Author Description

BXL Universel presents a subjective portrait of the bustling city that is the Belgian capital, through archive documents, films, photographs and creations by artists who live and work there. BXL UNIVERSEL is a story where opposites meet, sensibilities collide and humour and seriousness interact within a celebratory structure. The project captures the diversity and uniqueness of this bilingual city where the dialect embodies a wonderful Melting Pot, a tasty mix of French and Flemish. The symbol of this city of folklore is "Manneken-Pis", a chubby boy who urinates, a comical incarnation of a zest for life. A city of contrasts, symbolic of the surrealist spirit, it continually challenges the confines of seriousness, enchanting us while annoying us. BXL UNIVERSEL presents approaches as different as the Weltmaschine (World Machine) by Franz Gselmann inspired by the Atomium, a life's art (Kurt Ryslavy), art embodying the sharing of an ecological conscience (Lise Duclaux), the subjective vision of an image of the city (Pieter Geenen), installations (Charlemagne Palestine, Kendell Geers), photography so close to us that it becomes universal (Vincen Beeckman) and more. --