Titled Our Future Is To Live With Bruises, the inaugural edition of RHIZOMA brings together various artistic practices that speak to vulnerability, self-expression and resilience, in the face of deep time. The 14 participating artists reflect on how we relate to our individual needs and each other, shared values and cultural conventions, and the things, ideologies and (power) structures that surround us, as well as the transformative, healing potential of acknowledging what escapes us, sharing our grief and learning to live with our limitations.
RHIZOMA 2025 takes its title from a phrase in the poem Diaoptasia – Our Future Will Be (2015) by multidisciplinary artist Otobong Nkanga, who is also present at the biennial with new work of her own. The poem explores the fragility of our existence in a plastic way, while the promise of a certain, already known future – other than what we know now – or a solution – other than ourselves and what surrounds us – is absent.
Spread across five indoor and outdoor venues, within walking distance of each other, this first edition of RHIZOMA connects multiple disciplines, ranging from video, installation and print to painting, words – and more. More than half of the works on display are brand new creations, combined with recent and historical works never before seen in Belgium.
RHIZOMA is an international biennial for contemporary art taking place every two years from 2025 on the site and in the immediate vicinity of contemporary arts centre MASEREEL.
As an artist-centred initiative, RHIZOMA prioritises innovative and experimental artistic practices that offer insights into the essence of art and the world that surrounds us. It does this by initiating and presenting new creations in conjunction with recent and historical works.
At the same time, RHIZOMA defines itself as a connecting experience, both for visitors, the local community and the participating artists.
Open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 11 AM - 6 PM.
Artists: Amalia Ulman, Amar Kanwar, Andrea Büttner, Clara Spilliaert, Corita Kent, Eva & Franco Mattes, Jeremy Deller, Michel François, Otobong Nkanga, Pei-Hsuan Wang, Sawangwongse Yawnghwe, Vaast Colson, Wim Cuyvers
