Creativity is the only solution for BRAFA to keep the ball rolling in order to renew and reinvigorate itself! During its 70th Jubilee Anniversary, which was an absolute success story we have been experiencing a return and a new come back of contemporary textiles and their cultural expressions! 

Bravo also to different emerging galleries, which start introducing and focusing on textiles as arts and design, and the fact that it’s shouldn’t go to waste! 

From trash to treasure is a new motto (and also the name of an exhibition), which has been promoted by a new comer at BRAFA: Objects with Narratives Gallery, which presented brand new flabbergasting textile lamps this time from KRIST STUDIO and didn’t disappoint again! The butter-inspired lamps welcomed visitors to come to experience  the stand inside out! Which I did, also to greet my design-neighbors from Sablon! In a month we will celebrate one year since the gallery opened its doors at the Grand Sablon 40! The founders told me that they are delighted to participate in BRAFA and already packing theirs boxes to participate in the upcoming edition of TAFAF in Maastricht in March! 

Gallery Natalie Obadia presents the guest of honor Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos © photo Yelena21

Lidewij Edelkoort, a Dutch world renown trend forecaster, a former director of Eindhoven  Design Academy and a Dean of of Hybrid Studies at Parsons School of Design, whom I meet at TEFAF says: “There is an urgent need to to fill the void and bring contemporary textile design into the 21st century”! I completely agree with her and spottifired galleries at BRAFA, which had included contemporary textile design into their collections! 

Galerie La Forest Divonne has several pierces from our textiles-darling KRIST STUDIO, which is a Belgian artist duo, founded in 2012! Both ladies founders were trained at renowned La Cambre school of visual arts! This Belgian duo has built an impressive reputation in the revival of tapestry and restoration of this age-old into contemporary fascinating presence in space.

Gallery Christophe Gaillard © photo Yelena21

Gallery CHRISTOPHE GAILLARD has projected printed copies into textiles and deserve a huge applause as well for this! 

DELEN PRIVATE BANK keeps surprising many design professionals and art-lovers by its outstanding collection of design objects. Also recycled textiles pieces to my big surprise and admiration! The bank invites everyone to visit one of its offices, especially the headquarter, where more design pieces are on display! I cheer the visionary approach of this bank and would like yo meet the mastermind behind its design collection! 

Krist Studio at Gallery La Forest Divonne © photo Yelena21

Jonathan F. Kugel is an owner of his own gallery at Sablon: Cabinet of Curiosities and a chair of the board of BAS ( Brussels Art Square), a Sablon-based annual fair, which takes place every year in September! His gallery was chosen by BRAFA itself this year! BRAFA as a fair, for the first time participates with its curated selection of 5 artists, Jonathan included! This is also innovative approach in the world of world art fairs!

Prestigious Portuguese textiles artist Joanna Vasconcelos did a great a great job with her humorous installations in two main halls!  Thank you for all, who made this edition of BRAFA possible, cheerful land merry! For those, who who were involved into the journey and the fruit of months of embroidery, over embroidery, knitting, weaving and culminating in a fascinating presentation for all of us to enjoy, invoke, modify and translate our colorful memories of the edition 2025! To the next year’s one!

Turkmenistan! Preventive and Cultural Diplomacy, Challenging Assumptions

Turkmenistan! Preventive and Cultural Diplomacy, Challenging Assumptions