CENTRALE for contemporary art

CENTRALE : contemporary art exhibitions in Brussels

Nestled in a former power station in the heart of Brussels, CENTRALE for contemporary art is the contemporary art centre of the City of Brussels.
It develops a committed vision of art, beyond boundaries, and connected to the city and to society.
Each year it collaborates with confirmed and emerging artists from Brussels and the international scene to produce exhibitions and multidisciplinary projects housed in its various premises.

CENTRALE | hall presents exhibitions where confirmed visual artists based in Brussels enter into dialogue with the artists of their choice, along with group exhibitions showcasing a variety of approaches.

CENTRALE | box hosts emerging artists and supports them in the development of their projects.

Since 2021, CENTRALE | vitrine, at 13 rue Sainte-Catherine, showcases the projects of four artists selected through an annual open call.

CENTRALE also works with Brussels’ art schools. Since 2017 it has offered residencies to students enrolled in the CARE Master – exploring the plural practices of exhibition making – initiated with the Académie royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles. In addition, in July 2020, the first edition of the Brussels Videonline Festival, organised in partnership with seven Brussels-based art schools, broadcast the films of twenty-one recently graduated art students. The festival is now held every two years in February.

Stemming from the visual arts, CENTRALE expands its programme with performances, concerts, art film screenings, meetings, debates, and more. Priority is given to partnering with other local and international cultural institutions.

People, audiences, are at the heart of CENTRALE’s missions: everyone – art lovers and neophytes, individuals and school groups, associations and families – can discover artworks and activities, be it a guided tour, a workshop, participation in a work in progress, etc.

CENTRALE’s mediation team offers specific attention to the needs of organisations and school groups in order to create tailor-made activities in relation to the exhibitions. The MOODBOARD, visible at the reception of CENTRALE, reveals a part of the mediation work happening both in situ and with the neighborhood.

CENTRALE is ultimately a comprehensive cultural project, the project of a capital city, a project for everyone, artists and audiences.

Sophie Whettnall & Etel Adnan. La banquise, la forêt et les étoiles © Philippe De Gobert
Sophie Whettnall & Etel Adnan. La banquise, la forêt et les étoiles © Philippe De Gobert