Arne Quinze

Arne Quinze is a contemporary Belgian sculptor. Initially a graffiti artist in the eighties, he is now famous for several urban interventions.

In Brussels, you can admire two of his masterpieces. One in the fancy Kwint restaurant and one nearby the Flemish parliament, in the tranquil Louvain street.

Quinze employs materials which are rarely used together: iron and wood. Most of his sculptures feature a red-orange colour. A feast for the eyes...

Check out Arne Quinze's official website for more info. 

Cinéma Styx

According to Greek mythology, Styx was the river which separated the world of the living from the underworld.

Cinéma Styx is situated close to Place Fernand Coq in Ixelles. It consists of two small rooms. The best thing about it is that there are no commercials before the movies.

The choice of movies is tasteful. Tickets cost only 5€. They are not always the newest movies, but if you missed one in the big cinemas, you are very likely to still find it in the Styx.

The latest movie I saw there was a documentary, Searching for Sugar Man. I warmly recommend it to all romantics and dreamers. Here is the complete soundtrack, enjoy!

P.S. The address is written on the pink ticket;-)

Théâtre de la Vie

The theatre is one of my big loves, although I dislike being in the spotlight.

Brussels has quite a generous theatrical offer. Beside the big theatres everyone has heard of, I was surprised to recently discover a few small theatres, very cosy and good.

Théâtre de la Vie ("The Theatre of Life") is one of them. While waiting in the lobby for the beginning of a play, I couldn't refrain from staring at the rest of the audience. Beautiful people, mostly young, students, dreamers, wearing colourful clothes.

I witnessed there an amazing one-woman show, "Chair(e) de poule". The play was about womanhood in all its facets. The actress, Janie Follet, performed every stunt imaginable on stage: at some point she smashed some eggs with her body and improvised a slide which she used with the joyfulness of a child.

Unfortunately, the play is no longer tête d'affiche. Another hidden jewel I can recommend is Théâtre des Bosons.

P.S. I sincerely dread drama in real life.

On a more romantic note, here is one of my favourite Shakespeare readings ever:

Address for Théâtre de la Vie: rue Traversière, 45 1210 Bruxelles. 

Archiraar

Have you seen the movie "The Cube"? This is how I felt like when I entered the Archiraar gallery.

The owner is an architect. The dazzlingly white walls seem to be closing in on you. And the bright neons enhance the feeling of unrest. 

I recently went to the preview of "Constellations" by Vincent Chenut (by the way, previews are the best occasions to meet interesting-looking people). "Constellations" consists of maps who have been scraped with a scalpel and only few trails of the original maps are visible. 

Brussels is packed with art galleries, but also with people who can afford them. A lot of contemporary art, but also African and 19th century stuff. 

Forget about New York and Paris, Brussels is the new capital of art. 

Address: Rue de la Tulipe 31A

Laurent Gerbaud

Best hot chocolate in town!

Unctuous, thick, not two sweet. Genuine molten chocolate. Served with a glass of plain water. 

Bright, minimalist interior. Transparency. Cool, eclectic music. Splendid view on Palais des Beaux-Arts and Hotel Ravenstein. A treat for the soul. 

Bonus: you get a free praline to go with your hot chocolate. I for one am a sucker for the ones with salted almonds and dried prunes. 

Location: 2 rue Ravenstein, 1000 Brussels

Credits for the first photo here. 

Marx wrote the Communist manifesto in Brussels!

The house stands tall and proud in the midst of Brussels, at the Grand Place, on the left side of the Town Hall. The building is called "Le Cygne" ("The Swan"). 

Apparently, Marx lived in Brussels in different places between 1845 and 1848, after he was kicked out of France. Poor Karl... Friedrich Engels, with whom he drank quite a few Belgian beers, helped him write the manifesto. 

Marx allegedly suffered from poverty in Brussels, the capital of a blooming industrial country with colonies. His poverty might have influenced his thinking and radical ideas.

The agitator Marx ended up being kicked out of Belgium as well in 1848, for causing too much turmoil. 

Bibliotheca Wittockiana

The Bookbinding and Book Arts Museum bears the name of its founder, Michel Wittock. 

It opened its doors in autumn 1983.  Mr. Wittock had been an avid bibliophile and collector of books, manuscripts and autographs. 

On the first floor (a later addition), the reading room with rare books and old manuscripts can be consulted for free. The nostalgics can even follow a bookbinding workshop. 

The building is built into the ground, hidden under trees and ivy. It features a brutalist architecture. Its silence and a sensation of timelessness and safety left a lasting impression on me. 

If you have time, combine this visit with a stroll in the sinuous Woluwé park...

 

Address: 23 rue du Bémel, 1150 Brussels