“A café should not be confused with a tavern, cafeteria, bar, lounge or cocktail bar.
A café worthy of the name is a place where you drink draught beer. The beer glass is held at a 45-degree angle, filled to 4/5ths full, then tilted vertically and the tap quickly turned off. The bartender removes the excess foam from the beer and places this little miracle in front of you on a coaster. This is the custom, this is how it’s always been done.“

Stephan Vanfleteren, July 2021

Harry Gruyaert, a member of the Magnum agency since 1981, is undoubtedly one of the greatest contemporary colorist photographers.

In the book “Café Belgica”, he highlights the cohesion, warmth and pleasure that people had and still have in the cafés of his native country.
He invites us to share a moment of light-hearted gaiety in a sanctuary for free spirits, where leopard patterns, green neon lights and the sweaty smell of those who have danced too much cohabit. An invitation to life…

50 years ago, there were over 50,000 cafés in Belgium, today there are barely 10,000 left.
Yet, coffee and the beer served are part of Belgium’s heritage – Belgian beer culture was even inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.

Artazart is organizing an installation with an original scenography from February 17 to April 10, 2022 around 21 shots printed in large format on photographic tarpaulins as well as a selection of the photographer’s books.

MEETING – DEDICATION THURSDAY FEBRUARY 17 FROM 6:00 PM !