Group exhibition
15.07–30.08.2026: Kunstenfestival Watou, BE
Under the banner of Gemene Wegen (Common Ways), art and poetry descend on Watou and its surroundings in the summer of 2026. This edition works with collectives for the first time, placing collaboration at its heart. The result is a wealth of new creations. More than fifty artists and poets come together to shape and colour Watou 2026.
From Watou, the Gemenestraat (Chemin Mitoyen – the Common Lane) runs along the border with France. Curators Daniëlle van Zuijlen & Bart Lodewijks (visual art) and Michaël Vandebril (poetry) play with this theme, drawing on the multiple meanings of the Dutch word gemeen including common and mean.
The festival asks what we have in common and how we live together in polarised times. It is precisely in such times that many people seek community, trust and connection, yet that very impulse carries the risk of its opposite: when a sense of commonality tips into hostility towards the other or another group, it becomes something mean. What can art do to bridge differences and forge connections between people, places and ways of seeing?
The Watou Arts Festival will take place from 15 July to 30 August 2026.
Open from 10am to 6pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Participating artists: 019, Ai Ai Poëzie, ANT Collective met werk van Roe Ethridge/Mark Manders/Oksana Pasaiko/Angel Vergara Santiago, Blobotone, Bowness/Fourdinier/Hofmann, Wim Cuyvers, De Ambulanten, Marjolijn Dijkman, Griet Dobbels/Lotte Dodion/Cesar Janssens, Nico Dockx/Caroline Voet/Roalt Zuidervaart, Nicolas Floc’h, Glockner/de Ruiter/Miyachi, Johan Grimonprez, Fiona Hallinan, Diego Herman, Bart Lodewijks, Motus Mori, Natural Experiences INC., Osterholt/Uitentuis, Seasonal Neighbours, Şengül Özdemir, Diana Scherer, Studio Artîlerie, Suzanne Treister, Marie Vanderauwera/Sofie Mercier, Volksdansen*, Lois Weinberger.
Participating poets: Benzokarim, Pim Cornelussen, Kurt De Boodt, Frederik Lucien De Laere, Paul Demets, Liesbeth D’Hoker, Lotte Dodion, Aurélien Dony, Charles Ducal, Myriem El-Kaddouri, David Giannoni, Rozalie Hirs, Bernke Klein Zandvoort, Ruth Lasters, Lisette Lombé, Sylvie Marie, Carmien Michels, Leonard Nolens, Partij voor de Poëzie, Maud Vanhauwaert, Vincent Van Meenen, Arno Van Vlierberghe.
