Magazine issue fourteen

What does ‘exchange’ mean to you? Sharing or swapping with one another, or passing something back and forth – information, thoughts or possessions, for example? Do you keep asking questions until you have a clear picture of what the other person actually wants to share? How non-binding is that? And does it sometimes come with an obligation: to accept, follow or even change places? 

What positions do both parties occupy in an exchange? Equal ones, hopefully. Give and take: giving something back and accepting something in return. And how do we define the boundaries? How do we make it clear that a difference exists, without giving it negative connotations? Boundaries are not always geographical. They can also be cultural, ideological or even highly personal. 

In this issue, we go looking for answers – or, at the very least, share some wonderful examples. We show, for instance, how artist Ricardo Brey takes what his surroundings give him and uses it to create something entirely new. We delve into history and discover how, in the 16th century, Flemish sculptors – the Fiamminghi – flocked to Italy. 

Did they learn the trade there, or did they share their own expertise with their Italian colleagues? Presumably both: they adopted new names, worked alongside their fellow craftsmen in the public realm and ultimately left an unmistakable mark on the Renaissance. Their work changed the streetscape forever. To this day, they continue to offer residents and visitors to Italian cities a glimpse of Flemish craftsmanship. 

Recently, we too have exchanged a great deal with our Parisian colleagues. In the spring, we presented Valérie Mannaerts’ oeuvre and new work in ‘Antennae’, an exhibition that will travel to Le Crédac in Paris in January 2027. Ideas crossing borders, a dialogue continuing in a different context – that, too, is exchange. 

With this issue, we’d like to leave you with one last question: what does your environment give you, and what do you give back? 

Ellen from M