Exhibitions (archive)

From history to glass: Glasstress Vicenza opens the door to a renewed vision of transparency, craft and collaboration. The international exhibition, curated by Francesca Valente and Jean Blanchaert, brings together over 40 works by internationally renowned artists such as Ai Weiwei, Laure Prouvost, Monica Bonvicini, Koen Vanmechelen, Jaume Plensa, Emilio Isgrò, and many others. The show also debuts new works by Peter Shire, Tony Cragg, and Michelangelo Pistoletto, and includes various site-specific artworks adapted specially to the space by Massimo Lunardon, Marya Kazoun, and Alfredo Pirri. 

This fall, Chillida Leku welcomes artist Koen Vanmechelen with Limina: Cosmopolitan Chicken Project 30, the thirtieth chapter of Vanmechelen's artistic crossbreeding project. Set within the legacy of Eduardo Chillida, one of the 20th century’s most visionary sculptors—renowned for shaping space itself through monumental works of stone, steel, and silence—this dialogue unfolds at the foot of the Basque mountains.
Art, science, and nature converge in a rare encounter on identity, space, and the futures we are yet to imagine.

For Birds, Koen Vanmechelen returns to his lifelong muse: the chicken. Hybrid sculptures and portraits of the Red Jungle Fowl reveal a poetic line between origin and evolution, between vulnerability and strength.

In a striking encounter between contemporary glass art and ecological reflection, FRAGILE – A Selection of Glasstress unfolds within the ancient walls of Castel Belasi in Trentino, Italy. This historic fortress, now a center for eco thought, becomes the stage for an unprecedented dialogue between fragility and resilience, transparency and strength.

Vanmechelen is taking part in the second edition of Sint-Denijs-City with two striking works: Mantle of Love, a winged tiger sculpture installed in the church, and the Cosmogolem, created in collaboration with Ten Dries Jongerenzorg. Spread across various locations, the works engage in a dialogue with the landscape, the local community, and fellow artists. This distinctive group exhibition places art at the heart of everyday life—in a participatory, poetic, and deeply connective way.

Koen Vanmechelen’s artworks, ‘Protected Paradise’ and ‘Golden Cord’, are featured in the 2025 edition of the Ooidonk Art Festival (OAF). The festival returns this year with a theme that intertwines art, nature, and history through groundbreaking, immersive and dynamic experiences. Showcasing the work of contemporary artists, OAF explores the fragile balance between nature’s transience and human impact. Running from 17 May to 31 August, the festival invites art lovers and cultural enthusiasts, encouraging them to explore new perspectives and spark meaningful dialogue.