Berlinde De Bruyckere - From the artist's archive - photo by Mirjam Devriendt; courtesy and © the artist

BRUSSELS - In 2025, Bozar will present a large-scale solo exhibition featuring the work of Berlinde De Bruyckere (b. 1964, Ghent) for the first time.

Humanity and the condition humaine are at the core of her compelling oeuvre. De Bruyckere draws on various sources of inspiration: Christian iconography, classical mythology, the works of the Flemish masters and cultural lore. She introduces these influences into a contemporary context; the violence that surrounds us, the images of human suffering on a global scale, but also the beauty and hope for change.

In Khorós De Bruyckere presents a selection of her works from the past 25 years, in dialogue with works of kindred artists – her “compagnons de route” as she calls them. The Greek Khorós (χορός) refers to the group of singers/dancers in Greek tragedies. The exhibition is thus conceived as an interplay of voices, shared themes and dialogues. It features works by, among others, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Peter Buggenhout, Patti Smith, and Pier Paolo Pasolini.

21 February - 31 August 2025

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Courtyard Tales V, 2018, 2018, blankets, wood, polyurethaan, epoxy. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Anonymous, Enclosed Garden with Our Lady and Child with Pear, c.1530–40, Mechelen. Herentals City Archives. Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Met tere huid, 2022, 2022, wax, leather, wood, wool, silk, iron armature, epoxy. Rigo Saitta Collection. Photo : Mirjam Devriend

Lucas Cranach, Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist, 1530s, oil on linden timber. Szépművészeti Múzeum/ Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, inv. 145 © Szépművészeti Múzeum/ Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Invisible Beauty, 2011, 2011, wax, wood, rope, horsehair, leather, iron, epoxy. Private Collection Buggenhout, Ghent. Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Invisible Love, 2011 (detail), 2011, wax, wood, leather, wool, rope, horsehair, linen, iron, polyurethane, epoxy. Private Collection Buggenhout, Ghent Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Lost I, 2006, 2006, horsehair and -hide, iron, ropes, epoxy. The David and Indrė Roberts Collection Photo: Achim Kukulies

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Penthesilea, 2014–2015, 2015, wax, aluminium, iron, epoxy. Private Collection, courtesy Hauser & Wirth Collection Services Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Lost V, 2021–2022, 2022, horsehide, marble, textile, iron, epoxy. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Into One-another I to P.P.P., 2010– 2011, 2011, wax, wood, glass, iron, epoxy. Iself Collection Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Lingam II, 2012, 2012, wax, glass, wood, iron, epoxy. Collection Frank Schelstraete & Sophie Depuydt Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Fran Dics, 2001, 2001, horsehair, wax, polyester. Private Collection, Belgium Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Need III, 2023–2024, 2024, wax, wood, glass, mirror, lino, rope, metal, epoxy. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Lelie, 2017, 2017, pencil on paper © Courtesy of the artist Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Lelie V, 2017, 2017, pencil on paper. Collection Buggenhout – De Bruyckere, Belgium Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, It almost seemed a lily, 2021- 2023, 2023, wax, lead, wallpaper, textile, wood, rope. Collection Kuko, Belgium Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, It almost seemed a lily, 2024, 2024, found papers, carbon papers, gold thread on paper. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, It almost seemed a lily, 2024, 2024, found papers, carbon papers, gold thread on paper. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Plunder I, 2024–2025 (in progress), lino, wood, glass, brass, copper, paper, silk, brocade, paint. Courtesy the artist Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, Arcangelo III (San Giorgio), 2023–2024, 2024, wax, animal hair, silicone, iron, epoxy. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Berlinde De Bruyckere, San Sebastian, 2019–2022, 2022, wax, textile, wood, bronze, iron, epoxy. Courtesy the artist and Galleria Continua Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Pier Paolo Pasolini, Il Vangelo secondo Matteo (Maria and the wailing women at the tomb), 1964. © Archivio Fotografico – Cineteca del Comune di Bologna © Movietime

Pier Paolo Pasolini, Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (murdered deserter of the guards), 1975. © Michele Mancini and Giuseppe Perella (eds), Pier Paolo Pasolini: Corpi e luoghi (Rome: Theorema)

Romeu Runa performing Romeu, my deer at Arp Museum, Rolandseck, 2022. Photo: © Helmut Reinelt

Portrait of Berlinde De Bruyckere © Courtesy of the artist Photo: Mirjam Devriendt