BOZAR Open Air Summer 2018
During the 27 June to 26 August BOZAR will feature an open-air edition. Brussels landscape architect Bas Smets and ‘POOL IS COOL’ will set up a temporary public installation on Baron Hortastraat alongside the Centre for Fine Arts, as part of the BOZAR Open Air programme.
The idea for this feature is to follow a closed ecosystem and test how it might tie in with Brussels’ central green-zone network. Present at the area will be a patio deck, Bas Smets’ trees and POOL IS COOL. There will be styling from studio Piovenefabi to add to the scenic feel of the area with greenery, and a people’s bar a la GUINGETTE in Van Vorst Park.
The Half Circus – created as part of the Fernand Léger exhibition – will stay in place during the summer so that it can be used as a kiosk and will be brought to life by events planned by the BOZAR partners.
Pool is Cool , the organisation dedicated to bringing outdoor pools in Brussels, will also be present. Despite having some success with convincing local authorities to use a roundabout as a beach and pool earlier this year and having been authorised for last year’s edition of the exhibition, the pool has not been allowed this time around. But, maybe we should wait and see what ingenuity can be taken to ensure some watery features.
And of course, being part of the summer of photography, there is an exhibition on – RESIST! The 1960s protest, photography and visual legacy begins in the public space, on Baron Horta Street, with a series of posters by Graciela Sacco creating a disruption on the wall opposite BOZAR’s entrance. Bocanada (1994-2015), which translates as ‘hot air’ or empty, is a series of close-up photographs of open mouths conveying multiple meanings – ranging from a need for food to the voicing of discontent. In tandem with these work are a set of banners by Russian artist and activist Artem Loskutov, which recall a time in BOZAR’s history when the Centre for Fine Arts was occupied by students between May and June 1968. However, this time the banners contain no slogan, but act as signifiers of a statement, perhaps suggesting the undermined urgency of contemporary protestors messages.
