Discovering Cloud Seven in Brussels, among exhibitions, coworking and rare works

How can we start collecting? CAN YOU GIVE US SOME ADVICE?

I was fortunate enough to be able to start big, but for newcomers I would suggest less demanding purchases, for example editions. There are editions by established artists at a very low cost compared to a single piece. Starting with drawings or works by very young artists, just out of art academies or friends, can be a good approach to start a collection. Collecting also means supporting the art scene, so any gesture, however small, serves to show interest, appreciation and support.

Il video “Late October” (2020), di Miles Greenberg, all’interno di Studio 7, la sala digitale e di proiezione all’interno di Cloud Seven. ©Hugard & Vanoverschelde/Courtesy of Cloud Seven

How do you choose your works? DO YOU RELY ON A GALLERY OWNER OR A CURATOR?

I choose works that strike me, from the first impression, for their aesthetic and formal strength, for the story they tell, for the deep meaning they express. I do not work with dealers, curators or consultants, but naturally I listen to friends and colleagues and follow their recommendations.

ThREE EMERGING ARTISTS TO KEEP AN EYE ON AND THREE TRANSCURRENT ARTISTS TO DISCOVER.

Emerging artists include mountaincutters, a duo of young French artists who exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in 2023 and now have their first solo show in a gallery in Brussels, the city where they live and work. Amol K Patil, an Indian artist whom I discovered at the last documenta in Kassel and who exhibited at the Hayward Gallery in London. I also find the work of Aicha Snoussi, a queer Tunisian artist, very interesting. Among the artists to be rediscovered is Jacqueline Mesmaeker, a defiladed but important figure in Belgian art, who passed away last December at the age of 93. A few days after her death, I paid homage to her by buying one of her works at auction. On the same occasion, I also bought works by Bruno Gironcoli, an Austrian sculptor who died in 2010, and an aluminium reproduction of an 'objet trouvé' by German artist Jürgen Drescher.

Il video“Controlled Burn”(2022), di Julian Charrière. ©Hugard & Vanoverschelde/Courtesy of Cloud Seven

W WHEN DID YOU START DISPLAYING YOUR COLLECTION TO THE PUBLIC?

A year after I started collecting, I bought a work by Daniel Lergon that was too big to be displayed in the house. I was fully aware of this, but I bought it anyway. I think I became a 'real' collector right then. In order to store the more voluminous works, I converted a space I owned near my flat. After visiting some collectors' houses during art fairs, in 2010 I thought of doing the same for Art Brussels: I tried to find a common thread among the most recent acquisitions and organised my first exhibition. The following year, I bought a garage to extend the exhibition space during the fair. From then on, I started collecting with the idea of showing works to the public and with the awareness that I was not only acting for my own pleasure, but also out of a desire to share.

“Untitled”(2019), di Daniel Lergon. ©Courtesy Daniel Lergon

TELL US ABOUT CLOUD SEVEN, YOUR NEW SPACE IN BRUSSELS DEDICATED TO YOUR COLLECTION.

One day, while walking in the neighbourhood, I walked into a building for sale; it had a lot of character and I bought it. After a long renovation, the first three floors of the main building became coworking spaces, with works from my collection on the walls. My flat is on the fourth floor and the whole building at the back, a total of 500 square metres, is dedicated to exhibitions, both of my collection and of artists or curators I appreciate.

Il palazzo che ospita Cloud Seven, in Quai du Commerce 7, a Bruxelles. ©Caspar/Courtesy of Cloud Seven

At present, SOME OF YOUR WORKS ARE ON DISPLAY AT TALE OF A TUB IN ROTTERDAM, IN AN EXHIBITION WHICH COLLECTS WORKS FROM A DOZEN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT?

This is the fourth initiative resulting from the collaboration between A Tale of A Tub in Rotterdam, a non-profit institution for contemporary art and culture, and Tlön Projects, a Netherlands-based organisation that promotes the visibility of works from private collections. Tlön works to build an 'imaginary collection', through exhibitions such as Taken Apart & Put Back Together Again, which opened in Rotterdam recently, an exhibition designed to reunite twin or double works by a single artist, bringing them together coherently. I am keen to support all those initiatives that bring to light works that are normally hidden from the public. This is also the reason why I organise many temporary exhibitions and re-installations in Cloud Seven, reserving a space on our website for virtual tours of past exhibitions such as Unexpectedly and Rooms of Resonance.

WHICH ARE YOUR FAVORITE ADDRESSES FOR A HOLIDAY IN BRUSSELS?

I always recommend a walk through the Grand Place, the main square in the centre of the city. Every time I pass by, I am overwhelmed by its beauty. The nearby Hotel Amigo is one of my favourites, as is the Juliana Hotel in Place des Martyrs. For art, I recommend Wiels Contemporary Art Center, NECA.Brussels to consult the rich calendar of exhibitions in the city and Bozar with a programme of art, music, theatre, dance, cinema. Art book lovers should not miss Saint-Martin's Bookshop, located in the former Martin Margiela boutique, very close to Cloud Seven.

ARTISTS

Sara Bjarland . Julian Charrière . Jürgen Drescher . Bruno Gironcoli . Miles Greenberg . Gregor Hildebrandt . Daniel Lergon, @daniellergon. Jacqueline Mesmaeker . mountaincutters, @mountaincutters. Amol K Patil, @amolkpatil. Benjamin Sabatier . Kirill Savchenkov . Aicha Snoussi . Zao Wou-Ki .

VISIT

A Tale of A Tub . Art Brussels . Bozar . Cloud Seven . documenta, documenta.de/en. Hayward Gallery . Rijksmuseum .  Tlön Projects . Wiels Contemporary Art Center , NECA.Brussels .

SLEEPING AND SHOPPING

Hotel Amigo . Juliana Hotel . Saint-Martin's Bookshop .