
Ok, before we start the article we have to admit something! This time we “borrowed” the title from an excellent exhibition at S.M.A.K some years ago. Back then we also discovered photographer Geert Goiris beautiful stylized work. While going through his photographs we spontaneously fell in love with his Whiteout series! Read the rest of this entry »
18
Aug
2012
Aug
2012
JustSo Belgian
The best concepts are based on the simplest principles. A great example would be the work of the creative Jasbir Sandhu. Together with Axia Environment, she developed a collection of wearable art depicting a country’s identity. Read the rest of this entry »
7
Jun
2012
Jun
2012
Beaufort # 3
Over the past few days the Belgian weather abruptly changed (we’re quite used to it now). So we said goodbye to the sun and welcomed back our raincoat. That’s why we continue our Beaufort series with a … colourful, partly human, Big Coat on Zeebrugge’s St. George’s Day Promenade Read the rest of this entry »
1
Jun
2012
Jun
2012
Sleep Around The Clock
Yes, sometimes the finest Belgian B&B’s and hotels receive some I Love Belgium love. As we assume you’ll visit Belgium after seeing and reading our blog, we’ll make sure you’re housed in the most welcoming places. So this time we go to Ghent and have a look at the temporary hotel-room, 23 m above the ground and build around the clock tower of Ghent’s main train station. Read the rest of this entry »
29
May
2012
May
2012
Beaufort # 2
We continue with our Beaufort04 series with these playfull benches of Danish artist Jeppe Hein. This time we’re on the dyke of coastal village De Haan where you can find his ‘Modified Social Benches L-U’. Making a bridge between street furniture/design and art, Jeppe’s work speaks to all of us, even if we haven’t asked it to. Read the rest of this entry »
25
May
2012
May
2012
Human Escape
Ghent-based photographer Stefanie Geerts caught our attention with her stunning Human Escape series. These painting-like pictures make use of old film rolls, hence the beautiful colour palettes and surprising distortion. They capture the beauty of commercial venues with doubtful scenery such as punk festivals, fairgrounds and medieval markets. Read the rest of this entry »
23
May
2012
May
2012
Beaufort # 1
As the temperature is rising, we know it’s time to talk about Beaufort04. The Triennial has become an indispensable cultural event which is not to be missed. The Belgian coast and contemporary art have found one another again through monumental installations and intriguing works of art embedded in the unique biotope of the dynamic coastal municipalities. That’s why the I Love Belgium team decided to post one artwork every week! Read the rest of this entry »
17
May
2012
May
2012
The Verbeke Foundation
Where do you find a private art domain where culture, nature and ecology go hand in hand? In Kemzeke (yes, it’s in the middle of nowhere) The Verbeke Foundation offers all of this, since 2007, when it first opened its doors. They give chances to young artist while holding an impressive collection of modern and contemporary art. Read the rest of this entry »
