Spanish master Francisco de Goya (1746–1828) is famous for his grand portraits of nobility, as well as his brutal, unvarnished representations of injustice, violence, and social turmoil.
His own work, dazzling and disturbing by turns, has deeply influenced the shared imagination of what counts as “Spanish” art and continues to captivate audiences today. At the center of Europalia España’s principal exhibition, Goya’s paintings and etchings engage in conversation with those by his contemporaries and by subsequent generations of artists, disclosing the extent of his formal, conceptual, and ideological inheritance.
The exhibition is among the biennale art festival Europalia’s 30th edition. Forty years after its inaugural edition in 1985, the festival offers a multidisciplinary programme encompassing visual arts, architecture, theatre, dance, music, performance, film, and literature.
With Goya at its heart and inspiration, it will present approximately 100 events throughout Belgium, featuring over 170 artists and providing new insights into heritage, creativity, and Spanish cultural wealth.
Belgian International Art Festival, 11 & 12 October, Antwerp
Art enthusiasts, collectors, and the artists themselves unite at the Belgian International Art Fair (BiAf). BiAF is unique because the art will no longer be mere intangible objects that sit behind glass, but will line up alongside the artists who created them. The environment allows for a chance to learn about the artists’ vision and to purchase directly from them.
This year’s edition boasts a colorful lineup of Belgian and international artists presenting visual work from many fields, from paintings and sculptures to installations and one-off design.
At its core, BiAF is about the relationship of creator and viewer, of the recognized and the newcomer. If you’re interested, motivated, or eager to buy, this is not an ordinary art fair; it is a coming together of stories carved, painted, chiseled, and dreamed.
ANTE Festival, 11-12 & 18-19 October, Brussels
Following on from the success of the BANAD Festival, Explore. Brussels has initiated a new autumn outing: ANTE, discovering the “long 19th century” (1780–1920), an era of stylistic revolution, experimentation, and innovation that established the groundwork of modernity.
Through guided walks, lectures, rambles, and cycling, tourists will discover the capital’s best-kept secrets, from neoclassical palaces and neo-Gothic monuments to eclectic homes and mysterious treasures such as ex-banks and Masonic lodges.
The programme also features workshops, school and family events, and adapted visits for different audiences. A total of some 500 guided tours through the neighbourhoods of Brussels will open doors usually shut to the public, showing how artistic, social, and technological trends influenced the capital’s built heritage.
A Question Mark Hangs Over Gaza, to 22 October, Pavilion of Human Passions, Brussels
This intimate show beckons the visitor into the lives of children within the Gaza Strip, where every moment is impacted by the day-to-day conflict. Playtime, education, and even optimism are tainted by the ever-present threat. Commissioned by Palestinian photographers and filmmakers, this free show juxtaposes compelling images with real soundscapes captured at home, on the street, and in shelters to capture the emotional truth of Gaza.
Through these voices, the show is a witness both to pain and resilience, and to a call for a ceasefire and justice for all kids in the world. Guests are encouraged to “Bring your heart, open your ears and be a witness to the stories that demand we remember: children, even in the hardest places, are never to be forgotten.”
