Saidou Dicko Between 2025, AFIKARIS
The fifth edition of Art Antwerp, bringing together 79 galleries from 11 countries, underscores the continued evolution of this boutique art fair while remaining true to its founding principles: conviviality, high standards and an intimate format.
Noteworthy for 2025: a more international roster of participants, a refreshed profile with 20 new galleries, a strengthened curatorial approach featuring 11 solo shows and 6 duo presentations, a commitment to sustainable practices with the fair joining the Gallery Climate Coalition, and a growing presence of image-based practices. As in previous years, monumental installations will once again line the aisles, extending the sense of discovery.
Nele Verhaeren, director of Art Brussels and Art Antwerp, spoke with me about these achievements.
What, in your view, explains Art Antwerp’s success?
In my opinion, three main factors account for Art Antwerp’s success: the fair’s scale, Antwerp’s appeal as a historic and cultural city, and the strong support of the local community.
First, small-scale fairs are very much in tune with the times. Art Antwerp has a genuinely human dimension, which makes it easy and pleasant to visit. From the outset, we have kept the same format: three aisles and a large catering area by KTCHN (featuring local, seasonal food), where visitors can take a break each time they reach the end of an aisle. The atmosphere is extremely relaxed, which greatly enhances the quality of the visitor experience.
Second, a visit to Art Antwerp typically lasts two to three hours. It’s the perfect opportunity to pair the fair with an exploration of the city, which offers a vibrant cultural scene—institutions, museums, art galleries—highlighted in our OFF programme. Antwerp also offers excellent dining, as well as a wide range of fashion and design shopping options.
Finally, there is a crucial factor: sales. They are vital for galleries and, by extension, for their artists. Last year’s edition of Art Antwerp was a real success in that regard. Gallerists naturally share this kind of information among themselves, which encouraged new galleries to join us. Satisfaction is very high: 78% of participating galleries are returning this year.
Veerle Beckers Beckon 2025 Courtesy Of The Artist And Kristof De Clercq Gallery Photo By Jan Goeman
What changes have you noticed over the years?
At the outset, the context was completely different: Art Antwerp was conceived at the end of 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic, and the first edition in 2021 mainly attracted large galleries that seized a rare opportunity to participate in a fair. This allowed us to put Art Antwerp on the map. Originally, we thought of it as a “one-off” event, but the core group of gallerists quickly asked us to continue. After three editions, we decided to make Art Antwerp an annual event.
Since then, the international calendar has become more crowded, but our December timing, just before the holidays, has proven to be a major asset and contributes significantly to the fair’s unique atmosphere. We remain very committed to maintaining its intimate, “boutique” character.
Mark Dion Blood Coral With Tar 2024 Galerie In Situ Fabienne Leclerc Grand Paris © Tom Caillarec
What is the profile of the 20 new galleries ?
There isn’t one single profile. Contemporary art remains the common thread, but this applies to all the participating galleries. The new galleries form quite an eclectic group. If we had to categorize them, we could distinguish three main profiles.
First, there’s a more international profile, with experienced galleries that have long been active in the event scene and are accustomed to fairs. These galleries often represent mid-career or already well-established artists, such as Dürst Britt & Mayhew and Galerie Ramakers from The Hague, Ellen de Bruijne (Amsterdam), and several Parisian galleries like Suzanne Tarasieve, In-Situ – Fabienne Leclerc, Nathalie Obadia, Double V, and Polaris.
The second profile includes emerging galleries that focus on recent creations, such as Night Café (London) – which won the Invited Prize at Art Brussels 2025 – as well as KlotzShows and La Peau de l’ours from Brussels, See You Next Tuesday from Basel, and Arcade from London.
Finally, a third group consists of more « niche » galleries, specializing in a particular field: Afikaris, dedicated to artists from the African continent and its diaspora; Callewaert Vanlangendonck, focused on 1950s and 1960s art, abstraction, and Belgian constructivist artists; Binôme (Paris), specializing in contemporary photography; and Dilecta, focused on high-end editions.
Topsy Turvy Two 2024 Galerie Fleur & Wouter
The proportion of solo and duo shows is increasing, which is a strong signal : what stands out from this heightened curatorial approach ?
The galleries have full creative freedom, but they know they are addressing a specialized, curious, and highly informed audience. The typical Belgian collector is familiar with art exhibitions and events, which encourages gallerists to propose more refined presentations: either a cohesive collection of works by a single artist or a strong dialogue between two artists. This more demanding curatorial approach helps to better convey a clear narrative and highlight the artists’ practices in a more impactful way.
Katrien De Blauwer Bruised Blue FIFTY ONE Gallery
Photography takes center stage this year: could you tell us more about some of the proposals ?
There is clearly a growing presence of photography and image-based practices, often in dialogue with other media. While it remains a niche within the fair, it is a very dynamic one, with several distinct approaches.
On one side, some artists directly challenge the photographic medium itself. This is the case with Jaya Pelupessy (Caroline O’Breen), who uses photography to question the status of the image, focusing on the processes that lead to the creation of an autonomous image. Katrien De Blauwer (Gallery Fifty One) doesn’t take photographs herself; instead, she collects, cuts, and reconfigures found images, often of fragmented women, to reveal what lies beyond the photographic medium. Gerald Petit (In Situ – Fabienne Leclerc) has long confronted painting and photography, creating tension between the endless technological possibilities of digital photography and the act of painting.
Another group of artists works in a more narrative, intimate, or documentary vein. Yto Barrada (Polaris, Paris), who will represent France at the 2026 Venice Biennale, presents a 1998 series made in her aunt’s kitchen in Tangier: domestic and intimate images, laden with memory. Max Pinckers (Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp) blends documentary photography with popular culture, drawing references to Bollywood cinema to suggest eroticism and play with staging.
There are also practices where photography interacts with other media, creating visual illusions. Ilona Plaum (Galerie Dubokdegroot) combines models, painting, and photography to generate optical illusions. At Hopstreet, several artists – Julie Cockburn, Berend Strik, and Susanne Wellm – each work with the photographic image in their own way, often transforming, stitching, or reassembling it. Galerie Ibasho specializes in Japanese photography, exploring a very specific scene with a strong aesthetic identity.
Finally, some artists use photography in a more engaged or performative way. Buhlebezwe Siwani (No Man’s Art Gallery) works with performance, photography, and sculpture to interrogate the patriarchal framing of the Black female body and the experiences of Black women in the South African context.
René Guiette, Sans titre, 1969, Maurice Verbaert Gallery
How do you see Art Antwerp in 5 years ?
We all know that the contemporary art world and the event scene are evolving very quickly. It’s important to listen to the market and stay close to the community. To stay in tune with these changes, we have made the choice to renew our “Invitation Committee” every three years, in order to bring new dynamics and networks to the fair on a regular basis.
We are very grateful to the current committee, which will be concluding its term after this edition. Thanks to Will Lunn (Copperfield, London), we were able to strengthen our support for emerging talents. With Myriam Attali (Galerie Lelong & Co., Paris, New York), the interest from Parisian galleries has notably increased. And with Jason Poirier (Plus One Projects, Antwerp), we refined our understanding of the Antwerp scene and reinforced the fair’s “boutique” character. They have truly played the role of connectors and “bridge-builders.”
In five years, I think Art Antwerp will have evolved further, but some core elements will remain: the joy of meeting, being surrounded by art, the fair’s deliberately small scale, and a clearly international profile. Our ambition is to continue growing Art Antwerp as a fair that is small, contemporary, eclectic, and precious.
Practical Infos :
Art Antwerp 2025
Dec. 11-14
Antwerp Expo
Tickets, here
Standard ticket : 20 euros
Opening Day : 120 euros
OPENING DAY
Thursday 11 December 2025
Preview | 11am – 4pm
Vernissage | 4pm – 9pm
PUBLIC DAYS | 11am – 7pm
Friday 12 December 2025
Saturday 13 December 2025
Sunday 14 December 2025
In the City, during the fair : Art centers, museums…
Travel and organize your stay :
