25 JANUARY 1 FEBRUARY 2026

BRUSSELS EXPO | HEYSEL

News

Francis Maere Fine Arts - Ooidonk Art Festival 2025 is open

The Ooidonk Art Festival 2025 opened last week, and we’re thrilled with the warm and enthusiastic responses we've received so far. Set against the stunning backdrop of Goed te Réables, right next to the iconic Ooidonk Castle in Bachte-Maria-Leerne, the festival runs from May 17 through August 31 and promises a summer filled with powerful artistic encounters. This fourth edition brings together over 40 contemporary artists, including renowned names such as Wim Delvoye, Jan Fabre, Tony Matelli, and Sofie Muller, alongside a new generation of emerging talent. Their work inhabits the historic interiors and natural surroundings of the 17th-century farmhouse, in a curated dialogue between contemporary art, heritage, and landscape.
Nature in Flux
The artworks at this year’s Ooidonk Art Festival are not static, they evolve throughout the summer, shaped by weather, light, time, and even living organisms. Visitors can expect installations that grow, transform, and surprise. Highlights include a living tree sculpture by Wim Delvoye, a poetic retrospective by Johan De Wit, a growing bee-cathedral by Isidoor Goddeeris, a full-scale scenic installation by Lieven Lefere, and an ever-changing canvas by Ruth Devriendt; alongside over 100 other remarkable works.
Picture: Kubach-Wilmsen
Jan Fabre | Kris Martin
Jan Fabre | Roeland Tweelinckx l Marco De Sanctis | Conrad Willems
2nd location: City Pavilion
This weekend marks the opening of our City Pavilion, a parallel exhibition in the Francis Maere Fine Arts Gallery, open every weekend throughout the summer. Here, the very same artists from the Ooidonk Art Festival present entirely different works in a radically contrasting gallery setting. The City Pavilion offers a more intimate, reflective counterpoint to the outdoor experience at Goed te Réables. Whether you're escaping a rainy day, completing a cultural city stroll, or seeking a deeper connection to the festival, this satellite exhibition is the perfect complement that brings two distinct worlds together under one vision.
 
Randoald Sabbe | Maen Florin | Lieven Lefere | Stephan Balkenhol
Ooidonk Art Festival - www.OoidonkArtFestival.be
Goed Te Réables | Ooidonkdreef 5, 9800 Bachte-Maria-Leerne
Opening days: Thursday to Sunday, 11 AM – 6 PM
Tickets: €10 – Available at the door

City Pavilion - www.francismaerefinearts.be
Francis Maere Fine Arts | Kouter 172, 9000 Gent
Opening days: Saturday & Sunday, 11 AM – 6 PM
Tickets: FREE

CONTACT

Ghent

Hotel Falligan - First floor

Kouter 172

BE-9000 Ghent

t. +32 (0)9 233 09 93 | m. +32 (0)475 69 23 05

info@francismaerefinearts.be | www.francismaerefinearts.be

ABOUT

Francis Maere Fine Arts specialiseert zich al van in haar beginjaren (1995) in Belgische kunst uit de jaren 1880-1950. Deze galerij aan de oever van de Leie heeft ook altijd al een voorliefde gehad voor kunstenaars uit Sint-Martens-Latem en omstreken. Van het pleinairisme uit de late 19de eeuw, impressionisme, luminisme, symbolisme, expressionisme, surrealisme tot de eerste abstracte kunsten in België ... Alles komt er aan bod. Sinds haar oprichting tekende de galerij present op talrijke kunstbeurzen in Gent, Brussel, Antwerpen, Kortrijk en Amsterdam. In 2011 opende Francis Maere een nieuwe galerij in Gent, op de eerste verdieping van Hotel Falligan. Dit gerenoveerde 18de eeuws herenhuis zorgde voor een nieuwe impuls en vestigde de aandacht van de galerie op moderne en hedendaagse bewegingen. Francis Maere Fine Arts wil in de eerste plaats de Belgische kunst promoten via tentoonstellingen, publicaties en joint ventures in binnen- en buitenland. Francis Maere is een actief lid van ROCAD.

Founded : 1995

Specialisations

Belgische schilder- en beeldhouwkunst van de 19de tot de 21st eeuw

Associations

C.I.N.O.A. Confédération Internationale des Négociants en Oeuvres d'Art, S.N.A. Syndicat National des Antiquaires Négociants en Objets d'Art Tableaux anciens et modernes de France

Fairs

PAN Amsterdam