20-something part 1 by Subbacultcha

20-something part 1

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Desi g n : PLM D ( pl ea se let me d e sign)

WE MISS YOU! C I.II.III.IV. A Cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Architecture

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intro

Strange times today, we know. So many of the terms floating around at the moment have sent positive vibing on a serious hiatus: solitary confinement, lockdown, social distancing... you could make a damn depressing martini out of them – with no olives, though, because the supermarket’s run out. And yet, even as days blur by without the external validation that turn memories into placeholders for the time elapsed, we do indeed plod on. Fresh minds never get confined, and dreams are luckily not bound to the physical jails we strive to keep healthy and, crucially at the moment, separated. None of today’s and (possibly, probably) tomorrow’s delimitations can hold down the nascent worlds of future fancies. Whether they be tangible or imagined, corporeal or immaterial, they are happening and they are very real. Anywho, meet the young hopefuls bringing new life to a decaying order; may their future be a shared one, whether it be within the limits of the physical world we’re bound to, or deep into the infinite abyss of the immaterial portals we’ve been commiserating in.

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Arne Huysmans 11 - 15 Arthur Dufoor 16 - 19 & 93 Axelle Vertommen 20 - 23 BRYN 24 - 27 Clara Duflos 28 - 31 Dries Verhaeghe 32 - 35 Haus Of Consent 36 - 39 Jill Verhaeghe 40 - 43 & 94 Jonathan Cant 44 - 47 Joselito Verschaeve 48 - 51 Juliane Noll 52 - 55 Louise Delanghe 56 - 59 Miguel Soll 60 - 63 Milena Maenhaut 64 - 67 Peenoise 68 - 71

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Pelphine Dodot 72 - 75 Rémi Calmont 76 - 79 Sacha Verleyen 80 - 83 Stef Van Looveren 84 - 87 Thor Salden 88 - 91

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN! 19.05 > 21.07.2020

Keith Haring Mondo Cane by Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys Jacqueline Mesmaeker The World as a Pavilion. Vjenceslav Richter #goodtoseeyou #weareopen

Arne Huysmans Founde r

and ar tistic d Brusse irector VOLTA @arneh ls uysman s

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned to take care of my mental and physical being. We tend to forget it when we live in a rush

History Without A Past

Vincent Meessen & Samson Kambalu

01.02 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 30.08.2020 Romestraat 11, 8400 Oostende info@muzee.be www.muzee.be

Photo by Julie Van Kerckhoven

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I was born in Brazil and raised in a family of 11 children, moved to Belgium at a young age where I started studying drums. Growing up with Brazilian music from Airto Moreira to Caetano Veloso, has made rhythm and music a key element of my life. During my studies at the conservatory of Brussels the idea of VOLTA was born. A workspace and venue for music. Since then, I live every day with the same passion to create, step by step, a fully fledged place for the Brussels music scene where offering support and creating a richer and more supported scene is our core value.

What is the (near) future bringing you? Together with my very motivated team we try to work towards a sustainable future and roll out some additional programs to our organization. What are you up to these days? Writing and informing myself a lot. What artists are you listening to? Numerous. But to name a few: Ornette Coleman, schntzl, a z e r t y klavierwerke, Dean Blunt, Mount Kimbie, Wilco, Oneohtrix Point Never, Arthur Russell, Grouper,… What’s your personal utopia? A house by a lake.

How do you keep healthy? I spend time thinking about my health constantly. Stay active and do daily workouts and transport myself by bike. What’s one of your sources of inspiration that may surprise people? Skateboarding. The whole skate scene is such an inspiration to me.

Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? Definitely. a z e r t y Klavierwerke is one of a kind. An incredibly talented Brussel based musician who always knows to surprise me. His musical vocabulary is impressive. His personality, open mind and view on music is an inspiration to me. He’s no purist and so curious on all levels of music. That’s what makes him one of a kind.

Photos by Julie Van Kerckhoven

What is the latest/future project you are working on? We are working on the VOLTA Transmission. A VOLTA media platform where we roll out programs such as live sessions, podcasts, streams, interviews,… with musicians.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? To take care of my mental and physical being. It’s so important and we tend to forget it when we live in a rush.

Arthur Dufoor

Painter Brussels @arthu rdufoo

I guess painting is a hobby as well, a

frustrating one sometimes

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? Let’s start with my paintings.

What’s your favourite lockdown book? Het boek van de schoonheid en de troost by Wim Kayzer.

What artists are you listening to? Mother Love Bone, Pink Floyd but with this weather The Beach Boys.

Who is the person that most influenced you throughout your development in life? It’s difficult to say one person but I would say my parents, Jacques Brel and Philippe Vandenberg.

Which records are you playing most right now? Not That Kind by Anastacia :-). How do you bring some routine into your days? Because of the lockdown it goes automatically. I noticed that I am doing the same things at about the same time every day which is very unusual for me. What’s your personal utopia? Working and living in a huge studio and being able to live from my work. What brings you satisfaction? Putting the final touch on a painting (when it works). How do you keep healthy? A painting session can often feel like jogging for an hour and it also brings me mental stability. What’s your favourite lockdown Instagram account? @atelierstudiovisit, they are promoting contemporary artists through virtual studio visits.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? I feel like I’m dealing with the paint in a different way, the paint seems to be living its own life maybe that’s because we’ve been together inside all the time. Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? The whole scene. But if I had to say one person it would be Gaspar De Geyndt (gap_i_0.9). Comfort food/specialty dish now? I don’t really get comfort or satisfaction out of food but I can enjoy the smell of freshly cut grass. Lockdown hobby? I guess painting is a hobby as well, a frustrating one sometimes.

Axelle Vertommen te d in r an erp en e n w m ig des Ant ertom v ure e t l i l n e Fur @ax

The entire scene of young and lesser known furniture designers could use a

little more attention

tec

chi

ar rior

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? Colourful and fun, yet practical furniture pieces and interiors that put a smile on your face. What is the (near) future bringing you? Some interior projects I’m working on are now on pause due to the lockdown, so I am looking forward to restarting them. What’s your personal utopia? In my utopia the built environment would be more aesthetic and quality would rule over quantity. What brings you satisfaction? A new good idea. What’s your favourite lockdown Instagram account? @_sightunseen_ is featuring some interesting talks on IGtv. What would you like to be doing in 10 years time? The same as I’m doing now, but more successful and profitable. How does the current crisis make you feel? To my own surprise, I’m kind of enjoying it and I feel much more relaxed. There’s time to sort things out and let ideas grow. How important are fellow companions now? How do you reach out? We still communicate, just in

another way. My friends still come visit, since we live in a bel-ĂŠtage and we can talk through the window and keep the correct distance. Who is the person that most influenced you throughout your development in life? Hard to point out one person, but obviously I was very happy (and still am) when I discovered the work of Ettore Sottsass. What is the most important thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned lately? Take time and be more patient. Very hard for me. Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? The entire scene of young and lesser known furniture designers could use a little more attention in my opinion. What is the latest/future project you are working on? Some interiors, carpets, two lamps, an ottoman, a coffee table, a plant rack,â&#x20AC;Ś everything at once.

BRYN

Singer

-song w Bruss riter e @music ls bryn

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I’d like to be remembered as a kind person and an ambitious dreamer. What are you up to these days? When I’m not studying, I’ve been listening to a lot of music, dancing in my room trying to mend my broken heart. What is the (near) future bringing you? A lot of questions: How will my exams go? Will my music reach more people as time passes? Am I on the right path? Which records are you playing most right now? Unmiss You by Clara Mae, Run Away With Me by Carly Rae Jepsen and Stayaway by MUNA have been saving me. What are you doing daily at 9pm/9am? I’m usually sleeping at 9am and drinking wine at 9pm. How do you bring some routine into your days? I downloaded Google Agenda and made a plan to try and make my days less hazy. It’s been a week and I haven’t opened the app once so if anybody knows, please dm me. What brings you satisfaction? Making my mom laugh with my dumb jokes.

What’s one of your sources of inspiration that may surprise people? I’m obsessed with nostalgia so I just get lost on the internet reading stories of people’s experiences when they were younger. What is the latest/future project you are working on? I just released a single called Teenage Dreams and I’m working on a homemade video with clips from my high school years (I told you I was obsessed with nostalgia). What will the second part of 2020 bring you? I’m going to release my EP Middle 8 and I'm hoping the project will be successful and bring me new opportunities. Who is the person that most influenced you throughout your development in life? Beyoncé. I aspire to be as hardworking and innovative as her. What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? That sometimes things don’t last forever and you have to learn to let go in order to grow. Lockdown hobby? I’ve been playing the guitar a lot and writing my feelings down. Contemplating the indie rock era.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been playing

g the guitar a lot and writing my feelings down. Contemplating the indie rock era

Clara Duflos Paint e Brus r @_cla sels radu flos

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been surrounded by beautiful and crazy people and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a constant source of

inspiration

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I’m Clara, I’m from Grenoble in France. Some years ago I fell in love with Brussels and its incredible energy so I decided to move there to study graphic design at La Cambre. After finishing school last year I decided to fully focus on painting. What is the (near) future bringing you? I recently joined the up and coming C12 agency and our first project together is to organise and produce my first exhibition here in Brussels... I can't wait for it! What are you up to these days? I try to keep the same level of energy and productivity despite the lockdown. I improvised an atelier in my living room and I spend most of my time painting; It's good to have nothing else to think about so I try to take full advantage of the current situation.

Which records are you playing most right now? Currently I love the releases from Planet Euphorique Label. How do you bring some routine into your days? I force myself to keep waking up early; it helps me to keep my energy and I'm really more efficient in the morning. What’s your favourite lockdown Instagram account? I don’t really like watching people's life on Instagram, I mostly follow artists, like James Jean (@jamesjeanart), Paul Wackers (@hibbledygibldy), Alexei Lucka (@alexeylucka).... I can spend hours looking at their work, trying to understand their techniques. What’s your favourite lockdown film? I just watched the four seasons of Mr. Robot, and Interstellar for the thousandth time. It always drives me crazy.

What is the most important thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned lately? To trust myself.

Lockdown hobby? Trying out new & different techniques as well as experimenting on new materials such as textile and ceramic.

Photos by Elodie Drareg

Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? These are some friends and amazing artists that I want to show you: Fredrik Altinell (@fredrikaltinell), Antoine Grenez (@antoinegrenez), Rage Casper (@rage_casper).

Comfort food / specialty dish now? Pizza always works.

Dries Verhaegen Writer Ghent @driesverhgn

I would prefer to ask myself: ‘What

would you NOT be doing in 10 years?’

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? That I’m really curious, which guides me through my writings. Also, I’m always looking for new things and input, but in the end, what I find is not so important. I really am convinced that the searching part is the most important one; this is – for me – what must be found. What is the (near) future bringing you? I’m working a lot on new writings, but mostly I’m working on a project with young people I know in Ghent, which is called NAR Magazine. It was always something I wanted to create and now we’re working on the first issue, which is quite exciting. What artists are you listening to? A lot, but the ones that return these days are: Shht, Prefab Sprout, Gabber Eleganza, Panda Dub, Jeff Buckley, Paolo Conte,... a weird mix a bit [laughs]. What are you doing daily at 9pm/9am? Coffee and cigarettes. What’s your personal utopia? I think that’s hard to say as a Belgian kid with everything I need; of course, I want a ‘better’ and a more justified world. But this statement would be very out of context I think. It’s easy to want

something to be better, or at least easier than actually providing things for those that really need it. When people most of the time, take what they, themselves need. So, in order to wish for a better world, I wish for a better me. This could be a wish for anyone. What brings you satisfaction? Acceptance of things that at first, I couldn’t comprehend. I realised there are different ways of using them. For example, I used to be very resistant when I didn’t like something. Now, I can accept it, and realise that even something ‘bad’, is perfectly okay too. By accepting, I learn. What’s your favourite lockdown book? I recently finished Dixit by Ivo Michiels. I really loved it. But also N30+ by Jeroen Mettes remains amazing to read, especially in times like this. What’s one of your sources of inspiration that may surprise people? I write a lot, inspired by kitschy things: like teenager blogs or diaries. Also pop songs that are actually bad ‘but everyone loves it’ really intrigue me. This so-called pop culture is an inspiration to me. What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? That accepting things can mean

‘to start over’. Or let’s put it differently: by accepting situations and people, you can actually ‘renew’ yourself, over and over again. It’s something amazing to realise. What is the latest/future project you are working on? I recently finished my first short story Q&A-Verslag, something I’m really happy about. It was interesting to write in lockdown about lockdown. What will the second part of 2020 bring you? New first impressions, I hope. Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? I really like what Nooit Meer Naar Huis and El Sistema Pasota are doing. So, you could go check them out. Comfort food/specialty dish now? Pasta pesto with brrrrrrrroccoli.

Haus Of Consent

Our drag is all about delivering commentary on societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taken-for-granted practices

Photos by Lex Posed

Th in w e Haus ay of no s tha Con que rms o t are sent e er a f ge not xpr e n nd we der a bound sses i hav nd d by tsel es so f ra @ha Ghen ometh g. We cietal ing are uso t fco to s nse ay. nt

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? Drag is more than what people would expect. Drag is often thought of as males dressing up and performing as females but if you really want to make a statement about gender you have to broaden your vision from a binary concept of gender to a fluid one. Gender is not binary, nor set in stone. Through our performances we want to challenge those ideas. What artists are you listening to? Camille Pier. We first saw Camille perform at Slam-T, a slam poetry event organised by one of our dear friends Tilke Wouters. There he performed his piece Divinités which he wrote for Trans Visibility Day 2019. Also Pussy Riot, the way they convey a political message through their art inspires us. What’s your personal utopia? A world where there is no discrimination of any kind. Our current political climate seems to embolden people to express and act on their overt discriminatory beliefs. However, we also need to keep unpacking the more covert forms of oppression like microaggressions that people with different backgrounds face every day. In doing so, we need to recognise our own privilege and the ways in which we ourselves might

be complicit in acts of oppression. Being critical on yourself is hard, which is why we need to allow each other to make mistakes instead of getting caught up in cancellation culture. We’re all trying to grow together. What’s your favourite lockdown Instagram account? @lekstok is our official photographer and also our roommate. They have been taking our pictures for a while, but they also inspire us by the fascination for human bodies that come from their work. They want to provoke different ways of looking at skin, body shapes and bodily fluids such as menstruation blood. Their overall message creates an intimate view through absurdity and surrealism. What’s your favourite lockdown film? 120 battements par minute is a film about the Act Up! movement in Paris which spread awareness about the AIDS virus. During this pandemic it’s interesting to see the parallels between the AIDS crisis in the 80s and the current one. AIDS didn’t get recognised as a threat until way later because most of its victims were members of the queer community. This highlights the importance of identity politics in health policy.

What’s one of your sources of inspiration that may surprise people? We find a lot of inspiration in observing mainstream culture and questioning the norms that lie within it. Our drag is all about delivering commentary on society’s taken-for-granted practices, certainly when it comes to gender expression, but also beyond that. How does the current crisis make you feel? Seeing the impact that this current crisis has on many people who live in poverty saddens us, but at the same time it motivates us more to take political action so that there are less inequalities. Political action can happen through art. We always prioritise including political messages in our drag performances to spread awareness on certain issues. Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? Ann-Sophie Dewaele has many different projects going on. She’s currently working on a project called Not From Violence which is an ode to periods and menstruation as experienced by an inclusive cast of collaborators. Besides that she is also involved in the feminist collective Girls Go Boom! who recently were the opening act for Pussy Riot for their Riot Days tour. Finally she’s also a member of KWIER.

Lockdown hobby? During the evenings we like to watch a movie with our roommates and recently we’ve been rediscovering classic queer movies. We think it’s important to learn about the struggles that past generations faced and the battles they fought to earn us our rights.

Jill Verhaeghe rapher Photog NYC je @vikot

My future? Dancing around naked in my

own NYC loft, surrounded by dogs

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I’m a textbook Leo so I’m living for this attention. What is the (near) future bringing you? I honestly have no idea what the near future will look like here in New York, I’m afraid it will stay pretty bleak for a while. What are you up to these days? Reliving my childhood: sleeping, eating and having zero responsibilities. What artists are you listening to? Yves Tumor, Yaeji, Grimes, The Garden, Princess Nokia, Eartheater, King Krule, Sega Bodega, Porches… What makes your heart go faster these days? The first thing I do after crawling out of bed is video-call my grandmother, I’m worried sick about her so it’s always a relief to see she’s still there.

2 meals, taking a daily walk, small stuff like that. What’s your favourite lockdown book? I’ve been devouring books, from Virginia Woolf to Please Kill Me: the oral history of punk. What’s your favourite lockdown film? I’m rewatching all the Criterion Channel classics but I’m also guilty of a Harry Potter marathon. What would you like to be doing in 10 years time? Dancing around naked in my own NYC loft, surrounded by dogs. Did you have an exhibition/concert/show on your agenda these days? Which one? I was supposed to be on a beach in Puerto Rico right now. Who is the person that most influenced you throughout your development in life? Books, movies and music have always guided me through everything.

What are you doing daily at 9pm/9am? At 9am I’m sound asleep and at 9pm I’m lighting up a post-dinner joint.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? When life’s back to normal, this lazy ass is never missing a show or a party again!

How do you bring some routine into your days? I have some ‘rules’ like reading at least an hour a day, cooking

Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? A little shout out to my favourite Bushwick band Steele!

Jonathan Cant IR AV

fK to par

nd Ea AG ls T N MO sse e of Bru nt4g r e 0 _j nd @m crat ou f , @ rat

I've been staring at my walls a lot and also enjoyed nature

more than usual

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I’m not into a personality cultus so I hope you mostly remember my projects, parties and the releases on the label. What is the (near) future bringing you? MONTAGE is releasing the debut EP by Nillies Nihilist, it’s a collage of samples mostly sourced from kids’ vlogs on YouTube. I'm also working on a new compilation. Which records are you playing most right now? A couple of the records on repeat here have been Razen’s Ayîk Adhîsta, Adhîsta Ayîk on KRAAK, Kelman Duran’s They Are Not Afraid Of Her and I have also rediscovered Slint’s Spiderland and have been forcing it down my neighbours’ ears. What does your face mask look like? Like Piero Manzoni’s ‘Merda d'artista’. What’s your favourite lockdown book? A friend recently lent me Nathalie Olah’s Steal as much as you can, which has been good so far. For the rest, I can also recommend Laura Grace Ford’s Savage Messiah.

Who is the person that most influenced you throughout your development in life? It’s a close call between épong and Karl Marx (kidding). What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? Wallonia is actually closer by bike or foot than I thought and it’s fucking great there. And before you call the cops, I was doing sports and I didn’t lick any door knobs. Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? I think the easy option would be to talk about Helenah, of whom we released a tape in October 2019. He’s an unbelievably talented producer and more people need to check his shit out. Lockdown hobby? I’ve been staring at my walls a lot (photo added for reference). I’ve also enjoyed nature more than usual.

Joselito Verschaeve Phot

ogra phe @jose Ghent r litov ersch aeve

I like to think I pick up little influences here and there from family and friends. My grandfather takes the lead position though

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I’m not Spanish, my mom is just special. What artists are you listening to? Ryo Fukui, Marvin Gaye (bad timing) and the Magic Hour Podcast; interviewing photographers. What makes your heart go faster these days? Running up a set of stairs does the job. What does your face mask look like? Like I’m going into surgery. What’s your personal utopia? I’m actually pretty happy with how things are going, ups or downs, it has to happen. Of course, major world problems can be removed from the list. What brings you satisfaction? Work, bookbinding, making dogears on pages that I need to reread. What’s your favourite lockdown film? I keep rewatching The Green Ray by Tacita Dean. What is the latest/future project you are working on? I’m working on a photobook for the Close to the Sun project that I finished recently.

Did you have an exhibition/concert/show on your agenda these days? Which one? I was supposed to be in Athens for an internship with Void Publishing right now. So I had nothing planned. Who is the person that most influenced you throughout your development in life? Hard to say, I’ve never pinpointed someone like that, I like to think I pick up little influences here and there from family and friends. My grandfather takes the lead position though. What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? Reach out to people while you can. What would you like to be doing in 10 years time? As long as I’m able to keep working in the photo or art scene in a way I’m happy. How does the current crisis make you feel? Appreciative of everything, very aware of our luxury.

Juliane Noll Illustrator Antwerp @juliane_noll

The kitchen is becoming more of a playground than my blank paper â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I have made some mean shit

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I have every vowel in my name, yet I’m one vowel short from being royalty. What are you up to these days? Much and nothing at the same time – mostly drawing, eating, and organising badminton tournaments with the roomies. Walking near large water surfaces or going to the forest I grew up with (Peerdsbos). And loads of scrolling – feeds kill creative flow, but the internet can form a community for those who most need it. Which records are you playing most right now? Valentyne Suite by Colosseum is on the decks right now. Also relistened The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy radioshow LP, quarantine is good for long stories.

although it humanises virtual images somehow. (Why do we need flashy talk show set designs anyway?) The series of videos 2 Lizards by Meriem Bennani & Orian Barki (@clearing_new_york_brussels) highlights the absurdity of these times. And @luca.printmaking is sharing very good corona art tips. What’s your favourite lockdown film? I have seen a crazy cheap 80s horror film, The Toxic Avenger, and the sensual yet thoughtfully disturbing B-filmesque carsaga Crash. Also a Japanese metameta-zombie movie that everybody should see: One Cut of the Dead. And yes, also Tiger King.

What makes your heart go faster these days? Accidentally scaring the police by sticking SOS post-it notes to windows. (True story: they will break into your house without a warrant, it’s not fun at all).

What is the latest/future project you are working on? A Riso exhibition I was kindly invited to by SARA in Mexico with four Belgian and four Mexican artists who each will design one 4-coloured print that will be sent around the world for a simultaneous exhibition in post-corona times. Also a mini lockdown edition of SPOON-zine that will be screen-printed with coffee ink.

What’s your favourite lockdown Instagram account? I will have seen the complete internet by the end of the quarantine, I’m kind of done with digital, livestreams and crappy pixel quality,

Who is the person that most influenced you throughout your development in life? My grandma, drawing to Schönberg on her ironing table. My grandfather, telling us bedtime stories composed of made-up

words. I love them! They were the first to take me to museums. Comfort food/specialty dish now? The kitchen is becoming more of a playground than my blank paper â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I have made some mean shit.

Lockdown hobby? I started to paint again and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m making physical postal games to be sent into the world and hopefully return to me with lots of interesting additions by strangers/loved ones.

Louise Delanghe

Painter Ghent @louwiezette

I must say, the slower way of life suits me

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? Nothing compares to wild humour. What are you up to these days? I’m swinging my brushes at full speed. What artists are you listening to? This is constantly changing and circulating depending on the books hanging around at the breakfast table and my atelier. Artists such as Meret Oppenheim, Kippenberger, Van Gogh, Fragonard, Pieter Aertsen, Hanna Höch, Artemisia Gentileschi, Charley Toorop, Francis Picabia, Alfons Walde, Jean-Baptiste Corot, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Mika Rottenberg, Wilhelm Trübner,… are currently the artists interwoven in the series of paintings I have been working on the last few months. And of course always mixed with some good old surfing on the waves of Google images! Which records are you playing most right now? My boyfriend is an avid LP record collector, I like to be guided by his exquisite taste. The thoughts of Gilbert and George, The Students, Students in Summer, Dr. C. Stein and Moondog have been playing like crazy these days.

What makes your heart go faster these days? My heart goes fast enough, I like to keep it low-key. What brings you satisfaction? Fruits de mer, I’m a woman of the sea. What’s your favourite lockdown film? I recently watched Novecento, a 1976 film, from Bernardo Bertolucci, 317 minutes. Impressive… How do you keep healthy? By not thinking too much about it. What’s one of your sources of inspiration that may surprise people? Well, it’s kind of weird, or maybe not at all, but I like looking at real estate websites, I don’t really know why. I like to look around in people’s interiors I guess. After 1 hour I realise, fuck, this is kind of brainless haha. Maybe in a second life I’ll become a top broker, who knows… How important are fellow companions now? How do you reach out? I try to call and send to friends and family once in a while, to catch up on some stories of daily life. It’s also nice that my studio is in a large building with other artists, it creates a certain sense of togetherness. If I’m lucky, I’ll meet

a known passerby on the way home. I must say, the slower way of life suits me. What is the most important thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned lately? My dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s balls are huge, the most fertile playboy of Oudburg for sure. Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? The Ghent art scene generally deserves more attention. I wish the city of Ghent would be richer in good galleries with post avantgarde allures, there is a need for more cross-pollination.

Photo of Louiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s atelier by Marthe Hoet

Miguel Soll Photograph

er/director Brussels @miguelsol l

Being free is my utopia. Freedom is the most important thing for me

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I’m a Brazilian visual artist working mostly with photography and cinema. I have a raw, dreamy-like aesthetic and I work with themes like intimacy, sexuality and youth. I work with fashion, documentary and conceptual photography. Which records are you playing most right now? Fullgas, Marina Lima, Wave, Patti Smith, Pajubá, Linn da Quebrada. What makes your heart go faster these days? Watching a good film that would ‘disarm me’. The moment when the feeling emulated on the picture goes through you and you are filled with this foreign emotion that finally becomes yours. I feel like I’m so overwhelmed by everything that is good to be reminded how it feels to feel. How do you bring some routine into your days? Being locked down means to wait: everything I do is just a variation of this state. Staying for so long inside the same apartment gives you a limited possibility of ways of placing your body, of places to go. In that way, every move becomes its own repetition, its own routine. I’m thinking a lot about that lately. Of how our bodies react to the accumulation of time, of ways of

breaking the routine to feel my body not as the household object that it has become, but again the unpredictable organic form that it’s supposed to be. I’m trying to put that into the work I’m producing during this. Maybe I’ll come with a new series or film, let’s see! What’s your personal utopia? Being free. Freedom is the most important thing for me. What’s your favourite lockdown film? Anything from Derek Jarman, John Waters or Gregg Araki. I live for their queer worlds and each one gives me a different kind of abstraction of queer life, which it is really helping me get through this. But if the irony of the moment allows, one of my favourite huis clos is Rope by Hitchcock. How does the current crisis make you feel? Cautious. Concern. I think the world is going to be a worse place to live in and I fear how governments are going to deal with the post-crisis situation, especially in developing countries like Brazil. A lot of people are already suffering more than others, especially immigrants, the LGBTQ+ population and other maginalised groups that are always ‘forgotten’ by governments. I don’t even know how it is going to be with me, a Latin-American gay immigrant

in Belgium. This stretch of time we’re living, the collective grief, the wait… All I have are questions and even though I want to create things, I think it is time to just look and think. And that perspective has weirdly made me regain interest in the world. I’m writing again, trying to express myself without any pressure other than being true to my feelings. The impossibility of living in the world made me want to live in it even more. What is the latest/future project you are working on? I’m currently doing the postproduction of the latest film I did as part of Rubis Collective. It’s called Quand je ferme les yeux (When I close my eyes) and is a documentary about masturbation and how we become our inner pornographers when we use our imagination to jerk off. It should be out soon! Also I’m trying to organise a porn film festival in Brussels for the next year. What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? The importance of self-fiction. I was always struggling with my idea of honesty, because that's what I most believe personally and artistically. I have a very personal and intimate approach to image and the idea of fictionalising myself seemed too commercial,

like if I was a product, a marketing device. But I have come to the terms that reality is not a readymade product but something we keep on building every second, we cannot be passive about it. That has helped me a lot. Comfort food/specialty dish now? A big Brazilian ‘à la minuta’: rice, black beans, a bloody steak, fried eggs on top of it, fries and salad. Lockdown hobby? I’m back on playing Ragnarok! What’s your favourite lockdown film? Skate Kitchen by Crystal Moselle. What’s your favourite lockdown Instagram account? @hotmessbian

Milena Maenhaut

Journ Ghent/ alist Br @milen ussels amaan

Roller skating made me appreciate different varieties of tarmac

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I’m not sure I want to be remembered, I like the anonymity of big cities. But if I have to be, I want people to remember me as a kind person who does her own thing. What is the (near) future bringing you? I’m moving to Brussels to live with two friends. What are you up to these days? Working, mostly. It’s like I’ve been living in a different time dimension as I started a job just when everybody suddenly had a lot of time on their hands. What artists are you listening to? Rina Sawayama, Thaiboy Digital, Clairo, Amnesia Scanner, Poppy and Kim Gordon. What makes your heart go faster these days? The sun and Charli XCX. What’s your personal utopia? Different Class. What brings you satisfaction? ASMR. It sort of substitutes the intimacy we’re lacking these days. How do you keep healthy? Drinking juice, eating strawberries and rubbing disinfectant on doorknobs every now and then.

What’s one of your sources of inspiration that may surprise people? TikTok. I think I’m starting to look more like a gen Z than a millennial by now. What will the second part of 2020 bring you? I might (please) finally meet the people I’ve been working with these past few months. What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? Walking can be a valid hobby + how to find the best lighting for Zoom meetings. Lockdown hobby? Roller skating. It has made me appreciate different varieties of tarmac. Comfort food/specialty dish now? I developed a tiny addiction to Royco soup.

Peenoise Multim edia b Forever and g @peeno em isband

Ping-pong, gardening and arguing

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? We are 3 brothers (Cesar, Titus and Gilles) who are making music and include performance, poetry and video into our work. What is the (near) future bringing you? We will be recording an EP and preparing live shows, starting in September, together with Simon Raman (drums) and Karel Naessens (keys). What are you up to these days? Making new music, listening to music, writing poetry, watching films and gardening. What artists are you listening to? Jerusalem in my Heart, Schönberg, Soliman Gamil, Tasos Stamou, Sugai Ken. What makes your heart go faster these days? The growing trend of socioeconomic inequality becoming less and less accepted and the hunger for a new system becoming more acceptable. How do you bring some routine into your days? Gilles: Setting short term (mostly musical) goals and Yoga. Cesar: Eating and making music. Titus: Writing poetry and watching anime and porn.

What’s your favourite lockdown film? Daisies by Věra Chytilová. What’s one of your sources of inspiration that may surprise people? Cesar: The mystery of the kosmos. Gilles: Trees. Titus: Google Translate. What will the second part of 2020 bring you? Hopefully the delayed part of beginning 2020, which means touring with our new album and making new music inspired by the Ghent Altarpiece for the Festival van Vlaanderen at De Bijloke in Ghent. What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? Titus: To improvise poetry with silence. Gilles: Even before quarantine, we were everything but free, real freedom can only exist in locked down minds. Cesar: That now is the time for neoliberalism, as we know it today, to come to an end. Lockdown hobby? Ping-pong, gardening and arguing.

Pelphine Dodot

Fat ac tiv Brus ist @corp sels scools

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I’m a fat activist/My good jokes/ I’m a lover of comfortable seats. What are you up to these days? Mostly I try to feel good. What artists are you listening to? Kompromat, especially their song with Adèle Haenel (because I’m a predictable feminist) and Petula Clark forever. Which records are you playing most right now? If I say I listen more to podcasts than actual records, is it blasphemous? What makes your heart go faster these days? Solidarity. What’s your favourite lockdown Instagram account? @acab_cuisine What’s your favourite lockdown film? I’ve had a small crush on the beginning of Vicky Jones’ show RUN. Great female gaze! How do you keep healthy? By keeping in mind that being ‘unhealthy’ doesn’t mean I’m less worthy.

What is the latest/future project you are working on? The last big thing on my agenda was the organisation of the womxn’s march, with the feminist collective La Fronde (@lafronde_ collectif), on 8 March. The next big thing, which is already in progress, is writing an audio documentary about fatness. What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? Womxn’s hard earned rights are actually very fragile during a crisis. How to make the perfect shortcrust dough. Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? The perfect @dixoctobre. Comfort food/specialty dish now? A Camembert-cheese-and-sweetsoya-sauce sandwich. What would you like to be doing in 10 years time? I’d like to be sowing seeds in a new world.

RĂŠmi Calmont

It may sound clichĂŠ, but every

person I've met, keeps me going

Photos by Bruce Neither

er ot om r p s ty la ar ie At p & er s or ss el nt at Bra russ almo r st at B mic Illu e @r

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I’m selling my drawings. What artists are you listening to? I dig music everyday and I have an eclectic taste, but my favourites include Coil, Psychic TV, James Ferraro, Cocteau Twins and Aaliyah. What makes your heart go faster these days? The sport I do every morning and the rage I feel towards police violence in France and here in Belgium. What’s your personal utopia? To be surrounded by the people I love, to create endlessly in good conditions and to live in a beautiful inclusive environment of love, freedom and tolerance. What’s your favourite lockdown book? I'm reading three right now: Sam Bourcier’s Queer Zones, Life as a Cheap Suitcase: Poems and Texts by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. How does the current crisis make you feel? Angry and uncertain about the future. Inequalities are increasing, police violence is on the rise, the poorest and most precarious are suffering (sex workers, migrants, homeless, trans people, artists

etc.) and the state is taking advantage of the situation to establish a policy of surveillance and strict control in an extreme way. The struggle is not over, we have to continue to fight for our rights, help each other and rethink our future more than ever. How important are fellow companions now? How do you reach out? I’m a special case because I live with 15 people so I don’t feel lonely at all. Otherwise I skype or phone my friends and social media also helps me to feel connected with the outside. What is the latest/future project you are working on? A new book of drawings called THEY, visuals for various projects, some mixes as well as the imminent arrival of the LYL radio studio at Brasserie Atlas on which I will have my own show. I’m also working on my website and 3D environments for my drawings with digital artist Llyazel. As for the events, we will see when it will be possible to start organising them. Who is the person that most influenced you throughout your development in life? It may sound cliché, but every person I’ve met keeps me going. Gregg Araki’s movies, Genesis

P-Orridge and Jean Genetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books also have left a strong impression on me.

What is the most important thing youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned lately? Keep calm, be patient and loneliness is precious.

Sacha Verleyen

Bache lor s KASK tudent Me & Con dia ar ser t at Bruss vatorium e @sach ls @med piboy usabr ussels

Despite my fierce character, I love

everyone

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? That despite my fierce character, I love everyone. What is the (near) future bringing you? A third exhibition curated by the Medusa collective, in which I am an active member. What artists are you listening to? ‘Get Up On These Freaks’ by Six Foe and ‘Magnificent’ by Partiboi69. Thanks to these numbers the quarantine is more bearable. What makes your heart go faster these days? The idea of drinking a fresh Aperol Spritz after a long day. What’s your personal utopia? A world in which we are surrounded only by beauty and harmony. What brings you satisfaction? The quarantine has introduced me to the Flemish TV culture, of which I previously had no knowledge because of my French education. Blind Getrouwd, Blind Gekocht, Temptation Island... These are my highlights of the quarantine, with special thanks to my girlfriend.

What would you like to be doing in 10 years time? To have created my own platform where I am involved in promoting art. What is the latest/future project you are working on? The second exhibition of Medusa is called PHASE, which we opened just before the lockdown. Unfortunately we were only able to let the opening take place. Despite the circumstances it was a success. What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? The fact that I used to strive for peace and quiet, but now I’ve come to realise that I like crowds. Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? @noaverkeyn Lockdown hobby? Mowing the lawn.

Stef Van Looveren tist ary ar ciplin p is id Mult Antwer n overe vanlo @stef

Making more artworks, being in love, giving love, receiving love, eating and repeating. Not asking for much, right?

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? The questions I raise through my practice. What artists are you listening to? Sylvie Kreusch, Lyra Pramuk and Arca always know how to bewitch me. Which records are you playing most right now? MAGDALENE by FKA twigs. What’s your personal utopia? Freedom from society, from gender and everything that oppresses us, as artists, as gender fluid people. What’s your favourite lockdown Instagram account? @jerrysaltz and the girl that inspired Britney Spears to call for radical love and wealth redistribution @mimizhuxiyuan. What’s your favourite lockdown book? Whitechapel: Documents of Contemporary Art. More in particular the volumes ‘queer’, ‘sexuality’, ‘moving image’, ‘the artist’s joke’. Each volume in the series is a definitive anthology on a particular theme, practice, or concern that is of central significance to contemporary visual culture.

What makes your heart go faster these days? Pictures of my newborn godchildren, Morris & Maurice. What would you like to be doing in 10 years time? Making more artworks, being in love, giving love, receiving love, eating and repeating. Not asking for much, right? What is the latest/future project you are working on? I’m working on a fictional character that will tie my works together. Called OBLO. Who is the person that most influenced you throughout your development in life? I’ll take the opportunity to thank my mum for the work ethic! What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? To be very careful with my work and the protection of my practice. Lockdown hobby? Going for a stroll to the fridge. In fact, I’m heading there right now.

Thor Salden

Being kind is underrated

Photo by Alice Dooreman

Photog r Antwer apher p/Ghen t @thors ld

What do we & our readers need to remember about you? I hope readers will remember one of my images after this.

Did you have an exhibition/concert/show in your agenda these days? Which one? I would have been doing some shows in France with my roommate from Glints.

What is the (near) future bringing you? Financial stress but hopefully also barbecues.

What will the second part of 2020 bring you? I’m going back to school.

What are you up to these days? I’m trying to get some work done and I’m rearranging my negatives.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned lately? Being kind is underrated.

What artists are you listening to? Doon Kanda, Dean Blunt, Lucki Ecks.

Is there anyone in your scene who needs more attention? @vanhoofviktor @ottodevylder @iljenput

What does your face mask look like? I hold my camera very close to my face. What’s your personal utopia? Let’s switch Monday and Friday around. What’s your favourite lockdown book? Theorieboek en Boek Praktijk Examen voor Rijbewijs B. What’s one of your sources of inspiration that may surprise people? Reality is free? What is the latest/future project you are working on? I’m working on a few things at the same time and I’m not sure which one will be finished first.

Comfort food/specialty dish now? Pancake + mushrooms + cheese / wrap up / bake a bit / et voila. Lockdown hobby? Pretending I’m making music. What would you like to be doing in 10 years time? Printing big ass photos in a darkroom.

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