Artists turn Villa Empain into an aquarium

The Villa Empain, as always, puts the “art” in Art Déco with “a poetic and emotional exploration” of the work of South Korean artist Kim Tschang-Yeul, and of water in all its forms and connotations, from droplets to cold, hard ice, and from its poetic qualities to the political. 

The artists celebrated in this exhibition hail from all over the world, but of course the villa couldn’t overlook the quality of Belgium’s finest artists like the late Léon Spilliaert or Jean-Michel Folon, architect and ceramist Félicien Umbreit or experimental artist Ann Veronica Janssens. 

Usually, when you go to a museum, you’re told not to touch the fragile works of art being exhibited, but Umbreit’s work is special in that way. He encourages visitors to touch his “supersensual” waves. “When you touch the piece, you almost touch my hands,” the artist has said. 

Talk about a hands-on approach, right? Now that this exhibition has your attention, find the practical information in one handy place and flow through the museum in discovery of the vital element that is water. 

Enjoy!