Those who look for original and authentic Christmas gifts will be happy to learn that for the 2nd time, Jonathan F. Kugel Gallery, Cabinet de Curiosités Contemporain, is inviting the nomadic concept store COLLOQUE to set up shop in Brussels for a weekend. This is an opportunity to bring together the 2 respective worlds of Jonathan’s contemporary art and COLLOQUE’s more ‘popular’ art.
On offer will be a careful selection of art – paintings and sculptures, utilitarian ceramics, vinyls, illustration, fanzines and comic strips, something for every budget and every Christmas present!
What is the Jonathan F. Kugel Gallery, Cabinet de Curiosités Contemporain?
Located a stone’s throw from the Grand Sablon, in a neo-Flemish house dating from 1888, the façade of which is recognisable by its turret and sculpted balcony. This former solicitor’s office with its imposing fireplaces is home to Jonathan F. Kugel’s Cabinet de Curiosités Contemporain, which blends periods and styles through a programme of thematic exhibitions.
The artists represented combine traditional craftsmanship and virtuosity with original and innovative visions. Alongside them are works from all eras, with a particular taste for European paintings and objets d’art from the 17th to the 19th centuries, chosen for their authenticity, aesthetic quality and/or strangeness. From there, a conversation begins.
‘‘I look for the same qualities in a contemporary work as I do in an antique: virtuosity, craftsmanship, historical relevance and vision. The object is a source of emotion through its beauty, grotesqueness or abnormality, and an intellectual stimulus through its science, technique, history and the story it tells.”
Jonathan f. kugel
What is the COLLOQUE concept store?
Tired of having to shop around for every birthday or Christmas, only to find pieces that are sorely lacking in authenticity, Cédric decided to set up his own boutique. He has brought together a range of unique or limited-edition pieces, mostly from very different worlds, to satisfy all tastes. In other words: a concept-store for cultural gifts called COLLOQUE.
Working with a network of artists, craftspeople, publishers and labels, COLLOQUE offers an eclectic and coherent selection of cutting-edge yet accessible items from 3 worlds:
– illustration, with fanzines and comics from independent publishers, as well as screen-printed, riso or digitally printed posters
– music, with vinyl records and cassettes from independent labels
– crafts, with handmade utilitarian ceramics.
Finally, Cédric creates themed gift sets to establish links, or gateways, between these 3 worlds, called ‘Conversations’. For example, the ‘‘Conversation Amoureuse’’ combines a soul music record for those romantic evenings, a vase for decanting the wine that will intoxicate you, and an illustration to let your mind wander….
Discover the exhibition during the Curated Christmas
For “Curated Christmas” Jonathan will be showcasing the work of a young ceramist, Onno Theelen (NL/ 1996). His colourful, baroque world will rub shoulders with that of the no less extravagant Carolein Smit, whose pupil he was. Add a few oddities like James Webster’s terracotta monsters, Vivian van Blerk’s crazy fauna, Studio Kartini’s porcelain space-monkeys, and Sota Sakuma’s paintings and puppets, to name but a few, and you have a merry (curated) bazaar of unique works.
The Flash Tattoo Day
COLLOQUE and Jonathan F. Kugel are inviting 3 artists to a flash tattoo day on Sunday from 12pm to 6pm.
The idea behind these flash tattoo day is that each artist will offer 2 tattoo sheets exclusive to this session. There’s no need to make an appointment, just turn up and choose the design you want to have tattooed. First come, first tattooed: once one of the designs has been tattooed, no-one else can have it! So this is a rare opportunity to get a unique tattoo – you won’t come across anyone else with the same tattoo!
Practical info:
Dates: 7 to 10 December 2023.
Venue: Galerie Jonathan F. Kugel, Rue Watteeu 16, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
–> an opening on Thursday 7 December, from 4pm to 10pm
–> a tattoo flash day with Samuel Eckert, Jim Kylam and Antoine Woodhouse, on Sunday 10 December, from 12pm to 6pm
–> from 7 to 10 December: an exhibition of contemporary art an ephemeral boutique offering music, illustration and handicrafts
