November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends

Thanksgiving,  it is such a wonderful holiday I would like to introduce it in Belgium.

November 26, 2014

Brussels, most congested city...





How can I eloquently express how much I enjoy driving through Brussels in the early morning when no one else has hit the streets yet? This article in the Guardian explains why: 

Traffic congestion analysis consistently shows a surprising fact: Brussels and Antwerp, the two largest cities in Belgium, are the two most congested cities in Europe and North America. This was confirmed in the latest ranking from Inrix, a traffic data organisation (in which Milan temporarily took top spot). It is estimated that drivers in Brussels waste 83 hours a year in traffic. Things are so dire on Belgium’s roads, that the OECD has urged local authorities to take action. How did the administrative heart of the European Union get into this traffic mess?.....
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/aug/28/belgium-worst-traffic-europe-brussels-antwerp-congestion

November 24, 2014

Christmas in Antwerp

Thank you, Nuria, for the photo.
What do you, readers / viewers, think... November is a bit early, is it not ?
I am told that the Christmas market in Bruges is already turning full speed.

November 23, 2014

Share your picture(s) or story on TiB?

I have noticed that many, mostly American, bloggers start this week with an entry about Thanksgiving, the much celebrated US holiday coming up on November 27. 
I am thankful for the guest bloggers and photographers, in particular Els, Natasha, Elektra, Jeroen, Marie-France, Hilde, Roger, Marianne, Joke ...  and many others who have contributed to make TIB more diverse, fun and interesting.
To all of you who are interested in anything Belgian, if you want to share the souvenirs of your travels, and if you like (or even if you don't like) Belgium, its beers, cuisine, restaurants, history, fashion, design, people, culture .... and would like to share your photos or stories, we'd love to hear from you! Don't hesitate to submit your contribution.

November 22, 2014

Elvis alive in Belgium

Yesterday happened to turn into an Elvis day :). 
I have no idea what Elvis's photos are doing in the windows of a house in the middle of nowhere. I stopped to take a photo and after I got home I turned on the television to stumble upon a program "Alleen Elvis blijft bestaan" ( Only Elvis is still alive) and thoroughly enjoyed the interview with Belgian Peter Vandermeersch, editor in chief and director of the Dutch newspaper NRC. 

November 17, 2014

Berlinde De Bruyckere








 As announced in my previous post, here we go on the tour of Berlinde De Bruyckere's work , "Sculptures & Drawings 2000-2014", in the Smak museum of Gent. You can see that there is something for every taste and age group. What a great policy to grant total freedom to photographers of all ages and skill levels.
"The exhibition (...) is conceived as a promenade taking in a select choice of drawings, sculptures and installations that bring to light the evolution and nuances of the oeuvre. It combines the core motifs of De Bruyckere’s oeuvre: the vulnerability of man, which is her chief theme, and the suffering body, which is the source of her visual idiom.( ...) The pivotal work is ‘Kreupelhout – Cripplewood’ (2012-13), the monumental installation which has previously only been shown at the 2013 Venice Biennale. Finally, drawings are an essential part of this exhibition. They are hung in series in the same rooms as the sculptures and enrich the associations and cross-connections that relate all the works to each other".
http://www.smak.be/tentoonstelling.php?la=en&y=&tid=&t=&id=582
http://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/6/berlinde-de-bruyckere/biography/
http://www.hanstheys.be/artists/berlinde_de_bruyckere/

November 14, 2014

Smak museum Gent



I always like to have a valid excuse to visit Gent. 
Have a look at the Smak inside and out,  the Museum of Contemporary Art located at the Jan Hoetplein -recently renamed after one of Gent's most famous men and Belgium's most famous art curators who passed away recently,- before I take you on a tour of Berlinde De Bruyckere exhibition. 

November 11, 2014

November 08, 2014

Guest Marianne about Vanfleteren in Amsterdam

                                          photos by Biebkriebels
Guestblogger today is Marianne from the Netherlands. She is the blogger behind Biebkriebels @ http://biebkriebels.blogspot.be/2014/11/a-new-wing.html.  
We appreciate her sharing photos of Belgium's Stephan Vanfleteren at the occasion of the first photography exhibition of 20th century works in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
"From 1 November 2014 until 11 January 2015, the exhibition 'Modern Times. Photography in the 20th Century' will be the Rijksmuseum’s first ever photography exhibition to showcase the collection of 20,000 20th-century works that it has collected since deciding in 1994 to extend its photographic holdings beyond the 19th century. Belgian photographer Stephan Vanfleteren presents 'Hollandse koppen', a series with numerous portraits he has made of our Dutch neighbours, illustrating the idea that there are no such typical features to be recognised as 'Dutch'."
http://bamart.be/en/news/detail/10498/0/1
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/press/press-releases/rijksmuseum-opens-philips-wing-on-1-november
http://stephanvanfleteren.com/en

November 06, 2014

Guest photographer Hilde

"Mechelen lies on the major urban and industrial axis Brussels-Antwerp, about 25 km from each city. The Dijle flows through the city, hence it is often referred to as the Dijlestad ("City on the river Dijle")"is what Hilde wrote on het blog http://stapjesonderweg.blogspot.be.
I am delighted to show her great black & white photo and introduce you to her work. Enjoy!

November 03, 2014

After the circus

Place Flagey, Brussels (Ixelles/Elsene)

November 01, 2014

All Saints Day 2014

 In this small village in Flanders, volunteers crocheted poppies out of respect for those who fought and were killed during World War I, 100 years ago. The now legendary poem by John McCrae,  "In Flanders Fields," and its Dutch translation help us to never forget.