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June / July / August 2015
Glocal affairs
We are living in crucial times - politically, economically and culturally.
This issue of The Brussels Times Magazine reflects on some of the
topics currently making the headlines.
The European Union and what preceded it was from the very beginning
a peace project aimed at preventing future wars after the destruction
in the Second Word War. Economic cooperation was key in achieving
one of the longest peace periods in Europe’s history. However, the
economic crisis in Europe in the past years has also been accompanied
by a weakened political global influence. The EU may be united in trade
negotiations but its 28 individual member states carry their own agendas.
Citizens feel economically insecure and are losing trust in the EU.
It was not supposed to be like that. EU has adopted the motto “United
in Diversity”. The inspiration comes from the Latin version “Uniti In
Diversitate”, coined by the Italian journalist and peace activist Ernesto
Teodoro Moneta, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1907.
The European Commission explains its motto as follows: “Via the EU,
Europeans are united in working together for peace and prosperity,
and the many different cultures, traditions and languages in Europe are
a positive asset for the continent.”
The main goal of obtaining peace through an economic union has
been achieved. With an enlarged EU, comprising 28 member states
and 24 official languages, the challenge now is to manage a culturally
rich and diverse union while also remaining competitive against single
language trading blocs such as the US and China. If Europe could solve
its economic problems, then we could confidently stand next to other
global super powers and find real strength in our motto - United in
Diversity!
A Make or Break Decade for
Europe?
6
Poverty and Single Mothers in
Brussels
10
Rebuilding the Brussels EU
Quarter - Interview with Alain
Hutchinson
12
When EU Funding Goes Wrong
16
UK - Staying In or Out?
20
Can POLITICO Fill a Gap in the
EU Affairs Media Scene?
25
Poliaesthetica
Reviews: Art Shows in Brussels
and Beyond
28
Focus on Mons 2015:
European Capital of Culture
35
PhilosoPhy, culture and history
In this issue, economist Phillipe Legrain explores Europe’s economic and
political position globally. With the current musical festivals in Brussels,
Alicja Gescinska gives a philosophical reflection on the influence of
music on humanity. We also interview Brussels based photographer
Olivier Brouwers on his successful photo series “Zwanze”, capturing
Belgian culture via surrealist and ironic moments. We hope that you will
enjoy these and the many other stories which you will find in this issue,
and we wish you all a happy summer! We are back again in September.
Capturing Surrealist and Ironic
Moments in Brussels
40
MAD About Brussels - Interview
with Director Alexandra Lambert
47
Brussels, Music and Humanity
50
The Editorial Team
The Brussels Times Magazine
Does the European Parliament
Need to be Reformed?
55
Can Brussels Become a Leading
European “Smart” City?
60
Gathering World and Religious
Leaders Under One Roof
64
On the Cover
Illustration by Lectrr
Publisher
The Brussels Times
Rond Point Schuman - 6 - Schumanplein
1040 Brussels
02 234 63 17
info@brusselstimes.com
ISSN Number: 0772-1633
Founding Editors
Jonadav Apelblat (j.apelblat@brusselstimes.com)
Omry Apelblat (o.apelblat@brusselstimes.com)
lifestyle
Derek Blyth’s Hidden Secrets of
Brussels
67
Contributing Editors
Derek Blyth, Boré Kedober, Philippe Legrain, Bleri Lleshi,
Sarah Johansson and Alicja Gescinska
Brussels Flowertime Returns in
Baroque Style
70
Advertising
Please contact us on info@brusselstimes.com or +32 2 234 63 17 for
information about advertising opportunities.
Staycations - Changing Vacation
Trends in Belgium
74
The 5 Best Restaurants for Meat
in Brussels
78
News Editor
Martin Banks
Art Director and Art Editor
Denis Maksimov
Graphic and Art Designer
Marija Hajster
www.brusselstimes.com
Denis Maksimov is a political consultant, conceptual artist, curator, theorist, writer and a
transdisciplinary researcher of art, power, strategy and future. www.denismaksimov.com.
POLIAESTHETICA
All the
Worlds
The world is changing and changing fast. Today’s
world political structure, founded on the legacy of
the Westphalian Peace Treaty from 1648, is evidently
out of date. The global geopolitical map that followed
after the end of World War II does not represent the
actual political weights between today’s global powers.
Futurologists speak of Europe as a ‘global pension house’
in 20-30 years’ time, as the median age in Europe will
increase to 45 years by then.
We, as mankind, don’t live in ‘the world’ in the singular
sense anymore. Just like before Columbus, we inhabit
‘the worlds’. They are interconnected and close to each
other, thanks to technology. But it is quite obvious that
the solidity of ‘the world’ as a neoliberal, democracydriven ‘train’, with the United States as its engine, doesn’t
exist any longer. The train has lost its steam, speed
and the conductor got confused. Europe is one of the
leading ‘wagons’ of this train and the actual ‘designer’ of
the whole train in the first place. It is confused and lost:
although it denounced its past colonialist approach in
order to maintain its conceptual world primacy, it still
didn’t manage to come up with an alternative vision
for its place in the new world. Europe is at a point of
strategic reconfiguration of its self-esteem. Like a person
in a mid-life crisis, it needs to take decisions that will
affect its development for decades to come.
So - where next, Europe? Some of the exhibitions
reviewed here may inspire you to find an answer.
28 | THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE
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BRUSSELS
‘invitation au voyaGe’
at centrale for
conteMPorary art
// until August 30
open Wednesday to Sunday, 10.30
am to 6 pm,
@ Place Sainte-Catherine 44
admission: €5
Marcel Duchamp is one of the most
important artists of all times. His most
known manifestation is ‘The Fountain’,
where he liberated art from the
closed-minded one-dimensional box of
understanding. Everything can be art as
long as it manifests some valid artistic
statement. Central for Contemporary Art
has staged a retrospective exhibition of the
Marcel Duchamp Prix winners. The award is
given to the artists who work in the spirit of
Duchamp - not being afraid of challenging
status quo. Among the winners, whose
works are presented in the exhibition, are
Thomas Hirschhorn, Saadane Afif, Laurent
Grasso, Mathieu Mercier, Mircea Cantor,
Philippe Mayaux and others.
Thomas Hirschhorn’s legitimately
occupies the main stage with ‘The One
World’ installation. His work is direct
and powerful and doesn’t require
contextualisation - it pretty much speaks
for itself. Topics of neocolonialism,
expansionism and geopolitics occupy a
central place in his artistic research.
Saadane Afif investigates the
metaphysical power of poetry - his
conceptual oeuvres are full of reflection
and philosophical speculation. Acting in
various mediums of artistic production,
he succeeds in the complex positioning
of transmitting ephemeral, fragile but
truly invincible and powerful poetry.
“Flying carpet” by Mircea Cantor,
featuring angels and bombers fuses
political narratives of contemporary
Middle East and its immensely rich
cultural heritage. He questions the
conventional perception of the region’s
past and present time.
Be certain not to miss one of the best
shows seen in Centrale.
ANTWERP
‘ManaMa’ final shoW in Paris
texas antWerP
// June 21-28
open every day except Tuesdays, 11 am to 5 pm
@ Sint-Pietersvliet 6, Antwerp
free entrance
Paris Texas Antwerp is an unusual place:
it’s neither a gallery or studio, nor strictly a
private or public space. Parisian architect
Nathalie Wolberg and Texas artist Tim
Stokes founded this ‘event space’ in
Antwerp several years a ago. The space
turned out to be a one of a kind gem of
architecture and design, and has already
been featured in numerous interior design
publications.
In the last week of June, Paris Texas
Antwerp collaborates with Sint Lucas
Antwerpen to stage a final show of
‘ManaMa’ - the postgraduate MA
Programme in Research of Art and Design.
Twelve artists, curators and theorists
(from Belgium, Iran, Netherlands, Russia,
Montenegro, Portugal, Brazil, Colombia
and Japan), including myself, will show
the results of an intensive year of artistic
research. The differences in voices and
mediums of the group will be mediated
according to a subtle common tune by
curator and art critic Matteo Lucchetti.
If you are interested in exploring some
of the newest waves of conceptual and
contemporary art - make sure to plan
a day visit to Antwerp. You are more
than welcome to join the artists at the
opening vernissage or closing event on
Sunday, June 21 and June 28 from 14.00
to 18.00.
THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE
| 29
Bruce nauMan
at fondation
cartier
Pour l’art
conteMPorain
// until June 21
open every day except
Monday, 11 am to 8 pm
Tuesday evenings until
10 pm
@ 261, Boulevard
Raspail, 75014 Paris
admission: €12
VENICE
Biennale 2015 ‘all the World’s
futures’
// from May 9 to November 22
open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
@ Giardini, Arsenale and various locations
around the city
Venice, Italy
Venice is probably the most inconvenient city in the
world for staging massive art shows. But that fact, on
the other hand, makes it a perfect poetic space for
exhibiting contemporary art. The Venice Biennale
established the format of the international art exhibition
in 1895, which since then has become a benchmark:
there are more than a hundred biennales around the
world at the moment. The Biennale in Venice remains
the most prestigious of all. It is, in a way, the fair of fairs
and the show of the shows. Every two years, one of the
most prominent curators in the world takes over the
planning of this magnificent, multidimensional event.
PA R I S
The event is colossal: 2 main exhibitions, around 100
‘national pavilions’ and 50 ‘collateral’ events is just the
official program of the Biennale. Each pavilion and
collateral event is basically an exhibition on it’s own. The
two main exhibitions are so big, that you would need at
least a day to just walk one through without too much
haste. The whole experience of the Biennale is uniquely
impactful: each day makes you feel like you have read
hundreds of books.
Bruce Nauman is one of the most important artists
in the history of conceptual art. His ‘Fountain’,
a conceptual response to Marcel Duchamp
revolutionary ‘ready-mades’ has influenced art
around the world. In Venice Biennale this year, his
critical neon artworks ‘welcome’ the visitors in the
Arsenale main project of ‘All the World’s Futures’.
For the exhibition in Fondation Cartier, ”the artist
made a careful selection of recent works never
before shown in France, along with some earlier
installations, created from a wide array of media
that he has explored throughout his career. This
exhibition reflects his continued interest in linking
his works to their environment and intensifying
the audience’s physical and emotional experience
to his pieces. The immersive works on display
were thus chosen for their resonance with the
Fondation Cartier building, and emphasize the
contrast between the transparency of the ground
floor and the enclosed lower level”.
Apart from the main spaces of the museum,
the exhibition also features a special installation
created by Nauman in the garden of the
Fondation.
30 | THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE
In this year’s edition, the curator is Okwui Enwezor, the
director of Haus der Kunst in Munich, the first chief
curator of Venice Biennale with an African origin (he
was born in Nigeria). The central theme of the megaexhibition this year is at the height of what it means
to be ‘political’ - ‘All the World’s Futures’. Enwezor’s
message is very timely - he invited hundreds of
curators from all around the world to reflect on
the subject of possible futures. The universality of
the Western-led model of liberal democracy and
capitalism is questioned. The world has already
become multipolar, even though the leading
‘superpower’, the United States, will still occupy a
special place on the world map for some time to
come. The other global players - China, India, Brazil,
the EU and Russia - seem to have the ambition to
work out alternative visions of the world.
The point of departure and central text in the
exhibition is Marx’s ‘Das Kapital’. I’m afraid that
this is the biggest conceptual disappointment of
the curatorial concept. Speaking about the future
with the 19th century text of Karl Marx sounds to
me rather outdated. I am not saying that this text is
unimportant now - quite the opposite. The actuality of
Marx’s legacy is the very essence of ultra-capitalism:
the reduction of life to materialism explains why
his book is the most re-printed edition in human
history after the Bible. But I would argue that it is
much more important to look at the possible futures
with contemporary philosophical and conceptual
perspectives. The works of John Rawls, Thomas
Piketty, Gilles Deleuze are ‘fresher’ and more relevant
to current events.
Enwezor’s Biennale is definitely worth a mindful visit.
Both main exhibitions, one in Giardini (the gardens,
that were the first location for the exhibition more
than 100 years ago) and the other in Arsenale (the
former military arsenal of Venice - makes one recall
that Venice was a mighty state once) provide plenty
of food for thought. The pavilions are still presented
by countries, making Biennale look like a world fair
(which is also staged in Italy, in Milan, by the way - just
a few hours of train travel from Venice).
The ‘Olympics of Contemporary Art’ comes to mind,
especially as one learns about the ‘Golden Lion’
awards that are presented by a committee for ‘best
artists’ and ‘best pavilions’.
THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE
| 31
BIENNALE 2015 HIGHLIGHTS
The Canadian pavilion, which was playfully
renamed to ‘Canadassimo’, is my personal
favourite. You enter a fake regular small shop,
the kind of which you find at gas stations in
Canada, the US or elsewhere. It is full of junky
stuff, but most of them are strangely blurred. The
reference to our ever speeding consumer culture
is evident: we don’t focus on precious items
anymore. The abundance of logos, boxes of every
kind and the crazy colour palette of the shelves
makes us feel dizzy. You go further in the second
room and find yourself in a ‘factory’, where
copies and imitations are produced. Templates,
paint cans, brushes, tools and everything else
that is necessary to copy, paste, imitate and
massively produce. Finally, you go upstairs to
a constructed external balcony where you are
invited to put a couple of euros into a meta-slot
machine: and then observe how the coin will pass
through the bouncing mechanisms and end up
stuck somewhere in the transparent wall of the
pavilion. The whole pavilion reads as a playful
introduction to the market economy.
The pavilion of the Nordic countries (Norway,
Finland, Sweden) presents an amazing
installation named ‘Rupture’ by Camille Norment
with broken windows and sound pieces. It is
produced by very unusual musical instruments.
The Belgian pavilion, directed by Vincent Meesen
and curator Katerina Gregos, unpacks a postcolonial outlook from a group of artists covering
history and present. The Netherlands pavilion
treats Herman de Vries’ multidimensional artistic
32 | THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE
research about the future. The Spanish pavilion
looks at the future heritage of pop culture by
referring to the past.
Apart of the main projects of the Biennale
covering the topic of ‘All the World’s Futures’,
numerous respectable art foundations and
centers also stage their own exhibitions in
different locations around the city. Fondazione
Prada is an ‘absolute must’: the conceptual
quality of the show is at the very top of the
spectrum. During the Biennale, the show
‘Portable Classic’, co-curated by Salvatore Settis
and Davide Gasparotto, explores the origins and
functions of miniature reproductions of classical
sculptures. It showcases more than 80 artworks.
‘The copy of the copy of the copy‘ exhibition
illustrates how Renaissance artists employed
small-scale copies to elaborate hypotheses on
the missing portions of the classical originals.
When you plan your travel, keep in mind that
the best time to visit the shows is when they are
not overcrowded, for example in August. The
downside of this period would be the extreme
heat, up to +40 degrees. Another good moment
would be end of November, which falls during
the last days of the Biennale. Some of the
events, for example ‘Eccoci!’ (‘Here we are!’),
a performance piece by Brazilian artist Berna
Reale (imagine an artist who is also a forensic
investigator in Belem’s police force in Brazil), will
be re-staged during the last three days of the
Biennale.
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Van Gogh’s Heritage Exhibition at BAM, Mons
focus on Mons 2015:
euroPean caPital
of culture
Interview with former Belgian Prime Minister,
Elio di Rupo
THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE
| 35
View from Belfry Tower
E
lio di Rupo didn’t forget his home city when he was
Belgian Prime Minister in 2011-2014. Mons, where he
currently is mayor, was nominated European Capital
of Culture in 2015.
“For us it’s
a start of a
new period
for the next
10-30 years.
It’s a new
brand for
the city, but
also a lot of
possibilities
forcreativity.”
I spoke with di Rupo during the launch of the new cultural
highlights in the town. They will continue to serve the
inhabitants long after the end of 2015.
Denis Maksimov (DM): Is it a city rebranding itself
itself??
Elio di Rupo (ER): It’s more than that. It’s very important
for us to create a real separation between the past and the
future. We had a lot of heavy industries with thousands of
workers. They are all closed now - just like as in Manchester,
UK, and similar cities.
I wanted to identify the field for the future. It was obvious to
me that the field encompasses creativity, new technologies
and culture. We invested a lot of money originating from the
European Commission towards this goal. Then we had the
idea of becoming European capital of culture.
For us it’s a start of a new period for the next 10-30 years.
It’s a new brand for the city, but also a lot of possibilities
for creativity. I’m sure a new generation of creative talents
in Mons will attract investors to the city. For us it was very
important to offer inhabitants and visitors a city undergoing
a metamorphosis or transformation.
Street Installation in Mons
36 | THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE
dM: Do you have in mind a ‘transdisciplinary
city’?
er: Exactly, that’s the idea. We renewed a lot
of buildings, but not to remain ‘in the past’.
Instead we focused on finding new purposes
to older buildings. It’s a demonstration of what
is really important from our past and what
we can do in the 21 century. Many buildings
were transformed. The Patrimonium [museum
of the First World War] is a good example
- we fully transformed it. The Artotheque
is the same - an 18th century building from
the outside but completely modernised and
innovated inside.
dM: Do you believe that art in general has the
potential to transform society for good?
er: Certainly. For example, Daniel Libeskind’s
and Santiago Calatrava’s buildings in Mons
will for sure create a flux around them.
It’s exciting to live around these kind of
architectural gems, just like in Bilbao with the
Guggenheim Museum for example. I believe
we can achieve similar results.
Highlights of Mons 2015
The program of the European Capital of Culture
includes the opening of several new sights in
Mons.
One of the most exciting from my perspective
is the artotheque. The 18th century building
was fully renovated inside and re-purposed into
Artotheque
38 | THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE
becoming something that you can probably call
‘library and research centre 2.0’. Imagine that you
walk in to a library and find not only books but also
artworks, objects and a media bank, all contributing
to enhance your research in multiple dimensions.
Not only researchers benefit from this offer - any
citizen or visitor can come to The Artotheque
to study, learn, browse around with or without
a research goal. The project will surely trigger
curiosity in the community.
The second best place among the new sights
in Mons 2015 are the city installations and
interventions in the public space. ‘Phrase’, the
poetry in the streets, composed and carried out
by Karelle Ménine and Ruedi Baur, literally covers
the city walls, roads, sidewalks and benches with
poetry. Alicia Martin’s installation ‘Biografias’ pouring a fountain of books from Mons University
library is probably the most visually impressive
of all of them. Filip Gilissen contributed with
‘spread you wings’, cheesy but definitely a likeable
sculpture that will become a darling for local and
visiting instagramers.
van Gogh’s heritage retrospective at Musee
des Beaux Arts (BAM) is definitely worth a calm
and reflective visit. The museum succeeded in
assembling a staggering presentation of rather
unknown works from private and public collections.
Be sure to plan at least one full day to discover
the highlights of Mons’ transformation into a 21st
century city.
Alicia Martin, ‘Biografias’
THE BRUSSELS TIMES MAGAZINE
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