The Wiels - Center for Contemporary Art (which spells itself WIELS) is an art museum and art center located at Avenue Van Volxemlaan 354 corner Avenue Wielemans Ceuppens in the municipality of Forest/Vorst, Brussels-Capital Region.
WIELS was opened on May 25, 2007 in the corner building of the former Wielemans-Ceuppens brewery, built by the modernist Belgian architect Adrien Blomme. It offers a total of 1800 m2 of exhibition space on three levels and houses the workshops of the artists who reside here.
Named after its architect, the Blomme building, also known as Wielemans Runde, is one of the rare examples of modern industrial architecture in Brussels. The remains of the old brewery were listed as a historical monument by the Brussels-Capital Region in 1993 and extensively renovated until 2005.
The name WIELS refers to Wiel's, a low-alcohol beer brewed by the Wielemans-Ceuppens brewery from the post-war period until 1988.
Wiels - Center for Contemporary Art © Alexandra Bertels
WIELS is a laboratory for contemporary art of an international standard. The aim is not only to present art and work to the public, it is also aimed directly at artists. WIELS focuses on painting, sculpture and object art, but pays particular attention to mixed forms and interactions with other disciplines across the entire spectrum in order to create and offer a permanent dialog with current developments and debates in the art world.
WIELS - without its own permanent collection - presents six temporary exhibitions every year. In addition, WIELS regularly organizes conferences, festivals, film screenings and concerts.
Wiels - Center for Contemporary Art © Andrea Anoni
