Musea Brugge brings together fashion and contemporary art at BRUSK this autumn
With an ambitious and diverse exhibition programme, BRUSK continues - beyond its current opening exhibitions - to focus on delivering an innovative art experience in Bruges. The highlight is High Tide, a brand-new exhibition exploring the poetry of the sea and the power of water through fashion and contemporary art. A fitting theme for a city that has been connected to the tides of the North Sea for centuries.
At the same time, BRUSK positions itself as a key player in Triënnale Brugge 2027, the international architecture and arts festival, while also serving as a temporary home for masterpieces from the Groeninge collection. Together, these presentations underline BRUSK’s role as a dynamic space where heritage, contemporary themes and artistic experimentation reinforce one another.
High Tide
The Power of Water in Fashion and Art
30 October 2026 – 14 March 2027
Water, sea, oceans. For centuries, they have been a major source of inspiration for artists and designers worldwide. The sea as a connecting, creative, but at the same time destructive force. The many faces of water and its impact on contemporary fashion and art lie at the heart of ‘High Tide’.
For its latest exhibition, Musea Brugge brings together fashion and contemporary art on this scale for the first time in Bruges, conseived by fashion curator Karen Van Godtsenhoven, in a fluid and surprising dialogue that sparks the imagination.
From sunny beaches, sea creatures and sea goddesses to the drama of storms, pollution and rising sea levels. Fashion, visual art, video and sound bring the ocean to life at BRUSK and explore our relationship with water. Discover how deeply water is connected to our emotions, our dreams and the world of tomorrow.
‘High Tide’ is a sensory journey for young and old, featuring immersive installations by both established and emerging fashion designers and visual artists who make the power and poetry of the sea tangible, in a city that has been closely connected to the tides of the North Sea for centuries.
"Refik Anadol’s opening exhibitions ‘Breedbeeld’ and ‘Latent City’ currently illustrate beautifully what BRUSK stands for: innovative exhibitions of both historical and contemporary art, which appeal to young and old alike. Exhibitions that forge unexpected, unconventional connections and raise topical questions – and answers. With ‘Hoogtij’, we are continuing in that same spirit. The internationally acclaimed fashion curator Karen Van Godtsenhoven is bringing together fashion and contemporary art on this scale for the first time in Bruges. A new exhibition to look forward to right now,” said Mayor Dirk De fauw.
The Groeninge Collection
The Art of Looking
12 March 2027 – 27 June 2031
During the renovation of the Groeningemuseum, the collection’s most important masterpieces will be presented at the nearby BRUSK. For four years, the exhibition space will become a treasury showcasing the very best of the Groeninge Collection. At BRUSK, the masterpieces break free from their traditional museum context and reveal a rich range of meanings.
The Groeningemuseum’s art collection ranks among the very finest in Belgian art. These are works you simply must see. Not only for their art-historical importance, but because they still provoke something today: wonder, tension, doubt, recognition, disruption. At BRUSK, Musea Brugge places not only the traditional canon with clearly defined expert explanations at the centre, but also the encounter between artwork and visitor.
What can great masterpieces mean for each of us today? Why has the collection continued to attract visitors from all over the world for centuries? The Groeninge Collection at BRUSK is an exercise in (re)learning how to look, creating space for personal meanings—whether you know the masterpieces inside out or are encountering them for the first time.
End date subject to change.
Bruges Triennial 2027
After Birth – Structures of Togetherness
24 April 2027 – 5 September 2027
From 24 April to 5 September 2027, the fifth edition of the Bruges Triennial will take place. Under the theme After Birth – Structures of Togetherness, the Bruges Triennial explores what connects us as living beings. During this international architecture and arts festival, BRUSK will host an installation that engages in dialogue with other artworks spread across the historic city centre.
During the Bruges Triennial 2027, artists and architects will, for the first time, create installations and (art)works in dialogue, based on shared moments and social structures that bring people together. In this way, the Triennial aims to stimulate encounter, togetherness and exchange. The theme will be developed through a series of chapters highlighting different facets of life, each starting from structures that have connected people for centuries.
BRUSK will also host an installation during the Bruges Triennial 2027. As a new art gallery, BRUSK takes on a special place within this edition.
In the context of Triënnale Brugge.
Alderman for Culture Nico Blontrock: “With BRUSK, we also aim to facilitate exciting and high-profile collaborations between Bruges’ cultural partners. I am therefore delighted that our new art gallery will be one of the venues for the Bruges Triennial next year, where ‘connection’ will also be the central theme. It is a collaboration of which I am already particularly proud. We are also looking forward to the arrival of the absolute highlights of our Groeninge Collection at BRUSK. This will be the perfect opportunity for international, national and, of course, local visitors alike to (re)discover this outstanding collection.”
