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

On 2 April, the Belgian Embassy in Beijing inaugurated Cosmopolitan Fossil, a temporary bronze sculpture (220 cm) presented as part of the Embassy’s cultural programme. The installation introduces Chinese audiences to Vanmechelen’s exploration of biocultural diversity, hybridity, and humanity’s relationship with life and nature. Max Recollecte, Public Diplomacy Counsellor, states: “The Belgian Embassy is pleased to welcome Koen Vanmechelen for the inauguration of Cosmopolitan

A landscape is never finished. It shifts with the light, the seasons, the hand that works it. What happens when contemporary art settles into that landscape and the walker is asked to slow down? The Ooidonk Art Festival returns for a fifth edition, this year deliberately concentrated: one location, around twenty artists from Belgium, Northern France and the south of the Netherlands, a trail through meadow, grazing cattle and the open horizon of the historic Goed te Réables es

Intimacy is the space where we come closest to another and where we are most exposed. Why does nearness draw us in and unsettle us at the same time? What do we surrender when we let someone in, and what do we keep behind the door? Intiem (Intimate), the summer exhibition at Villa Les Zéphyrs, is curated by guest curator Jan Leysen as a meditation on closeness. Leysen, a criminal defence lawyer and a collector of contemporary art since the age of seventeen, drew together eight

On Sunday, June 7, LABIOMISTA in Genk hosts the ninth edition of the Day of the Cosmogolem — a vibrant family day dedicated to connection, imagination and the power of children and young people. This year’s theme, Never Alone, explores what it means to grow, dream and belong together. At the heart of the event stands the Cosmogolem, the giant wooden figure created by Koen Vanmechelen in which children from around the world leave messages, wishes and dreams. Installed in more

The Brenta Riviera has always been a place of transit — between Venice and the mainland, between private wealth and open water. This spring, two of its historic villas become sites for new work by Koen Vanmechelen, shown as part of Ancestrale, an arts and culture festival rooted in the landscape and history of the river. The works on view at Villa Moscheni Volpi and Villa Widmann were first presented at the opening of We Thought We Were Alone, Vanmechelen's major exhibition a

From 1 April to 5 May 2026 Koen Vanmechelen is both a featured artist in GLASSTRESS – The Modern Art Revolution in Venice at Tsinghua University, as Chief Artistic Director of the project. The exhibition, curated by Ma Sai, Dean Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University and Adriano Berengo, founder Berengo Studio, brings together 56 artists from over 20 countries and presents more than 60 works. Unfolding across four thematic sections, it explores the role of glass within