The Rooms Art Fair at Mix Brussels
Brussels welcomes a new art fair, The Rooms Art Fair at Mix Brussels, featuring thirty galleries from a variety of genres, from contemporary ceramics to tribal art. Organized by Patrick Mestdagh and Sébastien Janssen, the galleries will transform guest rooms into unique creative spaces. From May 22-25th.
The Rooms at Mix Brussels is a new art fair designed to be a playful alternative to the traditional art fair circuit. Blending a mix of contemporary galleries, antiques, ethnic and non-European art, The Rooms is thinking outside of the box to create an experience that is fun, unexpected and strikes a desire to discover something new.
The Rooms takes place across and entire wing of Mix Brussels, an historic 1960s modernist gem turned stylish 4-star hotel and club. The original site was that of the former headquarters of Royale Belge. The hotel, which sits about 30-minutes from the city-centre, with easy access by car or public transport, was opened in 2023 and has 180 rooms. The Rooms is the brainchild of dealer Patrick Mestdagh and Sébastien Janssen, who are friends and colleagues for many years. Mestdagh was approached by a friend of his, a hotelier, who asked him to create a specialized fair at his hotel. This project was put on hold due to COVID and then the sale of the hotel. But then, the idea came about for it to happen at The Mix. Mestagh notes: “The recent opening of the hotel in this iconic Brussels building gave the project a new lease of life, and Sébastien’s enthusiasm and commitment enabled us to make it a reality. From the outset, we opted for a broad offer, from antiques to contemporary, while guaranteeing the quality and seriousness of the exhibitors, and adding a few touches of youth and freshness. For a first edition, we are delighted to be able to present such a large group of exhibitors.”
The concept takes inspiration from earlier successful editions in New York City (Gramercy), Brussels (White Hotel) and Bangkok (Hotel Art Fair). There will be about 30-exhibiting galleries, some who don’t typically exhibit in art fairs, each given their own guest room in which they can transform and curate a site-specific installation. The event, which is free and open to the public, will also feature a curated sculpture exhibition as well as a special room designed by Lionel Jadot of Zaventem Ateliers, who is also the interior designer behind the renovation of Mix Brussels and the hotel’s artistic director. Mestadagh notes, “The fair is open to all, and the Mix setting seems ideal for ‘shaking up’ experienced collectors and meeting new ones… Brussels and Belgium have always been a breeding ground for the creative artists and collectors for whom our country is famous. This new show concept should easily find its audience.”
Across the four days, there will be a series of conferences and roundtables around such themes as patronage, heritage transformation, anti-money laundering in the art world, artist jewellery and more. There will also be a ‘mood room’ that will bring together brands such as Aperol, barber Bayer & Bayer, Taschen and Pierre Marcolini.
Participating galleries include:
AEROPLASTICS, ARNAUD DE SPA, ARTIMO FINE ARTS, BALLON ROUGE, CLAES GALLERY, COLNAGHI, COSTERMANS, DAVID UTZON-FRANK, EDJI GALLERY, FREDERIK MULLER, GALERIE ARY JAN, GALERIE CHRISTOPHE GAILLARD, GALERIE DE LA BERAUDIERE, GALERIE HIOCO, GALERIE LEFEVRE & FILS, GALERIE MEYER OCEANIC & ESKIMO ART, GALERIE miniMASTERPIECE, GALERIE RAF VAN SEVEREN, GREGE GALLERY, GRUSENMEYER WOLINER, HARMAKHIS, HENRI VANHOENACKER, KALISTO FINE ARTS, LANCZ GALLERY, LIONEL JADOT, L’ŒIL DE KO, MODESTI PERDRIOLLE GALLERY, MORE UPSTAIRS, PATRICK & ONDINE MESTDAGH, PILI COLLADO STUDIO, SORRY WE’RE CLOSED, SPAX PROJECTS, SOPHIE DEROM, SPAZIO NOBILE GALLERY, THIBAUT WOLVERSPERGES, WALID AKKAD, ZABULUM ART & DESIGN
The Rooms at Mix Brussels is on from May 22-25, 2025. Bd du Souverain 25/1, 1170 Watermael-Boitsfort
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