The street is more than a sidewalk, facades, or an intersection. It is a vibrant place with many layers of meaning. At once a village square and a city artery, a meeting point and an anonymous in-between space. A stage for protest. A playground for youthful energy. A refuge for subcultures.

The exhibition Onder de Stoep, het Strand shows how we share and question public space. It takes visitors on a journey through the work of 24 artists, spread across the entire site of the Warande and the public space surrounding the building.

The title refers to the May '68 slogan: Sous les pavés, la plage. When students and workers literally tore up the cobblestones, they discovered the sand beneath, a powerful image of the desire for freedom, play, and collective life. The ideas of situationism, which called for the city to be reclaimed through playful and poetic interventions, clearly resonate here.

Even today, the street raises questions: Who decides how it looks? Who is allowed to be there? What happens when rules are broken or when a space is used in ways other than intended? The street remains a space where behavior is shaped, but also a place where alternatives emerge. A place where people speak out, come together, and claim space.

Onder de Stoep, het Strand brings together artists who, from everyday situations, small actions, and unexpected observations, engage with the street. Their works expose tensions, shift perspectives, and invite reflection on how we fill, share, or wish to reinvent public space.

Artists: Lotte Van den Audenaeren, Stijn ter Braak, Attila Buensenso, Liesbet Bussche, Toon de Clerck, Jef Cornelis, Ayrton Eblé, Maarten Inghels, Aglaia Konrad, Abel Kleinblatt, Frederik Lizen, Randa Maroufi, Veerle Michiels, Paulien Oltheten, Ria Pacquée, Marinella Senatore, Philémon Siesling, John Smith, Straatwaarde, Katrin Ströbel, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Ed Templeton, Johanna Van Overmeir, Juliette Vanwaterloo