‘Literary nocturne: Surrealism’

Five writers guide the audience past their favourite painting in the exhibition Histoire de ne pas rire. Surrealism in Belgium and recite literary texts inspired by the Surrealists' work. A unique opportunity to visit the exhibition in peace and in the company of the authors. After the recitations, the exhibition remains open for an additional 30 minutes for a complete immersion.

Sulaiman Addonia is an Eritrean-Ethiopian-British writer living in Brussels. His first novel, The Consequences of Love appeared in more than 20 languages. It was followed by Silence is My Mother Tongue (2021), which was nominated for numerous awards. His new novel The Seers will be published in 2023. Addonia is founder of a writing academy for refugees and of the literary Asmara-Addis festival. He is a columnist for De Standaard.

Elke de Rijcke is a bilingual (French-Dutch) poet, essayist, and translator based in Brussels. Her poetry explores the interconnections between the body, soul, and mind within dystopian environments. Each of her books tackles the challenge of engaging in a dialogue with the arts and sciences. Recently, she published an anthology comprising her five existing poetry books. Additionally, she has translated the works of Dutch poet Kees Ouwens into French and has authored a doctoral thesis on the French poet André du Bouchet.

Astrid Haerens lives and works in Brussels. She published the novel Stadspanters (2017) and the poetry collection Oerhert (2022). In it, Haerens explores the effects of oppressive systems and transgressive behaviour on a woman's body. Oerhert won the Poëziedebuutprijs 2023 and was nominated for the Herman de Coninck Prize and the C. Buddingh' Prize 2023. 

Lisette Lombé has published a short novel, Venus Poetica, and a collection of poems, Brûler brûler brûler (Grenades/RTBF prize). She is also co-founder of the Collectif L-SLAM and will be Belgium's next national poetess in 2024. Her latest novel, Eunice, has been shortlisted for the Prix Médicis 2023. 

Peter Verhelst is a Flemish poet, novelist and director. He made his debut in 1987 and has since published dozens of books, for which he received numerous awards. His work has been translated into 14 languages. His most recent publication is the poetry collection ZABRISKIE (2023). Verhelst regularly collaborates with visual artists and previously wrote poetry for Bozar for Gerhard Richter.