Artworks by Valérie Mannaerts in public spaces
Elisa Maenhout for M Leuven
Valérie Mannaerts
Artworks in public spaces
In the exhibition ‘Antennae’ (3 April – 30 August 2026), Valérie Mannaerts looks back on thirty years of artistic practice and presents new work. You can also find Mannaerts’ artworks in public spaces in Brussels and Antwerp, many of which are freely accessible.
Elisa Maenhout for M Leuven
‘Private Architecture (BeursBourse)’ in the Stock Exchange Building, Brussels
Commissioned by Robbrecht & Daem Architecten, Popoff Architectes and BEAU.
The central hall of the Stock Exchange Building is a meeting place in the heart of Brussels. Valérie Mannaerts’ artwork, which covers the entire floor and combines the monumentality of the space with a human touch and scale through the use of analogue and handcrafted elements, defines its identity. The floor features four organic elements, executed in mosaic, which reference the plant motifs in the ceiling’s stucco work. The three-dimensional quality of the mosaic designs creates a trompe l’oeil effect that gradually reveals itself as visitors move through the building.
The artisanal interpretations of hand-drawn sketches emphasize the analogue identity of ‘Private Architecture (BeursBourse)’ (2015–2023). During the development process, the mutual respect and resulting dialogue between Mannaerts and the craftspeople formed a vital foundation for the realization of the final artwork. The floor features four organic mosaic elements that echo the plant motifs in the ceiling’s stucco work. A hand-drawn mosaic border frames the entire granite-cast surface. In this way, a fluid, organic visual language emphasizes every aspect of the existing geometric architecture.
Private Architecture (BeursBourse), Valérie Mannaerts, 2023 (Brussels stock exchange building), © the artist, photo : Filip Dujardin
‘Real if I want to’ in the ING collection, Brussels
This series consists of six large paintings that flow seamlessly into one another, creating an optical illusion. Characteristic elements from Mannaerts’s oeuvre, such as clothing, plant motifs and screens, recur throughout the works. The series presents paintings not as flat images, but as layered environments in which space and objects take on an almost human presence.
‘Real if I want to’ (2014) served at the time as a kind of snapshot of Mannaerts’ practice: an overview of motifs, references to existing works and projections of ideas for pieces yet to be realized.
Real if I want to, Valérie Mannaerts, 2014, ING Collection, © the artist, photo : Philippe De Gobert
‘Pleasure in Making (curtain for Bozar)’ in Victor Bozar Café
A hand-embroidered curtain, commissioned by Robbrecht & Daem architecten.
In the words of architect Aslı Çiçek: “Valérie Mannaerts’ work in the Bozar Café naturally defines her presence without imposing it. On the curtains, she depicts a world that arouses the viewer’s curiosity. It is a world of fascination, subtlety, all manner of spaces and joy, conveyed to the real world through her drawings. She treats the curtain as a fluid form of architecture and uses it to leave graceful traces within the spaces. These traces are not only visible, but they also embrace the architecture that surrounds them. ‘Pleasure in Making’ (2016), as Valérie Mannaerts calls her work, enhances the pleasure of experiencing architecture.”
Pleasure in Making (curtain for Bozar), Valérie Mannaerts, 2016 (Victor Bozar Café), © the artist, photo : Philippe De Gobert
‘Private Architecture (joyfully wet)’ in Bouckenborgh Park, Merksem
Commissioned by Kunst in de Stad.
‘Private Architecture (joyfully wet)’ (2024) consists of a monumental bronze sculpture installed at the centre of a former water basin in front of the castle in Bouckenborgh Park. The artwork has an abstract form with a strong vegetal presence, owing to the original use of bamboo for the trunk and the sculpted leaves that cover the sculpture.
This dialogue between abstract and vegetal formal language forms the basis of the artwork. The sculpture draws inspiration from the omnipresent water in and around the park, as well as the lush vegetation that thrives there. The fruiting body that emerges from damp soil symbolizes this fertile relationship. Due to its intrinsic form, the mushroom is highly evocative and rich in anthropomorphic associations.
Private Architecture (joyfully wet), Valérie Mannaerts, 2024 (Bouckenborgpark Merksem), © the artist, photo : Eline Willaert
