FOCUS : Interstices By Quadri : When Art Meets Creative Entrepreneurship

I like nothing more than art, alternative businesses and entrepreneurship. So when I met Judith Mierop last week, and heard all about her pet project “Interstices By Quadri“, I was thrilled to notice that here in Brussels beside the classic well known art scene, there is plenty of young creatives developing brilliant ideas and other ways to experience contemporary art. Judith is one of them. Graduated from La Cambre Architecture, she seems to be attracted by the concept of space, the potential of installations, and by the power of curating an exhibition. She realised than Brussels is full of vacant locations, that usually galleries are empty between two shows, so why not using these spots to bring ephemeral pop-up exhibitions? Her project is a niche for new talents, she is exposing emergent artists (which is rare enough in Brussels to be mention) with a great sense of aesthetic and an obvious skill for curation.

The third shows that she is presenting will be on this September at the Quadri Gallery in Brussels. We asked three question to this young entrepreneur in order to learn more about “Interstices” :

How did the concept of “Interstices by Quadri” came to you?

I couldn’t find the job I wanted so I created it ! I wouldn’t open my own gallery, and there is so many galleries in Brussels that I thought it would be more interesting to create an itinerant program that takes place in the « dead times » of those galleries. Short periods, young contemporary artists, various mediums and several places of exhibition are the guideline of Interstices.

Can you tell us more about the upcoming exhibition?

The next exhibition will welcome three artists, each one with a different medium. Karien Evers, a ceramist, Julie Rousseau, a graphic designer, and Jérôme Désert a French illustrator and painter. Karien will present art and design works like her collection Mudhoney, Julie will show her Paper Beasts creations, and Jérôme will present different drawings.

What do you think of the Brussels’s contemporary art scene? What are your favourite arty spots in Brussels?

Brussel’s contemporary art scene has changed and continues to change. For some years now, the city welcomed big international galleries like the American gallery Barbara Gladstone, the French gallery Daniel Templon, or more recently the Feizi Gallery coming from China. There is also plenty of French people immigrating here who opens private art spaces like More Than a House and that contributes to make the capital more attractive. All these put the small and open-minded city Brussels on the international map of art.

I like Bozar and Wiels, both institutions have a lot of diversity in their program. I also like the gallery Xavier Hufkens for the space and the garden and Maison Particulière for the concept.

Judith is constantly looking for new spaces and new artists so feel free to drop by on her Website or Facebook page to become part of her arty journey.