Unique Access to the Studio of Koen Vanmechelen On Sunday, November 2, artist Koen Vanmechelen will once again open his studio to all visitors. A unique opportunity to admire Vanmechelen’s work in progress inside the striking building The Battery – a design by Swiss architect Mario Botta. Take a break at Nomadland, where the awnings of the colorful caravans are open for food & drinks.
Along the Meuse in Rotem (Dilsen-Stokkem), a new artwork will rise in 2026: Future Fossil, by Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen (BE, °1965). The monumental sculpture embodies the ongoing dialogue between humans, river and nature – a tribute to the landscape of the RivierPark Maasvallei.
Breaking the Cage is a collaboration between artist Koen Vanmechelen and the Metaalbewerking Duaal leren of SyntraPXL. The project offers young makers a rare opportunity to merge technical mastery with creativity, reflection, and social engagement.
With OMIRI Genk, artist Koen Vanmechelen invites Portuguese musician Vasco Ribeiro Casais to portray Genk through music and imagery in a living portrait of the city. The project brings together the voices, sounds and stories of more than 150 people from Genk into a single live composition, created by and with the city itself. Vanmechelen and Casais share the belief that the strength of the world lies in the richness of its communities: the city in all its diversity – its workshops, choirs, sports fields and kitchens – becomes the instrument that brings people together.
WILD GENE FESTIVAL BRINGS TOGETHER MUSIC, ART AND COMMUNITY IN A POWERFUL CELEBRATION OF CREATIVITY
GENK – The first edition of the Wild Gene Festival drew 3,500 people to LABIOMISTA, the evolving art park of Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen on the first of August. Free to attend, visitors came from across Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, United States, Senegal, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong for a rare convergence of music, art, and community.
On August 1, 2025, LABIOMISTA will host the first edition of the Wild Gene Festival – a one-day artistic celebration of live music, art, and human connection, born out of the meeting of artist Koen Vanmechelen and global music legend Youssou N’Dour
