Cultural Compass: Fashion as memory, impressive art collection and tales from Brussels

Every Sunday, Belga English picks its favourite events from the cultural agenda. This week: Belgian fashion delves into the memories of some of its most iconic designers, 120 works from the Proximus Art Collection come into public view and Brussels residents share defining moments in their everyday life.

Memory is Home, until 31 January, Modemuseum Hasselt

At Modemuseum Hasselt, Memory is Home steps away from the polished surface of the fashion industry to explore the friendships, coincidences and personal memories that quietly shape creative lives. Co-curated by Bianca Quets Luzi, the exhibition brings together 18 influential figures connected to Limburg, including Raf Simons, Martin Margiela, Hannelore Knuts and make-up artist Inge Grognard.

Rather than focusing on catwalk spectacle or iconic garments, the exhibition uncovers the intimate stories behind celebrated careers. Visitors discover how the foundations of the Dirk Bikkembergs label were laid through a chance meeting between student workers in a bakery, while Raf Simons’ lifelong friendship with Elke Bernaers began over bowls of soup at school.

The exhibition blends fashion photography by figures such as Juergen Teller and Steven Klein with deeply personal objects: Marina Yee’s small wooden mannequin, the brush used by Inge Grognard during Martin Margiela’s legendary 1993 “Black Show”, handwritten notes and even a vintage telephone playing recorded memories and advice.

Running throughout the exhibition is the idea of Limburg itself, with its forests, traditions and sense of closeness. These aspects profoundly shaped the internationally renowned creatives represented in the exhibition.

Proximus Art Collection: Conversation Poem, until 14 July, ​
​Hôtel des Douanes, Tour & Taxis, Brussels

Few would associate Proximus with contemporary art, yet for the past three decades, the telecom operator has quietly built one of Belgium’s more intriguing corporate collections. To mark the anniversary, the exhibition Conversation Poem brings 120 works from the Proximus Art Collection into public view at the Hôtel des Douanes on the Tour & Taxis complex in Brussels.

The collection, which now includes more than 400 works by Belgian and international artists, was founded on the idea that art can challenge conventional ways of seeing and spark dialogue. Rather than functioning as decoration, the works are displayed throughout Proximus offices to inspire employees and encourage reflection.

That spirit carries through the exhibition itself. Conversation Poem explores exchange and contrast: between people, ideas, nature and technology, stillness and movement. Some works subtly echo themes of communication, though the exhibition is less about telecommunications than about contemporary art’s ability to connect different perspectives.

The line-up is notably strong, bringing together photographers such as Andreas Gursky, Bieke Depoorter and Dirk Braeckman alongside artists including Sammy Baloji, Thomas Schütte and Francis Alÿs.

Brussels City of Traces: Storytelling Festival, 23 May, Muntpunt

Brussels City of Traces: Storytelling Festival turns the city itself into a living archive of memories, routines and personal histories. The project invited Brussels residents to reflect on the simple questions: Where do you leave traces in Brussels? Which spot knows your habits? The answers, gathered through writing, textile and visual arts workshops, became the basis for ten stories transformed into a collective soundwalk through the city.

What makes the festival particularly compelling is its focus on the unnoticed rituals that quietly define urban life: familiar tram routes, favourite cafés, recurring encounters and the invisible traces people leave behind. One workshop invited participants to “create a shared map of an imagined new city” through collective queer writing, while another transformed personal movements through Brussels into a textile map stitched with colours and lines.

The festival combines exhibition, live storytelling, workshops and open-mic moments, but at its heart is something more intimate: a portrait of Brussels as seen through the memories of the people who inhabit it every day. It is less about grand narratives than about small human details, the kinds of stories that usually disappear into the noise of the city.

​​(MOH)

_{​#FlandersNewsService | Models present creations by Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons ​
​© PHOTO VALERY HACHE VALERY HACHE / AFP}

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