KANAL BRUT BY KANAL - CENTRE POMPIDOU

Bilingual edition (French, Ductch)

A jewel of 1930s Brussels industrial architecture, the former Citroën garage has been transformed in a decidedly experimental fashion into a platform open to reflection on the challenges facing the museum of tomorrow. Drawing on the collections of the National Museum of Modern Art – Centre Pompidou, a multidisciplinary program unfolds within the vast spaces recently liberated from their original functions and left as they were.

Multiple exhibition pathways echo the identity of the site, as well as its human and social history, palpable throughout the workshops and offices. Removed from the sacrosanct context of the museum, the artworks find a new form of activation in this industrial environment. In this "raw" space, the boundary between art and life seems to momentarily disappear, challenging one of the founding myths of modern art: the merging of art with life.

The book born from this museum experience offers the reader numerous artistic discoveries while simultaneously inviting them to wander through the heart of this extraordinary building. The aesthetic qualities of the space, particularly evident on the first floor of the workshop, are highlighted by the presence of large-scale pieces such as Jean Prouvé's Tropical House, Toyo Ito's PAO II, and Ross Lovegrove's Pavilion.

The social history of the garage is brought to light through a series of exhibitions, bringing together photographs, films, design, and visual arts, which take place in various workspaces—workshops, offices, kitchen, and changing rooms—and which question their functions.

Visual arts, design and architecture, creations by artists based in Brussels, and live performances intertwine in this publication, inviting the reader to an artistic experience beyond its original context.

Edited by Bernard Blistène. With contributions from: Bernard Blistène, Nicolas Liucci-Goutnikov, Yves Goldstein, and Serge Laurent.