ABBY Museum Opens in Flemish Abbey, Blending Contemporary Art with History

The ABBY museum, a new contemporary art and design space, opened in early April 2025 within the Groeninge Abbey complex in Kortrijk, Belgium. Designed by Barcelona-based studio Barozzi-Veiga (founded in 2004 by Fabrizio Barozzi and Alberto Veiga) in collaboration with TAB Architects, the project adds a compact, recognizable volume to the historic site. The museum's inaugural temporary exhibition, running until September 14, 2026, features artist Rinus Van de Velde, who uses drawing, sculpture, and film to explore identity between truth and representation. The main underground exhibition, "F**klore. Reinventing tradition" (curated by Sam Steverlynck, until September 25, 2025), brings together over 30 contemporary artists including Wim Delvoye, Jef Geys, and Georges Counasse, questioning traditions and their ecological and social sustainability through provocative works ranging from tapestries to sand sculptures. The museum also includes an Urban Living Room with ticket office and bookshop, an ABBY Cafè in the former convent refectory (open until 10 PM), a Salone and Atelier for workshops and residencies, a restored 16th-century chapel, and two underground halls. The garden features contemporary installations: Daan Gielis's "Wilting Flower #5" (a six-meter-high light installation), George Minne's bronze "Kneeled youth with a shell," and Kris Martin's glass mosaic "Creazione." The museum's central theme is identity, with new exhibitions planned each autumn.