Brussels in English

Neuhaus is well known for being among the top chocolatiers of Belgium but they also have the distinction of having invented the praline, bite-sized sweets coated in chocolate, and the balotin, the elegant box that carries them. They have just published a richly illustrated book on the history of chocolate and the company. Co-author Charlotte Huens spoke with us at the launch. https://www.neuhauschocolates.com/en_BE/home

At a recent Brussels Expertise Labels (BEL) awards evening at Autoworld, Cubex co-owner Xavier De Breucker explained what it's all about. https://brussels-expertise-labels.be/ 

Through a new display, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium focus on gender-related stereotypes. The show, titled Art X Gender questions how images and artworks reinforce or challenge such representations.    From the 16th to the 20th century, from Lucas Cranach to Roger Raveel, including works by Khnopff, Pierre Bonnard and Jane Graverol among many others, nearly 30 works are exhibited for the occasion at the heart of the Old Masters Museum, some of  them for the very first time.   Additionally, the reflection does not stop at a single room: it extends throughout the collections, with a guided trail encouraging visitors to continue questioning stereotypes within the permanent displays. Curator Audrey Laserre and Cultural Facilitator Jean-Philippe Theyskens explain the innovative elements of the exhibition. Until 19 April 2026

Share & Fun is a new place in Brussels where everyone is welcome to have fun in a wide variety of ways, including eating, drinking, dancing and lots of ways of playing. Creator Jérôme Desombres explains his concept. https://www.shareandfun.com/en/

What do comics and furniture design have to do with one another? Design Museum Brussels' director Arnaud Bozzini explains the museum's fun new exhibition Design and Comics: Living in a Box. designmuseum.brussels/en/

The 2026 edition of the Brussels Cultural Guide Hot List 100 is out and publisher Guy de Bellefroid tells us what's new in the coming year.

Belgian entertainer Kevin Van Doorslaer, actor, writer and director, has performing in his DNA as a fifth generation carny. He has a new movie out that is picking up awards on the festival circuit. He also founded the Acting Studio Brussels. He speaks with us about all of it including the importance of family. www.actingstudiobrussels.com

From September 11 to December 21, the A Foundation hosts the exhibition What's the Word? Johannesburg! Curated by Emilie Demon, it presents the work of nine young South African photographers about the multifaceted city of Johannesburg. We spoke with Curator Emilie Demon about her aims in putting on this exhibition. https://fondationastichting.com/en/ Photo: Afronova Gallery-Alice Mann-Siphithemba Mshengu

Visitors to the Royal Museums of Fine Art of Belgium (RMFAB) can now discover a new permanent space dedicated to modern and contemporary art. The hangings will change twice a year and will bring into dialogue pieces from the collection. To inaugurate the concept, the new gallery welcomes the canvases of Belgian painter Georges Meurant (1948–2023) and the creations of Bonolo Kavula (1992), young South African artist. Kim Oosterlinck, Museum Director, Pierre-Yves Desaive, Curator of Contemporary Art for the museum and Bonolo Kavula, artist, talk to us about this new show and space. https://fine-arts-museum.be/en

Augusta presents Ethereal blend, an exhibition celebrating the work of artist Roxane Lahidji with sea salt. The show features a selection of her latest creations and iconic pieces to highlight the special nature of her work. She creates furniture and objects in an innovative material she has developed from sea salt. The show at sustainable design gallery Augusta in the heart of the Sablon is on until 30 November 2025. Roxane Lahidji spoke with us about her unique work.

Belgian photographer and founder of the Festival Balkan Trafik, Nicolas Wieërs spent four years in Moldova documenting the lives and tattoos of ex Soviet era criminals now living on the street. The show, entitled Surrounded by Criminals, comprises 140 photographs as well as videos and painted portraits and is spread across central Brussels in six atypical locations including the ground floor of the Bourse building. Nicola Wieërs recounts his entry into this hermetic world. Through 9 November.

Explore.Brussels has taken its two biennial festivals (Neo-Classic and Eclectic architecture) and merged them to create the annual ANTE Festival which covers all the styles and movements in Brussels architecture from 1780 to 1920 that led to Art Nouveau and Art Deco. There are 25 locations to visit, 23 guided tours.and numerous activities. Greta Horgen, chargée de mission for Explore.Brussels, explains how it all works.  www.ante.brussels Photo: © EB. Endre Sebok

The Maison Hannon is the Art Nouveau setting for Echoes of Dreams, a detailed exhibition of the art of the Belgian Symbolist movement. Luna Spruyt, assistant curator, tells us of the multifaceted reach of the movement and what we can expect to see. https://maisonhannon.be/en © Photo: J. Geleyns

The Comic Art Museum is presenting Visionary Comics Hidden gems from the Van Passen collection. Curators Maaheen Ahmed and Hugo Frey have pulled together a cross section of some of the most vibrant, surrealist, often science fiction tinted, breath-taking visionary comic book panels from the extensive Van Passen collection. They tell us how the show came about. A companion book The Visionary Art of Franco-Belgian Comics 1930's to 1960's is available. www.comicscenter.net Through December 7th Photo: © Daniel Fouss / Comic Art Museum 

The Comic Art Museum is holding a British Contemporary Comics weekend October 18 & 19. Belinda Billen, Head of International Projects at the museum tells us all about it. www.comicscenter.net

BOZAR is famous for its excellent acoustics when it comes to acoustic music but things weren't perfect with amplified music. That's all changed thanks to a brand new sound system. Aurore Aubouin, head of music, explains what's been done. www.bozar.be

Up on the sixth floor of the House of European History the education department is presenting ECHOES, an exhibition put together by young adults from across Brussels. Project manager Annelies van Rijen explains. https://historia.europa.eu/en

Alice Austen has so many accomplishments, in law, in state building, in playwriting and now with her first novel takes us by the hand and leads us straight into Brugmann Place in Ixelles, increasingly under Nazi German occupation beginning in 1939. The lives of each of the tenants at number 33 Brugmann share their fears and tense surroundings as world war two increasingly becomes reality and its impact is inescapable.

Alexandra Huddleston talks us through her voyage, and pilgrimages that took her into the world of publishing, and how she created a house in New Mexico via Iceland and artistic collaboration.

We talk to linguistic seeker Eleonora Balsano, a podcaster, journalist and author in Brussels who shares her fascination with writing in another language, and introduces the European Writers Salon.