Centrale for contemporary art

23/02/2026

The permanent closing of Centrale (2006-2026) is damaging an entire ecosystem.

As a contemporary art venue with national and international reach, Centrale has promoted, exhibited, supported and produced the work of many emerging and established artists since its creation. For and with its audiences, it has organised thousands of events, guided tours, workshops, performances, meetings, etc. – and welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to the heart of Brussels, defending the values of inclusivity and sustainability on a daily basis.

Over the years, mediation work has been carried out with all audiences, both individuals and groups: associations, teachers, nursery, primary and secondary school pupils, higher education students, etc.

As an incubator for emerging visual arts in Brussels, Centrale has been a springboard for many visual artists through its programming, calls for projects and applications, and multiple partnerships.

Centrale is all about long-term partnerships that are cut short: award ceremonies (Art Contest, Médiatine, Carte de Visite, Ceramic Brussels, ARBA-esa); co-productions; exhibitions that will no longer take place there; 10 years of collaboration with the Care Master's programme at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels; the Brussels Videonline Festival with six Brussels art schools promoting the work of their alumni; six years of support for Pass à l'acte, a co-creation project with various schools in the capital.

Behind Centrale is a network of professionals who implement the projects.
Centrale is a team of 20 people; it is also hundreds of artists who produce and exhibit, perform or lead workshops; it is guest curators, guides, and a wide range of professions: exhibition set-up and dismantling, lighting and sound technicians, press agency, translation, photography, graphic design, conservation and restoration of works of art, publishing, printing, poster display, transport, insurance, accounting, catering, and many other collaborations.

Closing an art centre that has been operating for 20 years without notice means putting an end to an ambitious, committed and deeply humanistic project that serves artists, audiences and society.

19/02/2026

[Funeral of Centrale]

To mark its closing, announced by the Mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close, last December, and taking effect at the end of the current exhibitions – Michel Couturier, Làzara Rosell Albear, Grégoire Motte – Centrale is offering a performance on 21 February, designed as a highlight of gathering in a context where culture is increasingly threatened.

The event will begin at 4 p.m. with an electro-acoustic concert by Làzara Rosell Albear, accompanied by Laura Robles Marcuello, a multi-sensory experience and immersion into the soundscape of the artist between Brussels and Cuba. The two artists will be joined at 5.30 pm by the brass band Art Ensemble of Brussels in a procession on Place Sainte-Catherine, conceived as a final ritual.

Admission will be free throughout the last weekend (21 & 22 February), to allow as many people as possible to visit Centrale one last time before it closes permanently.

Practical information

Saturday 21 February
4pm: Performance by Làzara Rosell Albear and Laura Robles Marcuello
5.30pm: Procession by Art Ensemble Of Brussels, Làzara Rosell Albear and Laura Robles Marcuello

21 & 22 February
Free admission to Centrale

Copyright: noirsiys

18/02/2026

[Léa Sommet]

During this final week before Centrale's closing down, we present the artists scheduled at Centrale.

Léa Sommet would have exhibited at Centrale | vitrine starting in February 2027.

Léa Sommet lives and works in Angers. She uses ancestral techniques such as crochet, weaving, tapestry and knitting to create sculptures and installations. She also practises other techniques such as engraving, ceramics and text, always drawing inspiration from living things. The circulation of these skills, which are passed down from generation to generation, is a central issue in her practice. Aware of the damage caused by industrialisation, which is leading to the gradual disappearance of certain species and techniques, her work focuses on research related to preservation and transmission.

Through these different skills, Léa Sommet evokes microscopic landscapes on the boundaries of imagination. Her works are deployed on different scales and are inspired by the shapes and colours of certain species such as algae, sea anemones and different types of coral. As the textile industry is one of the causes of the destruction of nature, Léa Sommet mainly uses natural, recycled materials or low-tech techniques for waste recovery or alternatives such as seaweed thread.

Léa Sommet holds a bachelor's degree in tapestry and textile arts from ArBA-EsA and is currently studying at the TALM School of Art and Design in Angers.

Photo 1: Léa Sommet, Anémones, 2023, climbing ropes, hooks, ligatures, 70x85x70cm.
Photo 2: Léa Sommet, Récifs, 2022-2023, climbing ropes, hooks, ligatures, 65x140x120cm.évoquer

17/02/2026

[Xavier Duffaut]

During this final week before Centrale's closing down, we present the artists scheduled at Centrale in 2026.

Xavier Duffaut would have exhibited at Centrale | vitrine with "Panoramars" starting in November 2026.

Xavier Duffaut lives and works in Brussels. His installation "Panoramars" gathers several mannequins dressed as astronauts to depict urban and everyday situations on the planet Mars. Both joyful and disenchanted, the work functions as a satire and a metaphor for the consumerist atmosphere and the social inequalities in modern “smart cities”.

Deliberately ambiguous, Xavier Duffaut's practice is characterized by pastiche, the appropriation of objects and their performative activation. Avant-garde art history and popular culture merge, as do the profane and the sacred, the tragic and the grotesque. By playing with ambiguities between humor and seriousness, chic and cheap, fake and authenthic, he offers an offbeat vision of consumerism, new technologies and social success associated with work.

Xavier Duffaut graduated from ENSAV La Cambre in the Printmaking Department.

Photos : Panoramars, 2024, watercolor on Fabriano Artistico 300g, polished copper frame, 110 x 70 x 5 cm. ©Ben Baltus photography

17/02/2026

[Oya]

During this final week before Centrale's closing down, we present the artists scheduled at Centrale in 2026.

Oya would have exhibited at Centrale | vitrine with "Umbrellas" starting in September 2026.

Oya lives and works in Brussels. Oya has been working on the project Umbrellas since 2024. The installation consists of large-format drawings and various objects used as umbrellas. The changeable weather and showers in Brussels create comical situations: Oya observes people in the streets using clothes, cardboard boxes, bin bags, and sometimes even their dogs to protect themselves.

What governs our daily lives? Oya's work simply questions our everyday actions. Objects are manipulated and transformed. By transgressing their usual functions, Oya determines a succession of experiences and repeated actions following precise protocols. Each question posed in the work is also a question posed to the viewer. Is reality absurd? Where is the truth? Where can poetry intervene?

Oya graduated from ENSAV La Cambre in engraving and printed image. Oya is currently doing a master's degree in editorial practices (MULTI) at ArBA-EsA.

Photos: umbrellas, 2024, pencil on paper, 75x110cm

12/02/2026

[Yue Yuan]

Over the coming weeks, we will introduce you to the artists programmed at Centrale in 2026.

Yue Yuan would have exhibited at Centrale as part of the group show "Side by Side" starting in April 2026, with curators Sébastien Ricou and Badïa Larouci.

Yue Yuan lives and works between Paris and Brussels. From one story to another, Yue Yuan’s practice moves through performances, publications, and spatial interventions, inviting the audience to step into the narrative as a character. He once took a coin from the Trevi Fountain to borrow a wish; swapped umbrellas with strangers to exchange the sound of rain; and distributed invitation cards for an exhibition which will take place in ten years. These gestures leave almost no trace, except for an enigma lingering in memory. Attuned to the flow and transformation of stories, he reveals the personal imaginations that take root within each retelling. Like recipes — the earliest forms of open-source knowledge — stories offer ingredients that can be altered across time, place, and season to create endless variations.

Yue Yuan graduated at HISK (Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten) in 2023 and at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris (DNSAP) in 2019.

He received a prize from Centrale as part of Art Contest.

Photos : A Dream, scan from the book 1982, Janine, London, Jonathan Cape, first edition (1984), wallpaper -Yue Yuan, 2025. © A. Raimbault, SIRA (art residency and exhibitions, Asnières).

10/02/2026

[Serena Vittorini]

Over the coming weeks, we will introduce you to the artists programmed at Centrale in 2026.

Serena Vittorini would have exhibited at Centrale as part of the group show "Side by Side" starting in April 2026, with curators Sébastien Ricou and Badïa Larouci.

Serena Vittorini lives and works in Brussels. With a background in psychology and photography, her current research explores domestic space as a device of power, where structures of care and control shape bodies and relationships. Through installation, photography, and moving image, she manipulates and reconfigures everyday objects to expose mechanisms of domination and imbalance at work in social roles and daily life.

Serena Vittorini studied Psychology at the Gabriele d’Annunzio University (Chieti), graduated with honours from ISFCI Photography School (Rome), and completed a Master’s degree in Photography at IED (Milan).

She received a prize from Centrale as part of the ARTopenKUNST Carte de visite contest.

Photo : Serena Vittorini, Architecture of Care (Chair), 2024. Digital photography, variable dimensions.

[Serena Vittorini]

Au cours des prochaines semaines, nous vous présenterons les artistes programmé·e·s à la Centrale en 2026.

Serena Vittorini aurait exposé à la Centrale au sein de l'exposition "Side by Side" à partir d'avril 2026, avec les curateur·ices Sébastien Ricou et Badïa Larouci.

Serena Vittorini vit et travaille à Bruxelles. Avec une formation en psychologie et en photographie, ses recherches actuelles explorent l'espace domestique comme un dispositif de pouvoir, où les structures de soins et de contrôle façonnent les corps et les relations. À travers l'installation, la photographie et l'image animée, elle manipule et reconfigure des objets du quotidien afin de mettre en évidence les mécanismes de domination et de déséquilibre à l'œuvre dans les rôles sociaux et la vie quotidienne.

Serena Vittorini a étudié la psychologie à l'université Gabriele d'Annunzio (Chieti), a obtenu son diplôme avec mention à l'école de photographie ISFCI (Rome) et a obtenu un master en photographie à l'IED (Milan).

Elle a reçu un prix de la Centrale dans le cadre du concours ARTopenKunst Carte de Visite.

Photo : Serena Vittorini, Architecture of Care (Chair), 2024. Photographie digitale, dimensions variables.

05/02/2026

[Clara Villier]

Over the coming weeks, we will introduce you to the artists programmed at Centrale in 2026.

Clara Villier would have exhibited at Centrale as part of the group show "Side by Side" starting in April 2026, with curators Sébastien Ricou and Badïa Larouci.

Clara Villier lives and works in Brussels. She works by assembling scenographic elements to create installations that integrate programming, sound, sculpture and performance. She constructs and stages micro-universes where power relations and the need of care are replayed on a detailed scale. She collaborates with other artists and technicians to address issues such as working conditions in the events and theatre sector. Her critical approach highlights relational issues in the world of work through an intersectional approach to struggles.

Clara Villier holds a master's degree from the Institut supérieur des arts et du design in Toulouse.

She received a prize from Centrale as part of the Carte de visite contest.

Photo 1 : Clara Villier, detail of the installation « Si l’abus est un excès alors je veux être son roi » - 2024 - thermoformable, moving blanket, polyurethane, screen printing
Photo 2 : Clara Villier, detail of the installation « Ensemble 5, rétablissements » - 2024 - multiplex, vinyl glue, screws, imitation pine bark

03/02/2026

[Ooops I drew it again]

Over the coming weeks, we will introduce you to the artists programmed at Centrale in 2026.

Ooops I drew it again would have exhibited at Centrale as part of the group show "Side by Side" starting in April 2026, with curators Sébastien Ricou and Badïa Larouci.

Ooops I drew it again lives and works in Brussels. Under this pseudonym, a fragmented, narrative universe unfolds, akin to a visual diary. He practices free drawing in an intuitive manner, often tinged with humour. Obsessions, observations, memories: each image becomes a vignette of life. His visual work takes the form of numerous series of small formats (postcards), embroideries, linocuts and installations.

Justin Gistelinck holds a master's degree in art history from UCLouvain.

He received a prize from Centrale as part of the Carte de visite contest.

Photo : Ooops I drew it again, Handthusiast, 2023, pigmented Indian ink and watercolour on paper, 10x15cm. ©Justin Gistelinck

[Ooops I drew it again]

Au cours des prochaines semaines, nous vous présenterons les artistes programmé·e·s à la Centrale en 2026.

Ooops I drew it again aurait exposé à la Centrale au sein de l'exposition "Side by Side" à partir d'avril 2026, avec les curateur.ices Sébastien Ricou et Badïa Larouci.

Ooops I drew it again vit et travaille à Bruxelles. Sous ce pseudonyme, se déploie un univers fragmenté, narratif, proche du journal intime visuel. Il pratique le dessin libre de manière intuitive souvent teintée d’humour. Obsessions, observations, souvenirs : chaque image devient vignette de vie. Son travail plastique se matérialise par de nombreuses séries de petits formats (cartes postales), de broderies, de linogravures et d’installations.

Justin Gistelinck est diplômé d’un master en histoire de l’Art à l’UCLouvain.

Il a reçu un prix de la Centrale dans le cadre du concours ARTopenKunst Carte de Visite.

Photo : Ooops I drew it again, Handthusiast, 2023, encre de Chine pigmentée et aquarelle sur papier, 10x15cm. ©Justin Gistelinck

29/01/2026

[Kemy Obafemi]

Over the coming weeks, we will introduce you to the artists programmed at Centrale in 2026.

Kemy Obafemi would have exhibited at Centrale as part of the group show "Side by Side" starting in April 2026, with curators Sébastien Ricou and Badïa Larouci.

Kemy Obafemi lives and works in Brussels. She creates collages, puzzles and landscapes using various techniques such as tapestry, tufting and patchwork. She places the recycling of household linen at the centre of her artistic research. She draws on inherited objects and domestic spaces to construct a material memory of the home. An intimate exploration of transmission, the origins and the symbolic significance of objects.

Kemy Obafemi studied at ESAM Caen in France. She graduated from ArBA-EsA in Brussels with a degree in Tapestry - Textile Arts.

She received a prize from Centrale as part of the Médiatine contest.

Photo : Je trouve, je retrouve, je récupère, je reçois, installation, Brussels 2024. ©2024-Kemy Obafemi

[Kemy Obafemi]

Au cours des prochaines semaines, nous vous présenterons les artistes programmé·e·s à la Centrale en 2026.

Kemy Obafemi aurait exposé à la Centrale au sein de l'exposition "Side by Side" à partir d'avril 2026, avec les curateur·ices Sébastien Ricou et Badïa Larouci.

Kemy Obafemi vit et travaille à Bruxelles. Elle confectionne des collages, des puzzles, des paysages à travers différentes techniques telles que la tapisserie, le tuft ou encore le patchwork. Elle place la récupération de linge de maison au centre de ses recherches plastiques. Elle puise dans les objets hérités et les espaces domestiques pour construire une mémoire matérielle du foyer. Une recherche intime sur la transmission, les origines et la charge symbolique des choses.

Kemy Obafemi a étudié à l’ESAM Caen en France. Elle est diplômée de l’ArBA-EsA à Bruxelles, Tapisserie - Arts Textiles.

Elle a reçu un prix de la Centrale dans le cadre du concours Médiatine.

Photo : Je trouve, je retrouve, je récupère, je reçois, installation, Bruxelles 2024. ©2024-Kemy Obafemi

27/01/2026

Melissa Medan]

Over the coming weeks, we will introduce you to the artists programmed at Centrale in 2026.

Melissa Medan would have exhibited at Centrale as part of the group show "Side by Side" starting in April 2026, with curators Sébastien Ricou and Badïa Larouci.

Melissa Medan lives and works in Brussels. Through an exploration of class struggles and power relations in the workplace, she creates work rooted in reality, where each form questions structures of power. The artist works from images found on the internet, which she assembles into rudimentary animations, a kind of collage. Playing with the principles of artificial intelligence, the artist imagines individuals who are the result of a convergence between human and algorithmic functioning. The consequence of their interactions is a world of loneliness, misunderstandings and dialogue falling on deaf ears.

Melissa Medan graduated from ESAPB Bayonne in 2015 and ISDAT Toulouse in 2017. She studied at Le Fresnoy in Tourcoing until 2018.

She received a prize from Centrale as part of Art Contest.

Photo : transfert d’image de pigeon sur frigolite, 2025. ©Mélissa Medan

[Melissa Medan]

Au cours des prochaines semaines, nous vous présenterons les artistes programmé·e·s à la Centrale en 2026.

Melissa Medan aurait exposé à la Centrale au sein de l'exposition "Side by Side" à partir d'avril 2026, avec les curateur.ices Sébastien Ricou et Badïa Larouci.

Mélissa Medan vit et travaille à Bruxelles. À travers une exploration des luttes de classes et des rapports de domination au travail, elle déploie une œuvre ancrée dans le réel, où chaque forme interroge les structures du pouvoir. L’artiste travaille à partir d’images qui existent sur internet qu’elle assemblent sous forme d’animations rudimentaires, sortes de collages. En jouant avec les principes de l’intelligence artificielle, l’artiste imagine des individus qui seraient le résultat d’une convergence entre le fonctionnement humain et le fonctionnement algorithmique. La conséquence de leurs interactions est un monde de solitudes, de malentendus et de dialogues de sourds.

Mélissa Medan est diplômée de l’ESAPB Bayonne en 2015 et de l’ISDAT Toulouse en 2017. Elle a étudié au Fresnoy à Tourcoing jusqu’en 2018.

Elle a reçu un prix de la Centrale dans le cadre du concours Art Contest.

Photo : transfert d’image de pigeon sur frigolite, 2025. ©Mélissa Medan