Must-see art exhibitions at Bozar Brussels this summer 2025
This summer, Bozar presents a compelling trio of exhibitions that pose urgent questions about who we are, how we see one another, and what we carry — both within and across cultures. Through painting, sculpture, and installation, these exhibitions explore identity, memory, and transformation in ways that are both personal and widely resonant. From When We See Us, a sweeping survey of Black figuration across the last century, to Berlinde De Bruyckere’s haunting sculptural works in Khorós, and Familiar Strangers, which reflects on shifting identities in Eastern Europe, here’s what you need to know about what’s on at Bozar in Brussels this summer.
Berlinde De Bruyckere. Khorós
Berlinde De Bruyckere, Lost V, 2021–2022, 2022,horsehide, marble, textile, iron, epoxy. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
#FLODown: Berlinde De Bruyckere. Khorós is a major solo exhibition at Bozar that spans 25 years of the Belgian artist’s evocative work, exploring the raw dualities of the human condition—love and loss, desire and decay, beauty and suffering. Tailored to the architecture of Victor Horta’s Art Deco halls, this poetic, large-scale show places De Bruyckere’s visceral sculptures, drawings, photographs, and installations in dialogue with artistic influences such as Lucas Cranach, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Patti Smith, and contemporary collaborators. Inspired by the Greek concept of khorós, the exhibition becomes a chorus of interconnected voices and shared existential themes. Through materials like weathered blankets, animal hides, and rusted metal, De Bruyckere invites reflection on fragility, transformation, and the cycle of life and death.
Date: 21 February - 31 August 2025. Location: BOZAR, Rue Ravenstein 23, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium. Price: 18 EUR or 25 EUR for a combo ticket to see all the exhibitions. Book now
When We See Us
When We See Us, BOZAR. Image credit We Document Art
#FLODown: When We See Us is a landmark exhibition celebrating 100 years of Black figurative painting from the 1920s to today. Curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, with Tandazani Dhlakama, the show brings together around 150 works by 120 artists from Africa and its global diaspora. Organised into six thematic sections—The Everyday, Joy & Revelry, Repose, Sensuality, Spirituality, and Triumph and Emancipation—the exhibition explores Black self-representation, identity, and lived experience through a range of artistic voices. Inspired by Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, the title reframes the gaze, focusing on how Black communities see and depict themselves. Presented at Bozar and originally conceived by Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, the exhibition honours a rich and often overlooked legacy in the art historical canon, and serves as a powerful tribute to Kouoh’s visionary curatorial work.
Date: 14 March - 29 June 2025. Location: BOZAR, Rue Ravenstein 23, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium. Price: 18 EUR or 25 EUR for a combo ticket to see all the exhibitions. Book now
Familiar Strangers: The Eastern Europeans from a Polish Perspective
Familiar Strangers: The Eastern Europeans from a Polish Perspective, Exhibition Views - photo by Jakub Celej, Adam Mickiewicz Institute
#FLODown: Familiar Strangers: The Eastern Europeans from a Polish Perspective is a timely exhibition exploring shifting identities, diasporas, and minority voices in Eastern Europe through the lens of contemporary Polish art. Curated by Joanna Warsza, it features over 40 works—including painting, sculpture, video, film, installation, and textiles—by 13 artists such as Natalia LL, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Assaf Gruber, and Jana Shostak, many shown in Belgium for the first time. The exhibition highlights the complex interplay between the local and the transcultural, the personal and political, reflecting how marginalised communities—Roma, Vietnamese, Belarusian, Ukrainian, and others—shape and challenge the idea of a culturally homogeneous region. With a call for a more inclusive and plural Europe, Familiar Strangers envisions a collective future rooted in mutual recognition, despite differences.
Date: 14 - 29 June 2025. Location: BOZAR, Rue Ravenstein 23, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium. Price: 18 EUR or 25 EUR for a combo ticket to see all the exhibitions. Book now
Bozar rooftop. Image MTotoe.
And while you’re there, a visit to the Bozar’s rooftop terrace is well worth it — either as a pre-exhibition warm-up, a mid-visit breather, or a post-art wind-down. With its relaxed atmosphere, creative cocktails, and panoramic views over the city, it’s the perfect spot to soak in the Brussels skyline and chat over what you’ve just seen (or are about to).
Click here for more art exhibitions to see in Brussels this summer.
