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Alice & Raphaël

Gallerists & curators

 

C

Alice & Raphaël

Gallerists & curators

Molenbeek lies right the heart of Europe. Although little known to the world just a year ago, it has been in the international spotlight as a breeding ground for terrorism. But lately, the same edgy ethnic corner of Brussels made headlines with the opening of its first ever museum for contemporary art: the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA). In it, lies the opportunity to forge connections with the local community, and to bring a new, fresh vibe to the Charleroi Canal, according to its co-founders Alice van den Abeele and Raphaël Cruyt.

Molenbeek lies right the heart of Europe. Although little known to the world just a year ago, it has been in the international spotlight as a breeding ground for terrorism. But lately, the same edgy ethnic corner of Brussels made headlines with the opening of its first ever museum for contemporary art: the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA). In it, lies the opportunity to forge connections with the local community, and to bring a new, fresh vibe to the Charleroi Canal, according to its co-founders Alice van den Abeele and Raphaël Cruyt.

Molenbeek got demonized by the media after the Brussels’ and the Paris’ attacks. What role can the MIMA play in transforming it from a no-go to a must-go zone?

ALICE: As the museum opened a few weeks after the attacks, the question on everybody’s minds was: ‘Why a Museum in Molenbeek? How do you want to save the city?’ The answer is always the same. We can only have a relative impact on society. There are bigger social actors at work. We chose Molenbeek as a base, because we like the neighborhood and its cultural diversity, not because we want to change it. The opening of the MIMA shed another light to the so-called ‘terrorist area’. News stories read: ‘Look at the MIMA. Not everything is black and white. There is hope, and the will to change things.’ What is important to notice, is that the opening was an interesting topic for the media, which gave us the opportunity to change the bad image of the city a bit. Perception is crucial as it affects the self-esteem of a community.

Molenbeek has a large, predominantly young population. Which actions have you taken so far to connect with them?

ALICE: Besides the communication, the museum works on different levels to create a connection with the local community. For example, entrance is free for the schools in Molenbeek. And we organize events in partnership with local associations. At this stage, we are working on two different long term projects. Firstly, we are collaborating with an organization called TADA. It’s a professional network that organizes workshops for underprivileged kids. Secondly, we have just started a project with the BBA, which is a local boxing club, to create videos with young boxers about their own identity. This project will conclude with a big event at the museum next year.

Perception is crucial as it affects
the self-esteem of a community.

You two have been running Alice Gallery in Brussels for 12 years now. Where did the idea to start a museum come from?

RAPHAËL: The museum is not just us. It’s also Michel and Florence de Launoit.

ALICE: While they are in charge of the funding, sponsoring and partners, we take care of the content of the exhibitions. The gallery is still running, though. We bring culture, not just art. The goals of the gallery and the museum are different. People often ask us: ‘How come we don’t see your artists in the museums and institutions so often?’ What we show and the direct way the artists we collaborate with address society is so relevant to what is happening right now in the world. People don’t visit galleries that frequently because of its commercial aspect. For us, it’s frustrating. We want to promote culture on a wider scale. So we thought: let’s start a museum, build a permanent collection and organize temporary exhibitions.

Why call it ‘a museum’ and not an institution, an exhibition space or a venue? What is the core business of a museum?

RAPHAËL: In it, a collective story is told through the artwork and exhibitions. It’s a vision of the present and the future. The cultural is linked to the revolution that changed our idea of thinking.

ALICE: Every museum has a base, usually its founders, or the people running it. We are doing a contemporary art museum that is connected to our story and our vision on contemporary art today.  Usually, museums are built around collections. This case is different. We are creating the collection as we go. We start with 20 pieces and then we acquire along the way. The MIMA is a small museum, but I think it will have a significant impact.

You took on the project without any governmental funding. How will it sustain a future? What financial strategy have you worked out?

RAPHAËL: When it comes to financing, we have to think creatively. We can’t live off just one type of income. At the MIMA you have the ticket sale, the restaurant, the shop, the event space rental, the partners, the sponsorship of friends and members. And we do apply for public funds for a particular type of events.

ALICE: We are trying out a new model, and we’ll see how it works. Many people from different disciplines want to be a part of it, which is vibrating and stimulating.

RAPHAËL: The MIMA is our biggest project so far.

ALICE: One day we just decided to jump on the train. So far the journey has been good, challenging and full of surprises. But it’s very confronting too. We are both 40 years old, we have two kids, we run a gallery, and we also rent out three small apartments. With its revenue, we can afford a small additional space next to the main gallery (encorebrussels.com), which is now used as an experimental platform. The MIMA occurred simultaneously. Managing both projects has been very stressful but then again, when you think too much, you get stuck, and you don’t do anything.


You are successful business partners and parents. How do you balance between your professional and your private life?

ALICE: Everything we do is interlinked. Our team has grown bigger, and all activities are organized close to home. We commute by bike, which adds to the quality of life.

RAPHAËL: When you work together this closely, you manage because your partner fully understands you.

ALICE: Our kids know we work a lot. We usually take them to the gallery to do their homework. They are ok with it. I grew up in the countryside, and I never thought I was going to bring up my kids in the city. Every weekend I want to head to a forest but all they want to do it to walk the streets of Brussels.

Why did you choose Brussels to start up a gallery? What makes the city so attractive for gallerists, collectors, and artists?

ALICE: We didn’t think much when we started out. Brussels is our home.

RAPHAËL: I really love the city.

ALICE: Did you read the letter of Belgian singer Arno in response to Donald Trump calling Brussels a shit hole?

RAPHAËL: The city has an ugly beauty, which makes you love and hate it at the same time. If it ran smoothly, it would lose its authenticity.

ALICE: It is an exciting place to live. We can be part of its evolution. We can act on it.

RAPHAËL: The New York Times wrote that Brussels is the new Berlin. I understand the comparison. The city politics does fail on many levels. There are a lot of problems that need to be addressed. Rent is cheap, and there is an interesting mix of population. It’s chaos. And this chaos is a good breeding ground for artists and creative things happening.

What are the biggest challenges you have faced since you started your gallery?

ALICE: The job of a gallerist has changed a lot. The gallery used to be the primary filter between the collector and the artists whereas now the internet has disrupted that relationship completely. Nowadays you can get in touch with the artist directly, through a website, a Facebook page, a web shop. Many artists don’t need a gallery anymore.

 

So what kind of value do you add to the whole process?

ALICE: It’s about the choices we make, and I don’t believe one person can do everything by himself.

RAPHAËL: We create a story with the artist.

ALICE: It’s tough for an artist to pop up without a gallerist. They need a filter.

RAPHAËL: They need credibility, and a gallery can offer that.

ALICE: It’s difficult to create new work, build up a network and sell pieces. When you are doing all of that, there’s not much time left to create. Of course, everybody can do their thing online. But setting up a show in a physical space, building up an audience and selling the work, is not that easy. It’s like when you are in a band. When it’s just you, you can put a video on youtube. But if you want to do a concert and a tour. It gets harder to enable all of that when you are alone.

RAPHAËL: Music shops have disappeared. Maybe the gallery will dissolve too. People want to share a cultural experience, but they don’t have to go to a gallery to get it. The number of art institutions has increased, and maybe that is where the future lies.

www.mimamuseum.eu
Text: Magali Elali Photography: Bart Kiggen
Alice & Raphaël