Brussels today is home to over 180 nationalities. Beyond the numbers, each of these emigrants has his or her own story, path and hopes.
Since 1830, there have been successive waves of emigration. Why did these men and women leave their country? Was Brussels a welcoming place for them?
This exhibition tells the story of how the Belgian capital gradually became a “world city”. It retraces the journey of these foreigners who settled in Brussels for a few months or forever, through the objects they brought with them, their personal accounts and their family photographs.
In addition to this historical section, “Brussels, a welcoming place” presents the work of Kika Nicolela, Thomas Israël, DK Ange, Nadia Berriche, Thomas Marchal, Christopher de Béthune, the Farm Prof collective, In Your Box Project, Ilyas Essadek and Herman Bertiau, artists based in Brussels (photographers, street artists, sculptors, video artists) who address the issue of migration and cultural diversity in today’s Brussels.
This exhibition, organised by the Jewish Museum of Belgium and the State Archives with the support of the Centre de la Culture Judéo-Marocaine, will feature film screenings, participatory art performances, lectures and workshops. It will be accompanied by a special issue of the Agenda Interculturel produced by the Centre Bruxellois d’Action Interculturelle. The exhibition is trilingual: French, Dutch and English.
