Koen Vanmechelen presents We Thought We Were Alone, his first solo sculptural exhibition in Venice, now open to the public at Palazzo Rota Ivancich, coinciding with the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by James Putnam, the exhibition unfolds across three floors, bringing together more than 40 new works that explore relationships between living organisms and the inorganic environment, where transformation and coexistence emerge beyond fixed

When 150 Genk residents became the rhythm section for Vasco Ribeiro Casais and his project OMIRI, Nieuwe Kempen listened to itself anew. Weaving everyday sounds – from welding steel to pouring tea – with live electrofolk, local talent, and outdoor projections, it turned community into shared art. Brought to Genk by Koen Vanmechelen, it proved the global exists only through the generosity of the local.

For over thirty years, Koen Vanmechelen’s work has found its way into homes, museums, institutions, private collections, and public spaces across the globe through a dedicated network of international galleries. Strong, valuable partners continue to carry this philosophy forward, and alongside these lasting collaborations, a new chapter has now begun with the opening of TERRANIDI, a dedicated gallery space for the artist’s universe. Taking its name from nidus, the Latin word

Invited by Koen Vanmechelen, Portuguese electrofolk artist OMIRI (Vasco Ribeiro Casais) spent the past year collecting the stories and sounds of more than 150 people from Genk, shaping them into a living musical portrait of the city.

Published by Lannoo Publishers, We Thought We Were Alone is the new catalog by Koen Vanmechelen, capturing the soul of his major solo exhibition in Venice. Featuring sharp essays from an exceptional group of contributors, intimate reflections, striking imagery, and a chapter on his collaboration with musician Youssou N’Dour, the book invites readers to explore what it truly means to share a complex, interconnected world.

With Kunst aan de Maas: een reisverslag, Z33 brings together the full trajectory of the large-scale initiative that brought art into the Maas Valley, tracing its evolution from initial ideas and temporary interventions to the permanent works now embedded in the landscape. Developed in close dialogue with the shifting environment of the Meuse Valley, the project invited five artists to engage with a territory shaped by change — from flood cycles and ecological transformation

Since May 2026, a new permanent sculpture by Koen Vanmechelen has been installed in Dilsen-Stokkem: Future Fossil, created as part of Kunst aan de Maas. Situated along the Meuse, the work enters into direct dialogue with the river, its history and the communities that have lived alongside it for generations. Future Fossil begins with the place itself. Its base is formed from old sandbags, once used in moments of urgency to hold back the force of the water. Over time, they h

Koen Vanmechelen joins GLASSTRESS, one of the most internationally influential collateral events of the Venice Biennale, for its grand debut at the Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum. The exhibition, "GLASSTRESS: The Flowing Carnival of Venice," opens on July 18, 2026, marking the first comprehensive presentation of this landmark international art project in Shanghai. Housed in a century-old historic building at the core of the Bund, the exhibition stages an artistic dialogue that tr

Caring is never self-evident. It asks for attention, patience, and the choice to preserve what is valuable and protect what is fragile. What if we saw care not as duty but as a way of engaging consciously with the world? Àmare is an art trail in and around Damme that connects contemporary art with landscape, heritage and experience. Founded in 2023 by entrepreneur Luc Beke and curator Annelies Ysebaert, it grows from 2026 into a biennial. The third edition, The Art of Care, u

Glass is never innocent. It seduces, glints, cuts, shatters, preserves. What happens when artists stop treating this fragile material as decoration and start using it to carry tension, metamorphosis, loss? GLASSTRESS 2026 returns to Venice and Murano. Founded in 2009 by Adriano Berengo as a collateral event of the Venice Biennale, GLASSTRESS brings together more than fifty artists this year, all working alongside the master glassmakers of Murano. Curated by Adriano Berengo, J