Cultural Compass: Bruges' magical lights, new themes at KMSKA, dancing at the opera and more
Exhibitions, music, architecture, books, festivals… this is Belga English's pick of cultural activities in Flanders and Brussels, published every Sunday.
Wintergloed transforms Bruges into a luminous winter wonderland with its captivating 3km light trail. This year’s theme, FIRE & ICE, leads visitors from the city centre to a magical ice-scape along the Vesten. Along the way, 10 unique light installations await.
Highlights from the trail include creations such as Firebirds in the Night. At the Gouden-Handrei, history and enchantment merge in a triptych of projections. Fiery birds come to life on the facades of historic buildings, telling a story of warmth and serenity in the Bruges winter night. Their movements light up the canal and its surroundings.
In Snaggaardstraat, the transition from fire to ice unfolds with Stir Up the Fire. Icy needles dangle from trees and LED rods cascade cold and warm light along the walls of the English Monastery.
Each installation along the trail offers a unique perspective on the interplay of warmth and cold, light and shadow. The show runs until 5 January.
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) invites visitors to explore the connections between contemporary and historical art in its second instalment of What's the Story? The exhibition presents a dialogue between the past and present, revealing how artists influence each other's work over time.
For the last three months, KMSKA has focused on the themes Space, Time and Power. The second edition, running until 9 February, focuses on Life, Death, Seduction and Storytelling. Contemporary female artists like Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven and Liliane Vertessen will display art alongside historical works by artists like Constant Permeke and Jacob Jordaens.
KMSKA is one of the few museums that use thematic display as their structure, meaning the works of art are grouped by theme instead of in the more traditional chronological order. Each room in the main collection has a theme that explains why the pieces appear together.
Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (OBV) opens FIELD / Minus 16 on 30 November, a captivating double feature that invites introspection while leaving audiences dancing in their seats.
Former company member Kirsten Wicklund returns to OBV as a choreographer with FIELD, her first major creation for the company. Featuring live performances by OBV's Symphonic Orchestra, the production includes Dmitri Shostakovich’s Eighth String Quartet and Béla Bartók’s Melodia from his Sonata for Solo Violin.
Wicklund conjures a mysterious mirror universe where time feels suspended. Jean Delouvroy’s soundscape and Ivania Carpio’s geometric, abstract set transport viewers to another dimension, while Irina Shaposhnikova’s flowing costumes blend light and movement seamlessly.
The second half, Minus 16, is a celebrated work by contemporary dance icon Ohad Naharin. Since its 1999 debut, this unpredictable masterpiece has dazzled stages worldwide. The dancers dive into Naharin’s unique gaga movement language, swaying between raw power and vulnerability. With its eclectic soundtrack that features Latin rhythms, techno beats and Chopin, Minus 16 keeps audiences guessing and engaged.
© VIDEO ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
The Panamarenko House offers a fascinating journey for all ages, featuring floating machines, pedal-powered helicopters, flying backpacks, submarines, walking chickens and even a rooftop helicopter platform.
“I am not a scientist or someone who makes art objects. For me, the most important thing is that there is sometimes a kind of poetry in what I make,” Panamarenko said of his work.
While Panamarenko’s journey, which began in the 1960s, is celebrated worldwide, few know that most of his creations were born in his studio home. In Antwerp’s Seefhoek neighbourhood, this preserved space offers a rare glimpse into the artist’s life and process, down to the smallest detail. Every Saturday at 11.00 and 14.00, starting on 30 November, visitors are welcome to explore this enchanting world.
Recently granted provisional monument status by the Flemish government, the Panamarenko House is a must-visit for anyone curious about the intersection of art, science and poetry.
Additional cultural coverage from Belga this week: Historic first for Flemish film: Deaf actor takes lead role, Linkin Park to headline Rock Werchter 2025, Magritte painting set to break auction record in New York, British-Guyanese artist Hew Locke to provide context to statue King Leopold II in Ostend, Mechelen artisans restore historical tapestries from Grandmaster's Palace in Malta, Work by Belgian surrealist Magritte sells for record 121 million USD at auction, Antwerp's museums stay up late to celebrate Ensor Night, Science Day in Brussels and Flanders offers over 850 activities
Ongoing events
Whats the Story? KMSKA
Emile Claus: The Prince of Luminisim, Mudel Museum of Deinze
Alechinsky, Pinceau Voyageur
Cindy Sherman, ENSOR 2024, FOMU
Masquerade, Make-up and Ensor, MOMU
Ensor's States of Imagination, Plantin-Moretus Museum
In Your Wildest Dreams: Ensor Beyond Impressionism, KMKSA
Margaret of Parma, MOU
Alternative Narrative, MSK
Lucy McKenzie Super Palace, Z33
René Magritte X Emily Mae Smith, Magritte Museum
(MOH)
#FlandersNewsService | KMSKA © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS