New museum ABBY opens in Kortrijk - Rinus Van de Velde with a preview in the KIOSK

Abby will be a playful, approachable and multi-voiced visual arts museum in Kortrijk, opening festively the weekend of 29 and 30 March. There, the urban collection will enter into dialogue with contemporary art, dynamic heritage practices and the theme of identity in all its stratification. Together with a broad network of organisations, makers and communities and using art as a universal language, they explore what defines and connects us as people, across borders, generations and cultures.

Abby is located in the renovated historic Groeninge Abbey: an open house with many rooms, in a place with a long and fascinating history. With 1,000 m² of exhibition space, it offers a mix of classical and contemporary art, and a fresh look at heritage and identity. To meet its ambitions, the historic abbey site will be complemented by a park pavilion above ground, and will have two high-quality exhibition spaces underground.  The design by top architects Barozzi-Veiga + TAB Architects reworks the museum into a timeless, compact and sustainable architectural gem that puts heritage at the centre and will act as a magnet for the city and for visitors from far beyond.

With a playful and accessible approach, Kortrijk's art collection enters into dialogue with contemporary art and heritage, with a focus on identity and connection between generations and cultures. Working with artists, organisations and communities, Abby explores not only who we are, but also what a museum, a city and a community mean.

Rinus Van de Velde (b 1983, Leuven; lives and works in Antwerp) is one of Belgium's most celebrated contemporary artists. He has made great strides in developing his oeuvre in recent years.  At the beginning of his career, he was mainly known for his large-scale charcoal drawings, but today he presents himself as a multifaceted artist using various media such as drawing, sculpture, installation and film.

For Abby, Van de Velde drew inspiration from the cloisters of Groeninge Abbey and the museum's collection. As the museum's first meeting space, Van de Velde wanted to make the Living a place where visitors can quietly get to know the collection, which will include a new charcoal drawing by the artist. Just like the sets in his films, this living room decor was elaborated and designed down to the smallest details. Every chair, plant, table and sofa has been recreated to reality in cardboard, wood and paint. They invite visitors to become an active part of Rinus Van de Velde's universe.

F**klore portrays the poetry and absurdity of the everyday, known and familiar, inviting the audience to look at the phenomenon of ‘folklore’ from an almost anthropological point of view.

Traditional customs, crafts and narratives are commemorated there with love, mild irony and an open mind, in artworks ranging from tapestries and sand sculptures to installations around finchesetting and processions.

The exhibition brings together work by domestic and foreign, established and emerging artists. With humour and (self)criticism, they ask questions about the value and straitjacket of traditions, about their ecological and social sustainability, about the uniqueness and universality of our idiosyncrasies, about who ‘we’ are (and who we are not).

Featuring work by Mohammed Alani, Élodie Antoine, Bertille Bak, Kasper Bosmans, Elen Braga, Jean Brusselmans, Ignace Cami, Georges Counasse, Wim Delvoye, Gustave De Smet, Charlie De Voet, Laurent Geers, Jef Geys, René Heyvaert, Pieter Jennes, Eleni Kamma, Zhixin Angus Liao, Marcel Maeyer, Edward Messeyne, Malgorzata Mirga-Tas, Joost Pauwaert, Thomas Renwart, Kristof Santy, Delphine Somers, D. D. Trans, Charline Tyberghein, Dennis Tyfus, Edgard Tytgat, Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, Maarten Vanden Eynde, Inès van den Kieboom, Filip Van Dingenen & David Shongo, Tinus Vermeersch, Leen Voet and Joseph Willaert.

F**klore is an exhibition by Abby in collaboration with co-curator Sam Steverlynck.

On Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March 2025, Abby will officially open its doors with a festive opening weekend full of art, music and experiences. From 10am, visitors are welcome to discover the opening exhibition F**klore, Reinventing Tradition, admire Rinus Van de Velde's impressive art installation in the Living Room and enjoy a bite to eat and a drink in the atmospheric Abby Café.

To celebrate the opening, there are also plenty of extra activities: from pop-up performances and workshops to concerts and DJ sets, from duck fishing with special prizes to a real oliebollenkraam.

On Sunday, the opening weekend will end with an event not to be missed: a unique, artistic parade through the streets of Kortrijk. The parade starts at 17h in the Voorstraat, at the corner of the Sint-Niklaasstraat, and arrives at 18h30 in the Begijnhofpark for a festive closing moment.

Saturday 29 March

Magdalena Collective - Feminist performance inspired by the history of the site.
PrintClinic - Screen print your own T-shirt.
Poets' collective Vrijhaven - Be surprised by live poetry soup.
Studio Stefke - Collaborate on a collective window drawing.
Duck fish stall - Folklore at its best with fun prizes.
Emma Pauwels (BAF) - Sketch library - Browse, draw and inspire!
GRNDLGGRS - Orchestra of Holiness - A unique sound carpet in the old monastery dormitory.
Rabbits Are People Too - Create your own ‘zine’ full of imagination and folklore.
PoLuc - A dynamic musical experiment with Pol Isaac & Luc Vandierendonck.

Sunday 30 March

Yoga in the museum - Vinyasa yoga with a pinch of Abby mysticism.
(Dis)connecting collage - Experiment with images and textures.
Dare to look? - Artistic performance about women in art.
VVZ - Open word stage - Literary caramel verses & sharp texts.
Mooss - The magic of upcycling - Give old objects a new life.
DJ The Wild Bird - Soundscape - Get carried away by music and images.
Oliebollenkraam - Abby treats you to delicious oliebollen!

As icing on the cake, residents of Kortrijk and the surrounding area will receive FREE admission to Abby on Sunday 30 March. Don't miss this unique opportunity and experience a weekend full of culture and fun!