On the road
After many years of considering cycling, I finally made the move. Since the beginning of June I ride my bike with great pleasure. Although the weather has prohibited me to go for a long autumn tour so far, I can’t help but think of future rides across the flat roads of my..
On safari
A grotesque world of shameless and brutal killings
One of the most striking works at this year’s Venice Biennial – an edition mostly memorable for its poor presentations, lack of quality work and deficient theme – is the video of the French artist Marie Voignier (b. 1974..
A sudden gust of wind
The work of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), one of Japan’s most prolific and enduring artists, influenced and marked undoubtedly the history of Asian art. His print series, Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (c. 1831), including the iconic The Great Wave off Kanagawa, ensured..
Iconic Fuji
No mountain is photographed as often as Mount Fuji: from all sides, from near, far and above, at any time of the day and at any season. Honoured as a god and deployed as the symbol of Japan as a nation state, the volcano has mythical meaning. Mount Fuji is an icon and a c..
The sensual modernist Oscar
There is almost no modern architect whose career was more profoundly tied in the public mind to the life and culture of his country than that of Oscar Niemeyer’s. Niemeyer (1907-2012) wasn’t just an architect coming from Brazil; he was Brazil. As an early exponent of mode..
Controversial Calatrava
When watching this year’s edition of the Tour de France one of its arrival places was Liège, the former industrial backbone of Wallonia. Although the city of Liège itself is not a very exciting place, one thing caught my eye: the train station Liège-Guillemins. Two years ..
Lost & Found
Language is one of our main communication instruments. Without language, we can easily state that no coherent communication is indeed achievable. Since our very existence the ability to communicate has strongly been integrated in our society, with in every corner of the w..
Endless seas
The ‘Seascapes’ of Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto (b. 1948) are basically quite simple. One by one they show a calm sea, in black and white, without people, and with a horizon just above the middle. At first glance there are no natural features to distinguish changes in..