Chantal Akerman: Travelling

Chantal Akerman: Travelling: an exhibition of one of Belgium’s finest filmmakers. From March 14 to July 21, 2024, Bozar, in collaboration with CINEMATEK and the Fondation Chantal Akerman, presents an exceptional exhibition dedicated to the Belgian filmmaker, writer, and artist Chantal Akerman (Brussels 1950–Paris 2015). 

Chantal Akerman: Travelling outlines her unique journey, from the early beginnings in Brussels to various deserts, from her first films to her final installations of 2015. Featuring previously unseen footage, production stills, as well as original work documents from her archives, this is her first major retrospective. The exhibition traces the various stages of Chantal Akerman’s practice and sheds light on the different places that were important to her. It also showcases the versatility of her work, which in addition to film also included television, literature, and installations.

Chantal Akerman: Travelling spans twelve exhibition rooms in the heart of the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels. It includes seven art installations brought together for the first time; never-before-seen rushes; exceptional audiovisual material and printed archives from the Paradise Films production company, which forms the main archive collection of the Fondation Chantal Akerman; four short films; two feature films; five films for television; and one previously unreleased Super 8 film. The various crew photographs or press packs taken from the archives of the Fondation Chantal Akerman testify—down to the discoloration of the paper—to the succession of eras and the evolution in the economic conditions of Akerman’s productions. 

The exhibition at Bozar is curated by Laurence Rassel, in collaboration with Céline Brouwez (Fondation Chantal Akerman) and Alberta Sessa (Bozar). A version of the exhibition will travel to the Jeu de Paume in Paris, from September 27, 2024, to January 19, 2025.

An influential filmmaker from Brussels 
Born in Brussels in 1950, Chantal Akerman was one of the first filmmakers to regularly use the city as a film city in it own right, rather than just a passing backdrop. Today, Akerman is regarded as an inspiration and role model for many filmmakers and artists. Her film Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles was named the best film of all time in 2022 by Sight and Sound (the magazine of the prestigious British Film Institute).

A book to extend the exhibition
To accompany Chantal Akerman: Travelling, a richly illustrated eponymous book has been published. Bozar-Centre for Fine Arts (Brussels), the Jeu de Paume (Paris) and Lannoo have collaborated to produce an original publication that brings together contributions from filmmakers, artists, and authors from several generations, many of whom worked closely with Akerman. The contributions include stories, essays, poetry, conversations, and images, signed by Claire Atherton, Jacqueline Aubenas, Luc Benhamou, Anouk De Clercq, Jan Decorte, Verónica Gago, Christophe Honoré, Latifa Laâbissi, Sylvie Lindeperg, Sharon Lockhart, Eileen Myles, Nicolás Pereda, Wang Bing, Marilyn Watelet and Sonia Wieder-Atherton. The publication is further enriched by a subjective film biography.

Introduction by Céline Brouwez, Marta Ponsa, Laurence Rassel and Alberta Sessa. Edited by Laurence Rassel and coordinated by Laetitia Moukouri (Jeu de Paume), together with Vera Kotaji (Bozar) & Sarah Theerlynck (Lannoo).