Literary nocturne Jean Brusselmans

Jean Brusselmans forged a visual language entirely his own, outside the dominant artistic movements of the first half of the twentieth century. He found his themes close to home: labourers, farmers in the fields, village scenes and, above all, the rolling landscape of Flemish Brabant. Brusselmans succeeded like no other in capturing the soul of the Flemish countryside. During this late-night opening, four writers will guide the audience through the exhibition Jean Brusselmans: Painter by Nature. Each has written a new text inspired by one of his paintings, and they will be reading their works on the night. A literary immersion in the world of this idiosyncratic Belgian artist.

Tülin Erkan grew up in Ostend with a French-speaking mother and an English-speaking grandmother. She spent her summers with her father in Turkey. In her debut novel Honingeter (2021), Erkan blends her Belgian-Turkish roots with classical mythology and Turkish folklore to conjure up something entirely new. She lives in Antwerp, where she is working on a new book and dreams of a writing cabin by the water.

Bart Meuleman is from Turnhout. He spent thirty-five years as a director and dramaturg at, among others, Toneelhuis, KVS, NTGent, Antigone, and Voetvolk. Now he is devoted entirely to his own literary work and to passing on his expertise in text, linguistic sensitivity, and style. His latest novel, Een distel in bloei (2025), loosely draws on the life of the painter Jan Vaerten, of whom it was once predicted – in vain – that his work would effortlessly stand the test of time.

Tijl Nuyts is an author and poet living in Brussels. His debut novel, Grondwerk (2025), explores issues such as climate change, collective action, and attempts to make the world habitable through poetic and sensory language. It won the Boon Literature Prize. He is also known for his earlier poetry collections Anagrammen van een blote keizer (2017) and Vervoersbewijzen (2021).

Aya Sabi is a Belgian author and columnist with Dutch and Moroccan roots. She grew up in Roermond and moved with her family to Genk at the age of thirteen. Following her short story collection Verkruimeld land and her novel Half leven, she wrote Zo zingt de pijn: a poetic, healing journey, out of the head and into the body, towards a sense of safety in the here and now.

Lize Spit grew up in Viersel, in the Antwerp Kempen, and has lived in Brussels since 2005. She made her name with her debut novel Het smelt (2016). Her latest book, Autobiografie van mijn lichaam (2025), is a radically honest and moving exploration by a daughter seeking to understand not only her difficult relationship with her mother, but also her troubled relationship with her own body.