Match Game: Independent Brussels vs. Art Brussels

Ed van der Elsken, Belgie (Twins), 1968 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy Annet Gelink Gallery © Ed van der Elsken
 

By PAUL LASTER, APR. 2017

A battle is brewing in Brussels!

Independent Brussels returns to the 50,000 square-foot Vanderborght Building for the second edition of the art fair with 70 exhibitors representing 32 global cities to challenge the 35th edition of Art Brussels, which presents 145 galleries from 28 countries at the city’s historical Tour & Taxis warehouses.

Highlights at Independent Brussels (April 19-23) include solo exhibitions of Michael Pybus’ Pop Art mashups at the Ghent-based gallery Tatjana Pieters, Nika Neelova’s twisted sculptures made from reclaimed wooden bannisters at London’s Vigo Gallery and Nathalie Du Pasquier’s geometric abstractions at the Berlin gallery Exile and A Palazzo Gallery from Brescia, while David Zwirner, which is based in New York and London, features “The Mask Makers,” a group exhibition curated by gallery artist Marcel Dzama.

Over at Art Brussels (April 20-23) standouts include solo projects by Guy Yanai, who presents colorful paintings of modernist interiors at Amsterdam’s Flatland Gallery, and Jana Schröder’s scribbly abstractions at Los Angeles’ Meir Gallery, along with the pairing of Markus Lüpertz, who offers myth-inspired paintings and sculptures, and the Recycle Group, presenting its “retro-futuristic” sculptures, at the Paris-based gallery Suzanne Tarasieve.

Scroll through the images below to see more of our favorite works from these two art fairs. WM

Amanda Ross-Ho, Untitled Vestment (Have Not), 2016-2017 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy Praz-Delavallade. © Amanda Ross-Ho. Photo: Robert Glowacki

Emily Mae Smith, The Mirror, 2015 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy Mary Mary

Nika Neelova, Lemniscate I, 2017 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy Vigo Gallery

Steven Parrino, Search and Destroy, 1982 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy Elizabeth Dee
 

Stan Douglas, Trick or Treat, 1945, 2010 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy the artist and David Zwirner
 

Kati Heck, Schutzengel, 2015 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery
 

Nathalie Du Pasquier, Untitled, 2016 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy the artist, Exile and A Palazzo Gallery
 

Marilyn Minter, Twenty Sixteen, 2017 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy David Zwirner
 

Hera Büyüktaşçıyan, Particles of a long lost space, 2017 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy Green Art Gallery
 

Gina Beavers, Study Smokey eye tutorial, 2014 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy Michael Benevento
 

Michael Pybus, Koons Retrospective (Hulk, Equilibrium, Balloon Dog Red), 2017 at Independent Brussels. Courtesy Tatjana Pieters

Alex Katz, Susanne, 2016 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Monica De Cardenas

Frank Stella, Tenseg 01 and 05 Variation, 2016 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Wetterling Gallery
 

Guy Yanai, Interior With Yellow Hula Hoop Calm European , 2017 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Flatland Gallery

Jana Schröder, Spontacts BO 2-1, 2017 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Meir Gallery
 

Wim Delvoye, Caterpillar, 2004 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Art Bärtschi & Cie
 

Jiří Georg Dokoupil, Brazil Bubbles #3, 2012-2016 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Baró Galeria
 

Giulio Paolini, Cythère, 1983-1984 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Albert Baronian
 

Gert & Uwe Tobias, Untitled , 2016 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Rodolphe Janssen
 

Markus Lüpertz, Itaka, 2013 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Suzanne Tarasieve
 

Recycle Group, Figure 2, 2017 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Suzanne Tarasieve
 

Manuel Ocampo, Untitled, 2017 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Tyler Rollins Fine Art
 

Niki de Saint Phalle, Sphinx, 1989 at Art Brussels. Courtesy Galerie Mitterrand