Etablissement d’en face

May 28

The name Etablissement d’en face derives from its first location in the Rue d’Artois Nr.52. Hidden behind a nondescript façade, the center made use of the industrial lettering from the building across (saying Etablissement) as a distinctive reference. Hence the name Etablissement d’en face (Across from the Etablissement).

Within the context of Brussels’ underdeveloped visual arts culture in the early nineties of last century, the non-institutional and non-commercial exhibition space of Etablissement d’en face was welcomed like an oasis in a desert. As such, it met the demands and necessities of artists and the general public of Brussels, who acknowledged the new initiative from the start by a wide attendance and enduring support.

In 1998 the staff of Etablissement d’en face renewed itself when curator Kurt Vanbelleghem became its artistic director. He afterwards proposed the Etablissement as a platform for young curators such as Philippe Van Cauteren and Eva Gonzalez-Sancho and as a place for lectures by artists, architects and curators. In 1999, Etablissement d’en face established, together with Els Roelandt, the monographic art magazine A Prior. Other highlights of this period were a large public intervention by Marin Kasimir and exhibitions by Koenraad Dedobbeleer, Manon de Boer and David Claerbout.

All information on Etablissement d’en face can be found on this site.