What's on this week: 29 October
Legendary US singer-songwriters, 19-century symbolists and Freudian theatre trilogies: our pick of events across Flanders and Brussels
Performance: Vader
His neighbours suspect these grandiose stories might rather be the product of an unsound mind. Vader (Father) is the first instalment of a decidedly Freudian trilogy, to be followed by Moeder (Mother) and Kinderen (Children). After Brussels, the production moves on to Norway, Spain and finally Antwerp, where it runs at deSingel from 27 to 29 November. (In English)
Until 31 October, 20.00 at KVS, Brussels
www.kvs.be
Visual arts: Paul Delvaux Unveiled
Belgian modernist painter Paul Delvaux was born too late. Although a contemporary of René Magritte and his circle of 20th-century surrealists, with whom he often exhibited, Delvaux was a 19th-century symbolist in spirit. His interest in dreams and the occult, not to mention his mania for the nude female form, were out of sync with the increasingly abstract aesthetic of high modernism. And yet his work stands the test of time. This exhibition removes Delvaux, who spent most of his working life on the Flemish coast, from the Surrealist context to consider the work on its own merits.
Until 18 January at Museum van Elsene, Brussels
www.museumvanelsene.net
Festival: Flori Mundi
After a brief hesitation, autumn has arrived, and with it dark skies and chilly temperatures. Meise’s Botanic Garden offers respite. Inside its greenhouses, it’s always summer. For the next several weeks, there’s an added incentive to visit: The Flori Mundi festival showcases thousands of colourful and endangered orchids and other varieties. The explosion of colour is a welcome change from the unrelenting grey outside, and the presentation is as educational as it is beautiful. While adults enjoy the spectacle, kids will learn the workings of the world’s ecosystem and the importance of conservation.
Until 30 November at Botanic Garden, Meise
www.florimundi.be
Concert: Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond will not be neglecting Flanders on his sweeping 2015 tour. The legendary American singer-songwriter plays Antwerp on the summer solstice, no less. The long list of chart-toppers written by Diamond includes “Sweet Caroline”, “Kentucky Woman” and “Red, Red Wine” (which he recorded himself long before the tune made UB40 a household acronym). In one of his finest hours, Diamond co-wrote the 1982 hit “Heartlight” with Burt Bacharach and his then-wife after the trio watched an early screening of ET the Extra-Terrestrial. Tickets to this show are moving briskly.
21 June 2015, 20.00 at Sportpaleis, Antwerp
www.sportpaleis.be
More events that deserve your attention
Robert Cray: The living blues legend and one of the greatest guitarists of his generation, with five Grammy Awards and an honorary spot in the Blues Hall Of Fame.
31 October 20.00, Het Depot, Martelarenplein 12, Leuven
www.hetdepot.be
Transformation Night: Halloween clubbing to the sounds of DJ Vernon Sullivan and Vgeranium, while Fyl Sang d’Or turns hair into art and Rebecca Warrior applies makeup in her on-site beauty saloon.
31 October 21.00, Potemkine, Hallepoortlaan 2-4, Brussels
www.visitbrussels.be
Kuona Afrika: African-themed festival for the entire family, featuring concerts, dance, fashion, workshops, film, food, market and more.
31 October to 2 November, Tour & Taxis, Picardstraat 3, Brussels
www.kuonaafrika.com
Omelette: A combination of wordless shadow puppetry and live music, narrating the humorous story of a child who befriends a bold chicken. (ages 4+, music in Dutch or French)
2 November, GC De Zeyp, Van Overbekelaan 164, Brussels
www.dezeyp.be
Countryside: 20th anniversary edition of the annual lifestyle fair for interior and garden decor, home textiles and accessories, featuring furniture, lighting, antiques, arts and crafts and a regional products market.
30 October to 2 November, Flanders Expo, Maaltekouter 1, Ghent
www.countryside.be
Antiques and flea market: Annual gathering of merchants of second-hand, antique and collector’s items, including furniture, dolls, stamps, coins, train sets and much more.
1 November 9.30-18.00, Beurshal, Hauwerstraat 2, Bruges
www.hobby13.be
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