MASEREEL

MASEREEL is a contemporary arts centre that combines an artist-oriented artistic programme with an international residency programme for artists and critics, with a special focus on printed matter at large.

As part of its artistic activity, MASEREEL produces and presents contemporary visual art, publishes artist publications and editions, and organizes events such as artist talks and an arts festival.

Equally fundamental is its international residency programme, which over the past decades has grown into one of the most challenging and inspiring environments for artists and critics to explore printed matter in all its facets or to integrate it within a broader practice. Located in a wooded area and equipped with a dynamic printmaking studio, the emphasis is on development, creation, and dialogue.

Until early 2025, the organization operated under the name Frans Masereel Centrum. However, as of 10 March 2025, it has been renamed MASEREEL. This change embraces its rich history and the name by which it is generally known. At the same time, it clarifies that MASEREEL is not a knowledge centre about the visual artist Frans Masereel, nor does it position itself as an institute. Instead, MASEREEL is an eternal start-up centred on the artist – both as a creator and as a person.

The choice of MASEREEL as the new name marks the final step in a recent repositioning as an arts centre with a twofold core mission: artistic and residential. However, this is not an endpoint. Beginning in 2025, MASEREEL will organize the international biennial RHIZOMA every two years on and around its site. Additionally, work is underway to make its extensive collection available to researchers, and from 2026, residents will be able to stay in a brand-new artist pavilion.