A museum in a HAREN prison in Brussels

Updated on December 21, 2022 by pierre

An unusual museum in the new prison near Brussels

If you have never heard of Haren know that this part of Brussels will soon be home to “ Quasi-Museum“. It is indeed in this part to the north of Brussels that towards the day new prison in Brussels. In May 2023, it will open its doors to the public with a museum

In the press release, the main idea communicated is that of an 'open artistic integration', creating links and connections within the prison institution but also with the outside world”.

By Quasi-museum, you can understand exhibition which will be permanent. This will be implemented with of course artists but also artistic institutions, the inhabitants of HAREN, the universities” as well as the staff of the prison and the prisoners.

Haren, the new prison near Brussels

In May 2023, no less than 1190 inmates will join the penitentiary village of Haren. These will be spread over several entities

a prison for men,
a prison for men,
a closed center for women,
an open center for women,
an observation center,
a psychiatric and medical center.

Eventually, this prison should replace other more dilapidated prisons such as Saint-Gilles, Forest or Berkendael.

An artistic integration project that broadens horizons

The Quasi-museum will see the light of day with the opening of the new Haren prison. Long-term, the artistic project is intended to be stimulating and contains an initiative that fits with the innovative and modern vision of incarceration defended by the new prison, centered on human dignity and reintegration into society.

The Haren Prison Quasi-Museum is a permanent exhibition created in collaboration with artists, art institutions, universities, as well as prison staff, neighborhood residents and the inmates themselves. It is located inside and around the prison.

The key idea of this ambitious project is therefore that of an “open artistic integration”, establishing connections both within the prison institution and with the outside. The museographic result of this vast artistic research – called Quasi-Musée – will be presented to the public in April 2023, with the support of cultural institutions and partners such as the Kanal-Centre Pompidou (Brussels), the Dhondt-Dhaenens Museum (Deurle , near Ghent), Le Pavillon (Namur) and the University of Hasselt (Limburg). Between 2023 and 2026, the interactive part of this project will be deepened.

Works in situ, re-residences in a Quasi-Museum

Part of this project is based on several works of art permanent developed inside Haren Prison. The selection of works is described as follows, “Each of the works dialogues with the physical, historical and architectural particularities of the place, without limitation of genre or support. »

You will find, for example, graffiti walls and kinetic sculpturesbut also interactive projects. The works already produced in and around the prison are signed

Adrien Tirtiaux (B),
Daems Van Remoortere (B),
Ief Spincemaille (B),
ElNino76 (B)
Bart Lodewijks (NL).

Art for a space (so) not very public

Haren Prison is remarkable in many ways. First, there is the new approach: guards, bars and keys are replaced by detention attendants, security glass and badges. “But there is also the scale,” adds Anouk Focquier. “The establishment can accommodate approximately 1 inmates. It is the second largest building that the state has ever built in Belgium. »

The construction of government buildings is usually accompanied by an artistic commission. The artist Ief Spincemaille, who has already set up several artistic projects in non-artistic contexts (abbey, prison, residential area, bicycle workshop) was given the mission of creating art for this singular place. In his previous projects, he has not only shown and produced his own works, but also set up a context of collaboration – between other creators, thinkers, artists and the inhabitants of these places. In Haren, too, he will not work solo. He developed a concept and teamed up with Anouk Focquier, from the artistic agency Berserk, an expert in the production and distribution of more or less nomadic artistic practices. Their collaboration resulted in the selection of a group of artists and a constantly evolving artwork project, which they will shape until 2026 in dialogue with all the actors involved – from artists to institutions. partners, including prisoners, local residents and staff, State services and the public. Ief Spincemaille and Anouk Focquier emphasize the fact that public space is not only a physical space but also a social and mental space. This reality takes on even more meaning in the prison context, which is after all a very specific type of public space.

A hidden museum

The Quasi-Museum is also a hidden museum. Some works and projects in prison are only visible to prisoners, who thus have exclusive access to the artistic work. Some of the works (like the murals by Adrien Tirtiaux) show what is happening on the other side of the wall, in the outside world, invisible to the inmates. The outer wall of the prison will also receive an artistic treatment, but it will remain inaccessible to the eyes of the prisoners. Other works from this Quasi-Museum will be produced and exhibited to organizations partners outside the penitentiary perimeter, and will also be invisible to inmates. This subtle game between the “visible” and the “invisible” will create small cracks in the massive prison enclosure separating the inner world from the outer world.

« Those who see detention as restorative rather than repressive can only rejoice in the presence of a little “outside” in the prison environment. concludes Ief Spincemaille. And Anouk Focquier underlines: “ The outside world is ultimately the place where most inmates will need to be able to reintegrate after serving their sentence. »