Hmm, Very Interesting Part 2...My Belgian Favorites

Lone Wolf by Dzia 

As you know I spent three months in Belgium and had an amazing time, everything was my favorite... While I was there I lived in Antwerp and visited Brussels, Gent, Brugge, Knokke, Roeselare, and Genk. Here are some favorites of my favorites that you can see online:

Daniel Von Wienberger video. It's entirely in Flemish but you will definitely get the idea regardless of language. He's an incredible artist/jeweler and I love this video. 

Nevin Arig is a new Belgian friend and her website and work is beautiful.

Richard Deacon

I discovered Richard Deacon when I saw one of his sculptures in the lobby of a bank in Antwerp. I couldn't find any information on the piece so I did this crazy Google search when I got home and was able to identify him. This made me feel very smart. In addition to his sculptures I really like his 2D work.

Absolutely, hands-down one of my favorite places in Belgium, in Gent to be exact: Verzameld Werk, more than just an art gallery...

Belgium has some incredible graffiti and street art and you can see it, too, at Street Art Belgium. The top photo is one I took of my favorite piece in the Antwerp. It's by Dzia. 

I spent a day on the North Sea beach with Karin in Knokke and saw my first Arne Quinze sculpture. 

Before getting to the beach, we stopped in Roeselare to visit Creme de la Crema, a wonderful jewelry gallery, studio, and coffee lab.

Shop Ra, a concept store so gorgeous I want to live there.

Mater Dolorosa by Simon Marimion

While I Brugge, I spent several hours pouring over an incredible collection of Flemish Art at the Groeninge Museum. It includes six centuries of art and this painting (see above) that stopped me in my tracks. This link will take you to an online collection.

Para-Production by Ni Haifeng, 2012 at Manifesta 9

Manifesta 9. I almost didn't go because I had laundry to do. Good thing I changed my mind--it's one of the best contemporary art exhibitions I've been to. 


A favorite Belgian blog, I Love Belgium.

An American friend told me about the clothing of Walter Van Beirendonck and I found a beautiful shop that had some pieces in stock. The designs, fabrics and tailoring are exquisite.

During a trip to Brussels I got to see the biannual "Flower Carpet," thousands of flowers arranged to look like a rug. Impressive up close and from above.

On my last day in Belgium, my dear friends, Karin and Rene, took me to Doel because they thought it would be perfect thing to do on my last day and they knew I would love it. And I did. It's a ghost town covered in graffiti. This link tells the story of the village and includes lots of pictures of derelict buildings. You can see my graffiti pictures here. 

And finally, and of course, my gallery, Beyond Fashion, where I spent many hours. (Be sure to click on the orange button to see a 360 degree view and my show!)

Thanks for reading.