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To celebrate the centenary of Surrealism, there have been a number of special exhibitions in various museums in Brussels. One of them is coming to a close on  June 2nd so if you haven't been to the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) to see their fascinating show James Ensor: Inspired by Brussels, do yourself a favour and go before it's too late. Daan van Heesch, the curator of the Department of Prints and Drawings at the KBR explains how Ensor, known as " painter from Ostend" had very strong ties to Brussels and how, though he was not a surrealist, he claimed to be an inspiration to the Surrealists.
https://www.kbr.be/en/agenda/expo-ensor/
February 22 to June 2 2024

There are over 80 artisanal bakeries in Brussels but it's not always easy to find them. Luckily for us, journalist Géry Brusselmans created the website Tartine et Boterham which supplies all the information you need to be able to eat the best bread and pastries available; He also puts out a guide and the 2024 issue came out recently. We spoke with Brusselmans at the launch party for this year's edition.
www.tartine-et-boterham.be

There's a new museum in downtown Brussels: The Museum of Infinite Realities (MOIR) in which the visitor calls a lot of the shots; so it's immersive but also reactive. Co-founder Kristian Gilroy explains how  visitors become the hero of their own visit.
https://www.museumofinfiniterealities.com/en

The role of the arts during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), which devastated large parts of Europe, lies at the heart of an international exhibition at the House of European History.
The exhibition Bellum et Artes (War and Art) demonstrates how the warring parties used the arts as a propaganda tool and to show off their power. In the midst of a brutal war that cost millions of lives, works of art became ambassadors of peace. Bellum et Artes is part of a Europe-wide cooperation involving a dozen institutions from seven countries. The project is led by the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) and the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD).
Curator Jitka Mlsova describes what the visitor will experience.
https://historia.europa.eu/en/exhibitions-events/temporary-exhibitions
Through 12 January 2025

At the crossroad of art, curatorial practices, architecture, graphics, typography and cartography, the Belgian pavilion at the Venice Biennale features UNESCO recognised giants from Belgium, Northern France and Spain, 15 feet tall and made of wicker, fabric and papier-mâché, dancing and twirling thanks to dedicated giant carriers. The collective The Petticoat Government, a group of multidisciplinary artists has created this year’s Belgian participation and members of the collective explain what they are up to.
https://wbarchitectures.be/en/news/Belgian-Pavilion-at-Venice-Biennale-2024-/1384/

11 days, 3 competitions, 48 programs, 300 films, 76 screenings and much more! It's the 27th edition of the Brussels Short Film Festival (BSFF) and it's back with much loved categories such as the all night session, the very very short shorts and the open air sessions, as well as some new categories.
Co-founder and director Céline Masset brings us up to date.
www.bsff.be
April 24th to May 4th