Behind The Scene- Meet Camille Van Meenen & Jesse van Winden

Each session is animated by questions previously sent by members to a dedicated mailbox, creating a conversation that is both concrete and directly connected to the interests of our community.

Hosted in a warm, candlelit setting with cocktails and a seated apéritif, Behind the Scenes unfolds as a relaxed one-hour encounter. Our guests briefly introduce their journeys before engaging in a guided yet fluid discussion moderated by Florence Lechevallier and shaped by members’ questions. The objective is to explore how creative careers are shaped not only by education and technical skills, but also by encounters, intuition, experimentation, collaboration, and community-building.

For this edition, we welcome Camille Van Meenen and Jesse van Winden, two key figures of Brussels’ independent cultural scene.

Camille Van Meenen is a curator, chef, and cultural producer based between Brussels and Antwerp. Through her multifaceted practice, she explores hospitality, collective forms of organisation, and alternative ways of creating and experiencing culture. She currently works as curator at Komplot Brussels, project coordinator of RendezVous – Brussels Art Week, and co-founder of the curatorial collective CASTOR.

Alongside her, Jesse van Winden is curator-coordinator of Jubilee, an artist-run platform for artistic research, and founder of the Brussels Artist-Run Network (BARN), a relational infrastructure connecting artists, curators, architects, and independent cultural initiatives across the city. In 2025, he also launched Becue, a former bakery in Saint-Gilles transformed into a collectively run space dedicated to art, activism, yoga, experimentation, and community initiatives.

Together, they will offer a unique perspective on the evolving landscape of contemporary art and artist-led initiatives in Brussels. The discussion will explore how independent cultural spaces emerge and sustain themselves, the importance of collaboration and collective practices, and the role of community in shaping meaningful cultural experiences.

From exhibitions, publications, and artistic research to alternative spaces, public programmes, and grassroots networks, this conversation will provide valuable insights into the realities of contemporary cultural production and the people working behind the scenes to make it happen.

Join us for an intimate exchange on contemporary art, curating, artistic research, collaboration, and the power of community-driven cultural initiatives.

In the framework of RendezVous Brussels Art Week, several artist-run spaces will be involved. In the run-up to September, we are delighted to use this occasion to explore and celebrate the dynamic artist-run scene that continues to make Brussels a uniquely fertile ground for contemporary art.

You can send us your questions in advance at: maria-adelaide.dimontarnove@themerode.com.