WIELS is an international laboratory for the creation and diffusion of contemporary art. While its focusing is on the visual arts, it pays particular attention to the crossings and interactions with other disciplines. The centre strives to present contemporary art in all its diversity and to offer a permanent dialogue with the most recent developments and debates in and about the art world.
Established through the commitment of a private nonprofit association, WIELS is not a museum, or a 'Kunsthalle', or a centre for the fine arts. Rather, it is an institution that combines a set of complementary functions: exhibition, production and education. Working within a dynamic and open context, the centre develops temporary activities without building up a permanent collection. These activities include:
- Organising several large-scale exhibitions every year -- these can be monographic shows of national and international artists, as well as group shows, thematic shows, etc. -- that reflect the evolution, and stakes, of contemporary creation. The emphasis is on information, analysis and sharing in order to participate in the promotion and understanding of contemporary art
- An international artist-in-residence programme focused on innovation, research, creation and advancement, and on stimulating connections between local and international actors.
- A mediation and education programme pursued through workshops, learning projects and seminars for children, teenagers, seniors, schools groups, neighbourhood organisations and so forth.
WIELS' programme, strengthened by a series of parallel activities (conferences, debates, exchanges, workshops, community programmes and interdisciplinary confrontations, etc.), makes it an innovating and experimental art centre.
In the heart of Europe, WIELS is a unique contemporary art centre, not only because of its international reach, but also because of its specific objectives and of the remarkable architecture of its building.