Art on the Maas: a travelogue, Z33, Hasselt (BE), July 16 - October 25, 2026
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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 to the lived experiences of local communities. This dynamic context became the starting point for a series of works that connect landscape, memory and future perspectives. Over the past years, public sculptures appeared along the Meuse in the cities of Dilsen-Stokkem, Kinrooi, Lanaken, Maaseik and Maasmechelen.
The exhibition unfolds as a spatial narrative, designed by artist Olivier Goethals, guiding visitors through the Maas Valley as both a physical and conceptual journey. Temporary works that have since disappeared from the landscape re-emerge through documentation, models and sketches, while the permanent installations form a continuous thread between past and present.
Within this context, Koen Vanmechelen’s Future Fossil reflects on coexistence and adaptation, bringing together human, animal and environment in a layered composition rooted in the river’s history. The project is presented by means of a scale model and collage. His work, alongside artists including Mark Dion, Jennifer Tee, Germain Kruip, Adrien Tirtiaux and Laure Prouvost, contributes to a broader exploration of how art can inhabit and respond to a living landscape.
"The risk of a public artwork is that it gets ignored, slowly loses its meaning, and is ultimately left uncared for. That's why the artworks in this project share two features: on the one hand, they are monumental with international reach; on the other, they hold meaning for both the landscape and the local population." - Tim Roerig, curator Z33
As the Meuse continues to shape its surroundings, Kunst aan de Maas: een reisverslag offers a moment to look back and to reconsider the role of art within this ongoing transformation — as a carrier of stories, a marker of presence, and a point of connection between people and place.
Kunst aan de Maas is an initiative by Z33 and the Regional Landscape Kempen and Maasland (RLKM), in collaboration with the municipalities of Kinrooi, Maasmechelen and Lanaken, the cities of Maaseik and Dilsen-Stokkem, Tourism Flanders and De Vlaamse Waterweg. More info https://kunstaandemaas.be
EXHIBITION FACTS
Kunst aan de Maas: een reisverslag
16 July — 25 October 2026
Z33, House for Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture
Hasselt, Belgium