Wing 19, a new exhibition building by Francesca Torzo

Z33 will open its new House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture on Thursday, May 21. A building of world class architecture rises right in the heart of Hasselt (Belgium), to a design that the Italian architect Francesca Torzo has expertly fit into the existing architecture of the 1950’s exhibition wing, the historic beguinage and the Jenever Museum.

A spectacle of light and shade
With the new construction and the renovation of the existing exhibition building, Francesca Torzo delivers sensory, human architecture tailored to the commissioning client. Far from an example of “starchitecture” Torzo has produced a building that complements the site well while respecting the city. The attention to dimensions, texture and detail, as well as the interdependence with the location make the building special. 

The relationship with the beguinage and Vleugel 58
Torzo studied the history of the site extensively and incorporated it into her design. The seclusion of the beguinage houses, with its series of spaces closed off from the city by a massive wall, is reflected in the new building. The beguinage has always been a place of tranquility within the urban (social) fabric. The new building also functions in this way: on crossing threshold, the visitor is gradually led through a patio with tree and fountain from the bustle of the city to another place. Torzo sees the relationship with the existing exhibition building as a marriage between Vleugel 58, with its direct, vertical layout and the new building Vleugel 19. The exhibition spaces in the old wing are all different—the amount of natural light, the size of the spaces, a room with a curve, a gallery. Torzo’s aim has been to extend this layout in her own way in the new building, enriched with volumes that Z33 did not yet have: a high tower, a wide hall, a long, high passage. The two buildings are different, but complement each other and together form a whole.

Well thought out in every detail
That connection with the past, the existing structures, the associated materials and the love for the craft are essential. Every detail, every material and every positioning has its value and its place in the story that the architect wants to tell. For example, the red colour of the diamond-shaped brick used for the outer wall is not simply a random choice, but is the result of research into the history of brick use in the region. The bare inner walls benefit from a precise grain thickness in order to avoid a smooth, sterile appearance. Sound also plays a role: the fountain brings a serene atmosphere to the patio. The ceilings of different rooms have a diamond-shaped pattern that ensures the right acoustics. Visitors experience the building with all their senses. The variation in exhibition spaces also plays a role in this: one room has no daylight, another is high and narrow, while the next is large and wide, with a view of the garden. 

A house tailored to Z33, a house for Hasselt
Torzo’s building meets Z33’s needs and its DNA. Rather than a white cube art institution she has created a working place for Z33, with spaces where things can develop and take place, where curators and artists can be challenged. The new Z33 will be an open house for the public. The beguinage’s pre-existing function as an oasis of peace in the busy inner city is reinforced: the new Z33 will act as a place to take one’s time and be present, for research, watching and learning, a place where everyone is welcome. 

Inauguration with three exhibitions
The inauguration of a new building presents a unique opportunity. It is the first and final time that one can discover the building purely as an architectural object. The exhibitions The Time of Work / The Work of Time will focus on the exploration of the new building.

The Time of Work.
Curator: Pieter T’ Jonck

In The Time of Work, a group of artists will guide the visitor’s gaze around the building. The artistic interventions will enhance, challenge and question the architecture and what it has to offer. With works by Anton Parys, Benjamin Verdonck, Christoph De Boeck, Francesca Torzo, les gens d’Uterpan, Lodie Kardouss, Lotte Van den Audenaeren, Noé Soulier, Radouan Mriziga en William Forsythe.

The Work of Time
Curator: Ils Huygens

How can we grasp, halt, bend, and explore time? The artists and projects will focus on different dimensions of time: mythic, spiritual and non-human time. With works by Alexis Destoop, Andy Weir, Commonplace Studio, Danilo Correale, Ecole Mondiale, Helga Schmid, Jesse Howard & Tim Knapen, Judith Seng, Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian, Maarten Vanden Eynde, Teis De Greve and Thomson & Craighead.

Birds of a Feather - Currents #7
Curators: Melanie Deboutte & Louis-Philippe Van Eeckhoutte

Birds of a Feather brings together works by seven recent fine arts graduates: Israel Aten (US), Myrthe Baptist (BE), Justine Court (FR), Jonathan De Maeyer (BE), Jonas Dehnen (DE), Leroy Meyer (BE) and Naama Roth (IL). The artists test a physical, digital or mental archive of images, forms, symbols and stories against mass culture.