Melancholia, an exhibition of the Boghossian Foundation at the Villa Empain

Classed as a historical monument by the Brussels-Capital Region, the Villa Empain is the seat of the Boghossian Foundation, a cultural association which organises concerts, conferences and exhibitions. The current exhibition, Melancholia, invites major artists to explore the feeling of melancholy and its universal representations. It runs until 19th June 2018.

Melancholy museography at the Villa Empain

The 70 installations create a dialogue between painters, architects, artists, sculptors and decorators, drawn from several generations, who share a common initial inspiration : the nostalgia of an « elsewhere » or a « before », imaginary tableaux of solitude and the destruction of past ages.

Lying on the ground, this accumulation of plaster busts reminds us of the fragility of time. © Claudio Parmiggiani

Placed on a book with an alarm clock, this sculpted head is inscribed in time and space. © Claudio Parmiggiani

An « Inside Out » exhibition

The trajectory follows 6 themes, respectively entitled Paradise Lost, Melancholies, Ruins, Time Goes By, Solitude and Absence. On the grounds, seek out the library of crystallized books before contemplating Animitas, a flowerbed made up of 800 Japanese bells planted in the garden. A quick selfie and you’ll seal this escapade with a smile…

In this triptych, the artist has idealised the cliffs of Bamyan, whose grottoes have housed several civilisations. © Lola Pertsowsky