08 june 2025, Indra Devriendt
Judgment-free and connecting: Coppejans Gallery is celebrating its five-year anniversary with an art festival
Coppejans Gallery is celebrating its five-year anniversary with an art festival in the Schipperskwartier district of Antwerp. The opening took place during Antwerp Art Weekend and immediately drew considerable attention. A remarkable initiative and Coppejans is fully aware that this is a unique collaboration between art and the local community. The neighbourhood is seen in a different light, with art as a connecting element, creating possibilities for unexpected encounters and conversations. When do we appreciate a neighbourhood or art? Are prejudices or judgement ever appropriate?
Coppejans Gallery is located on Falconplein, a square that used to be known for shady dealings and counterfeit goods. Nuisance caused by alcohol and drug users worsened its bad reputation. The Schipperskwartier itself was known as the red-light district of Antwerp due to prostitution. The neighbourhood has undergone major changes to improve liveability. There is now an organized prostitution zone. New residential projects, commercial spaces, cultural initiatives and green areas have made the district more attractive. “I sincerely appreciate the neighbourhood,” says Stijn Coppejans. “When my gallery opened on 2 June 2020, my first visitors were the owners of fetish shop Mister B across the street. They brought a bottle of champagne to welcome the gallery to the neighbourhood. That perfectly sums up what’s possible here. I do notice, however, that the area still has a bad reputation in the minds of many. Personally, I like it when something has an edgy, a lived-in quality. That’s why I don’t want a perfect white cube to present art. I gladly include the context.”
Coppejans wants to celebrate this milestone anniversary in the Schipperskwartier. The entire project includes two exhibitions, artworks integrated at various locations in the neighbourhood and performances during opening weekend. Collections is taking place in the gallery itself and in a venue on Klapdorp. “I’ve divided the exhibition into five virtual collections,” explains Coppejans, “bringing together all the artists I’ve worked with over the past five years. I imagined myself a collector and asked myself, How could I present this multitude of work? I chose five themes to explain the gallery’s mission and numbered the work as if it were an ethnographic collection.” The themes are Social Sculpturing, The White Color, Construction - Deconstruction, Artefacts - Shapes of Nature and Archive of the Mind. Based on conversations he had before founding the gallery, he arrived at this summary: “Art is research.” Collections, archives and artifacts refer to collecting and investigation.
Performance by Adriaan Rees
The performances directly reference the work of Joseph Beuys. Bart Van Dyck is commemorating Beuys’ birthday. Each year, he grows four young oaks and finds adoptive parents for the trees. During Adriaan Rees’ performance, butter was smeared on the gallery window. Studio DO turned old paving stones and historical ornaments into cups, jugs and tables. As a performance, they offer cocktails.
The window of Eddy’s Tattoo Shop, a porcelain torso with Delft blue drawings by Rees
There are 19 locations where the works of art can be seen—mostly in shop windows near Falconplein. For instance, in the window of Eddy’s Tattoo Shop, a porcelain torso with Delft blue drawings by Rees is on display, while paper kites and a handwritten poem by Maarten Inghels are subtly integrated into Mister B’s Leather & Rubber display. Kazerie De Kaasbrug is selling 1 kg bags of Belgian soil by Werner De Vos and giving away 100 g of Belgian cheese with them. Jan Hendrikse’s billboards at Yellow Submarine refer to the location’s past as a fruit and vegetable store and the HåR hairdresser stands proudly on the sidewalk next to a pile of gold-painted book covers by Denmark glistening in the sunlight. Patterns in Ronny Delrue’s painting interact with the carpets of Ashtari Carpets, while Alexandra Phillips created a giant beaded necklace that hangs from a balcony. From another balcony, Nico Dockx hangs two flags stating ‘Migration is normal’. A shelf of art books can be found in Dayshop, the salesperson beaming as she tells she has already sold a few. “We help each other out,” she adds. Normally, you’d rent a private booth to watch sex films at Coconuts Sex Cinema. Now you can choose from eight art films. “It’s a playful reference to the neighbourhood,” explains Coppejans. “Their display always features retro items and positive messages. For this occasion, I added two erotic silkscreens by Paul De Vree, borrowed from M HKA, with whom I’ve collaborated five times.”
Alexandra Phillips
On Falconplein, there are two poster pillars. One hosts a sculpture by Nicolas Baeyens. Last year, he dragged his sculpture to the square in pieces and gave them away to the public. This time, he’s welding a second version from the remnants. On the other pillar, Rees is presenting Screaming in a Bucket, referring to miscommunication between people from different backgrounds. A man with a bucket and brush happens to be putting up posters during Rees’ performance. He performs his task and doesn’t look up once as the performance unfolds beside him.
The neighbourhood’s involvement is strong. “It’s the first time the entire area joined in,” says Coppejans. “Over the past years, I’ve gotten to know a lot of people here. They approach me and are curious about what’s going on. I promote the event to get them to come. Everyone I asked to showcase something for this project agreed. Residents even came forward to ask if I could display something at their place as well. Remarkably, no one wanted to know beforehand which artwork it would be. For everything I’ve asked the city to do in the area in recent years, I’ve received approval.” That helps, too.
“It’s remarkable how we live our lives divided,” Coppejans reflects. “In school, we meet people with similar interests. Our colleagues often have similar hobbies and our circle of friends is a bubble. With this initiative, I want to change that, to foster encounters and conversations between people who wouldn’t normally meet. This in turn creates a web of connections and unforgettable memories.” Art acts as a bridge between worlds and people with different backgrounds and interests. It turns a neighbourhood into a social and cultural meeting place. Spontaneous conversations arise and people broaden their perspectives. Locals come into contact with art and art lovers get a glimpse of the neighbourhood as it is today. During the opening weekend, visitors receive a voucher for a drink at a local café, which also sparks dialogue.
A project in a neighbourhood makes art visible and open to discussion. Shopkeepers or businesses that display art in their windows showcase what art can be. What stands out about the piece? Does it suit my business? What meaning does it have and what value do I attach to it? And so on and so forth. People reflect on their local community. What do they find interesting or valuable and why? Art lovers see art everywhere. “There’s a broken light at the pita shop. Visitors asked me if that was an artwork, too,” Coppejans laughs.
“With every project I’ve done here, people have said they wished the work could remain. They see something that wasn’t there before and will disappear again. That sets things in motion. Embracing change teaches us to do the same with the complexities of life. We need more imagination. That’s what art can contribute. Art is everything between the lines. It gives us a window to keep observing and discovering without judgment. Where judgment begins, observation ends.” We often judge each other and one another’s interests or lives. This art project creates a positive dynamic and teaches us to have fewer prejudices. The neighbourhood’s involvement and strong turnout show broad support. Coppejans is already dreaming of a biennale in collaboration with other galleries and local residents.
Coppejans Gallery
