Art on the Meuse
Art on the Meuse is a project launched by Z33 and Regionaal Landschap Kempen & Maasland (RLKM) to promote art in the Meuse River Valley of Limburg. Over the next three years, five public works of art will be developed in five river valley communities (Dilsen-Stokkem, Kinrooi, Lanaken, Maaseik, Maasmechelen). This cross-border art project will highlight how human beings and nature together contribute to shaping the landscape.
Art, design and architecture at the service of the Meuse River Valley
The RivierPark Maasvallei (Meuse River Valley Park) boasts a rich source of stories and perspectives. This tradition serves as focus for the Art on the Meuse project. In subtle ways this art project will challenge visitors to look at the surrounding landscape differently. The project has been designed to add a new dimension to the regional landscape while also highlighting all that is present in it already. We identified four themes: river dynamics, blurring borders, gravel industry and location-specific stories. In each case, artists will develop one or more of these themes.
Meuse River as lifeline
The RivierPark Maasvallei is a large landscape park stretching from Lanaken to Kinrooi. Formally the River Meuse constitutes the border between Belgium and the Netherlands, but for local residents it is also a lifeline of mutual interests. All the villages along the river and as many as twenty nature preserves on both sides are closely interconnected, not only through their age-old history but also quite concretely through small ferry boats and hiking and cycling trails.
A sustainable collaboration
In March 2021, small yet diverse groups of residents from Maaseik and Kinrooi began to explore the commissioning of a work of art for their municipality. Dilsen-Stokkem and Maasmechelen set up similar groups in the fall of 2021. This local base is crucial for any successful art project in the public domain. We want to realize art that brings people together and strengthens the local community. This calls for collaboration among residents, artists, designers and other partners. Following this same approach, Z33 carried out successful art-in-public-space projects, like ‘Pit’ in Borgloon-Heers and ‘De Unie Hasselt-Genk’. In each case, the unique character of the local landscape serves as touchstone for artistic decisions, notably regarding sustainability, the impact of interventions on the natural environment and the (enabling) features of the local river geography.
A phased approach
- December 2021- June 2022: Temporary billboards by Olivier Goethals transplant the Meuse River to the Rijksweg (state highway)
- January 2022- 6 March 2022: Temporary presentation by Benjamin Verdonck in the Boyen Chapel
- 30 June 2022: first artwork by Mark Dion in Lanaken
- Fall 2022: Kinrooi
- Presentation of a temporary art installation by Alia Farid – In Lieu of What Was
- February 2024: Temporary installation Vulva Island by Michèle Matyn in Bichterweerd
- 2024-2025: Maaseik, Maasmechelen, Dilsen-Stokkem, Kinrooi
Practical Information
Art on the Meuse is an initiative of Z33, House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture (Hasselt) and Regionaal Landschap Kempen & Maasland.
The project is supported by Flanders, in particular by Tourism Flanders and the Cultural Infrastructure Fund (FoCI), De Vlaamse Waterweg and the five Flemish Meuse municipalities (Kinrooi, Maaseik, Dilsen-Stokkem, Maasmechelen and Lanaken). The project is being carried out in cooperation with numerous actors who are active in the Meuse valley.
