The Museum of art
The BPS22 (acronym of Bâtiment Provincial Solvay, n°22 du boulevard Solvay) is the Art Museum of the Hainaut Province. Since its creation, in 2000, firstly as a contemporary creative space and since 2015, as a Museum, the BPS22 has positioned itself as one of the pioneers of the cultural development of Charleroi. The Museum favours art forms centred on current social news and the cultural phenomena characteristic of our times. Temporary, monographic or collective exhibitions are planned throughout the year.
The founding principle of BPS22’s activity is social advancement through accession to culture, which is considered to be a form of “deepening of democracy”. This is an essential vector for democracy which allows citizens to approach the world in which they live in a more critical way.
The focus points of BPS22 are:
- to allow the identification of artistic affiliations which go beyond the classifications of traditional art history through a totally new programme;
- to decompartmentalise the styles and the times by making works cohabit or have a dialogue, regardless of their technical or historical classification;
- to present avant-garde artists and more experimental events that establish links between plastic arts and music, dance, theatre, performance, urban sports, etc.;
- to fulfil its critical pedagogical function, both in the planning of exhibitions and in the offers of mediation services put in place (internship, reflection days, conferences etc.)
The BPS22 opened its doors again in 2015, after a thorough renovation. Les Mondes Inversés [The World Turns Upside Down], its big opening exhibition, gathered together a significant collection of contemporary works of art, drawing from popular culture in various ways.
More info about the project
The Museum has developed strong collaboration and partnerships with large Belgian and international institutions: the SMAK in Ghent, the Photography Museum in Charleroi, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the FRAC Grand Large - Hauts-de-France, the Villa Medicis - Académie de France in Rome, etc.
