BILY: Brussels Contemporary Art Itineraries Conclude Third Edition

The third edition of BILY (Brussels I Love You), a contemporary art itinerary initiative promoted by the nonprofit association Soon, has just concluded. The format originated in 2011 in Paris as Paris, Je t'aime, conceived by Alexandra Decraene, and was exported to Brussels in 2016. The 2018 edition featured thirty spaces including galleries, collections, and artist studios in central neighborhoods such as Altitude Cent and Marolles. Notable participants included Irene Laub Gallery and Galerie Félix Frachon, which focus on emerging multidisciplinary artists working across sculpture, video art, ceramics, and performance. Visitors also toured the studio of French artist Benjamin Spark, who resides in Brussels and draws inspiration from the cave paintings of Lascaux as well as Basquiat and Dubuffet. The Charles Riva Collection showcased American stars like Jeff Koons and Italian artists Francesco Vezzoli and Michelangelo Pistoletto, alongside an ongoing exhibition of Frank Stella's monumental Polish Village series. The article also highlights similar initiatives in Italy: the Rome Art Week, now in its second year, offers guided tours, vernissages, and open studios each October; and in Turin, the project Studi d'Artista, conceived by Stefania Dassi of the MiBACT Regional Secretariat for Piedmont, maps studios, galleries, and collections to promote local artistic production.