Wiels — Attraction in Forest - Vorst

There is nothing bad to tell about the museum itself but a recent exhibition they provide fall drastically short of the first impression when people enter this building.

A paramount example would be this "magical Realism" exhibition that I recently visited. The only magical thing that is real about this is that it managed to find a place as an exhibition, if you don’t count as “magical” the crude reality of the radicalization of otherwise democratically-inclined people towards the far-right ideology. I am telling this because I witnessed the absurd bafflement of, especially older, people trying to make sense of the nonsense thrown at them, embellished, to put it kindly, by all sorts of fancy, politically-correct words in a language that is written definitely by replacing all the simple words with their rarest synonyms in the dictionary -- perhaps, in an unconscious attempt to deflect and hide the guilt of appearing with such art pieces in the very first place.

For one, after studying many years and pursuing a PhD in Philosophy, I felt like being fooled and made fun of. I’d even say humiliated – and that would actually be something positive – but I think there is such an absence of intention and seriousness here that feeling humiliation would be unjust to the emptiness it provokes. Except for a few pieces, nothing endures in this exhibition, because nothing marks you in any way. Many days after visiting, I still have no recollection, no impression, nothing about this exhibition. What was the purpose? Despite the inclusivity of the exhibition (with many non-European names), everything had this same sense of non-seriousness, fakeness, pure-performativeness, emptiness. How is it possible that all this “diversity” produces something that says nothing in the end? How do all these fancy, political words refer to nothing in the end?

I know that I have been harsh so let me also propose a defence of the exhibition. Perhaps, their entire point is to be frivolous – after all, why so serious? I think if we assess this exhibition on the basis of pure play, perhaps people who are attuned to pure play, for whom life makes sense as pure play (which is to say, very privileged people), you can take this exhibition actually “seriously” and even perhaps admire it. On this account, perhaps we are talking about two very different worlds. I would, of course, acknowledge the existence of such a world but simply also accept that it does not...

WIELS is one of best contemporary art centre in the Brussels placed in the former Wielemans brewery. WIELS has three exhibition platforms with a total exhibition space of 1,800 m2 (19,000 sq ft), an auditorium, studio workshops for artists-in-residence, and a café/foyer and bookshop in the monumental brewing hall.

WIELS is an international laboratory for the creation and the diffusion of contemporary art. Focusing on visual arts, but granting a particular attention to the crossings and interactions with other disciplines, the centre wishes to present contemporary art in all its diversity and to offer a permanent dialogue with the developments and the most recent debates of...

If I want to watch videos on YouTube I'll just stay home, just send me the link... Paid 4€ (student concession) and I regret almost every penny. The docents are talking very loudly, joking and laughing, some others were on the phone and seeming to have an argument with a member of their family. I've never been to such unprofessional art gallery. Definitely not worth the price, some installation were working due to technical difficulties. My gf and I were so excited to visit the Wiels gallery, even though its access is not located is a great neighborhood. So disappointed, the only positive point is that the building has a panoramic roof on the 5th floor with a nice view...