Washington186 : Inaugural exhibition: Aeroplastics @ WASHINGTON186

"Washington186 is a unique place in Brussels, a former seminary converted into a place dedicated to contemporary art, which respects and even magnifies the minimalist architecture of the building. From the former priests' offices ("W186"), to the vast underground chapel ("The Chapel") and its confessionals, to the garden, the auditorium, the vast foyer and its parlors on the ground floor (Aeroplastics), each nook and cranny is exploited for its specificities. Whether it be projections, sculptures and installations of large dimensions or, on the contrary, small rooms requiring an intimate atmosphere, each work can find its place. Interior and exterior coexist, with a vast glass wall opening onto the interior garden. In addition to the distribution of the spaces on three levels, the compartmentalization of the rooms makes it possible to multiply the group or monographic presentations, either by welcoming Belgian (non-Brussels) or foreign galleries or artists invited from time to time.

Washington186 was opened on the initiative of the art gallery Aeroplastics contemporary, which also ensures the programming, except for the art store project Mind@Art recreated by its co-director Garlone Egels on the mezzanine of the first floor. In the various spaces, we find the same lines of force that have made the gallery famous, between figuration and abstraction, offbeat reflections on the world's march, and an assertive desire to get off the beaten track of the contemporary art scene. Aeroplastics has always pursued a policy of discovering works and artists capable of going beyond appearances. Like the façade of the building on Washington Street, which gives no hint of what it houses, The Chapel's slogan could be: What you see is not what you get. You get More.