Press Release: Art Brussels 2016, From Discovery to Rediscovery, 21-24 April 2016

New Location

For 2016, Art Brussels will change location and move to the heart of the city after a 17-year collaboration with

Brussels Expo. The fair will take place in the spectacular landmark building of Tour & Taxis, a turn of the 20th

century customs house, situated in Brussels’ vibrant inner-city area, in close proximity to all the major institutions

and contemporary art galleries. The move to Tour & Taxis enables the fair to prize quality above quantity. The

size of the fair will be reduced from 191 to no more than 140 galleries

New Section

Art Brussels will continue to present DISCOVERY, a section focused on young, emerging artists and galleries,

PRIME, focusing on well-known artists represented by established galleries and SOLO, presentations of the work

of a single artist.

REDISCOVERY will be a new section at Art Brussels 2016, playing a significant role in the development of the

fair’s existing ‘discovery’ profile. The section will be dedicated to art from a period between 1917 and 1987,

presenting artists that have been under-represented, under-estimated, or overlooked.

Exterior of Tour & Taxis at night, the venue for Art Brussels 2016 ©Tour & Taxis. © Tour & Taxis.

Katerina Gregos, Artistic Director of Art Brussels says,

“Tracing a timeline that spans the beginnings of conceptual art to neo-conceptualism, via the majority of the

twentieth century avant-garde, this section aims to excavate and highlight surprising, unknown and original

practices that have not yet broken into the art historical mainstream. REDISCOVERY expands the DISCOVERY

profile of the fair, building a bridge between artistic practices of the present to those of the past that have

suffered neglect. ”

Art Brussels: Contemporary since 1968

Though it retains its youthful profile as a discovery fair, Art Brussels is one of Europe’s oldest and most

established fairs. Founded in 1968 as Art Actuel, it was conceived by a small group of well-respected Belgian

gallerists who each invited a gallery from abroad to exhibit. In the earlier years the fair had a nomadic character

moving between locations as diverse as the Casino in Knokke (1972) to the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels

(1976). In 1989 the fair moved to the former Expo ‘58 premises in Heyzel where it remained until last year.

Until 1997 it was managed by the non-profit Association of Belgian Contemporary Art Galleries, until it was

bought by the Artexis-Easyfairs group, active in multi-format venues and events business at an international

level. Since its inception, Art Brussels has evolved into a must-see international contemporary art fair, and one

of the top European art fairs. The fair receives over 400 applications each year and 30,000 visitors.

With the move to its spectacular new location, Art Brussels continues to evolve, with a view to retaining its

cutting-edge character.

The Selection Committees

The applications to Art Brussels 2016, the contemporary art fair in Europe’s most upcoming and exciting art city,

are open until 15 October 2015. After this date, two selection committees will make their selection for Art

Brussels 2016.

The International Gallery Committee Members for the selection of galleries in PRIME and REDISCOVERY, are:

Augusto Arbizo, 11 Rivington Gallery (New York) - Albert Baronian, Galerie Albert Baronian (Brussels) - Michael

Callies, dépendance (Brussels) - Claudia Cargnel, Bugada & Cargnel (Paris) - Simon Devolder, Xavier Hufkens

(Brussels) - Katerina Gregos, Curator and Artistic Director Art Brussels - Rodolphe Janssen, Rodolphe Janssen

(Brussels) - Thomas Krinzinger, Galerie Krinzinger (Vienna) and Andrew Renton, Marlborough Contemporary

(London).

The DISCOVERY Committee, for the selection of the DISCOVERY section consists of a group of international

curators and gallerists: Michael Callies, dépendance (Brussels) - Aaron Cezar, Director Delfina Foundation

(London) - Zoë Gray, Senior Curator, Wiels (Brussels) - Katerina Gregos, Curator and Artistic Director Art Brussels

- Nikolaus Oberhuber, KOW Gallery (Berlin).

The selection of the SOLO presentations and of the nominees for the SOLO Prize is made by Katerina Gregos –

Curator and Artistic Director Art Brussels.

Practical Information

Press Contacts

United Kingdom and USA

Pelham Communications

Alexia Menikou| alexia@pelhamcommunications.com | +44 (0) 208 969 3959

Belgium and Europe

Gerrie Soetaert | gerrie.soetaert@skynet.be | +32 (0) 475 47 98 69

Dates & Hours

Art Brussels 2016 is at Tour & Taxis from Friday 22 April until Sunday 24 April 2016

Preview Thursday 21 April 2016

Venue

Tour & Taxis

Avenue du Port 86C

1000 Brussels

Belgium

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