The National Basilica of the Sacred Heart played a central role in Brussels’ year of Art Deco. Thanks to a broad partnership of museums, cultural organisations, municipalities, and heritage associations, this iconic monument in the north-west of the city hosted exhibitions, a national symposium, film screenings, and themed walks. Efforts from local cultural services and heritage groups ensured that lovers of architecture and design could enjoy a full year of festivities celebrating Brussels’ rich Art Deco heritage.
Partners included:
Brussels Best Co-creation Award
Basiliek Art Deco 2025 Basilique
-
Atelier Brunswyck/Wathelet, Belgian Chocolate Village, MMRK, municipalities of Ganshoren and Koekelberg.
Brussels 2025 – Year of Art Deco
.jpeg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.48.48.png)
In 2025, Brussels celebrated Art Deco with an extensive programme. More than twenty exhibitions highlighted architecture, interior design, design and social trends from the 1920s and 1930s. Locations that are normally closed to the public and private homes were opened up. Guided tours, walks, conferences and festivals made heritage visible and accessible to a wide international audience.
Partners included:
-
Art & History Museum, Arau, Arkadia, Artonov, Atelier Brunswyck/Wathelet, BELvue Museum, Bibliothèque Sésame, BOZAR, Brussels Art Déco Society, Bruxelles Bavard, Centre Marinus, CIVA, Design Museum, Explore Brussels, Fondation Majerus, Fondation Madeleine 7, Horta Museum, Korei, Maison Autrique, Maison van Buuren, Municipalities of Forest, Ganshoren, Ixelles and Schaerbeek, Museum of Modern Religious Art, Patrimoine & Culture (Halles Saint-Géry and LAB·AN), Pro Velo, Train World, Villa Empain, visit.brussels, Wittockiana.
Come As You Are by Laetitia Bica
.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/cq5dam.thumbnail.48.48.png "(c) Laetitia Bica")
For Come As You Are, photographer Laetitia Bica transformed MAD Brussels into a colourful, intimate studio for a month. She photographed dancers, drag artists, DJs and actors wearing creations by Belgian and Brussels designers. Drag Couenne, Naomi Waku and Daphne Agten, among others, appeared in designs by Flora Miranda, Igor Dieryck and Tom Van Der Borght. The exhibition brought together fashion, art and performance and showed how MAD Brussels, as a creative hub, fosters new collaborations.
Partners included:
-
Ateliers Indigo, Bye Bye Binary
Raising our roots – Bruxelles à travers onze ogen
Fifteen young people from various Brussels neighbourhoods formed a new collective for this project by the House of European History. For a year, under the name “Echoes”, they collected untold stories. They investigated who in history is given a voice, who is not and why this is still relevant to young people today. Through video, sound and photos, the exhibition transports you to the metro stations, parks, squares and living rooms of various neighbourhoods. The testimonies show the everyday reality of migration, identity and growing up in Brussels.
Partners included:
-
BNA-BBOT, Firstwaves archives, Gökhan Kizilbuga, GSARA, Joachim Ben Yakoub, La Forestière, Mustafa Bentaleb, Naomi Aguilera, Nos Héritages, Oiseaux Sans Tête, Sarra El Massaoudi.
"Working in Brussels" connects Brussels employers with Flemish and Brussels talent
In 2025, some of the largest employers in the region joined forces to attract new talent. Their starting point was a study into the perception of Brussels as a place to work. The partners produced a video together and launched a twelve-week media campaign. Each company tackled a persistent prejudice while showcasing its own strengths. This put Brussels in a positive and recognisable spotlight.
Partners included:
-
STIB-MIVB, JOBAT, KBC Brussels