The VAi’s 2025–2026 programme explores how a variety of voices shape our public space. In times of ecological and societal transitions, public space is never neutral. Our first major exhibition, Tamed Nature, investigates how green urban spaces embody power, history and social tensions. Guided walks, lectures and a sound performance make these themes tangible.
Exhibition
The exhibition Tamed Nature explores the layered history of urban green space through the lens of the city of Antwerp. From the first urban parks in the 19th century to the growing climate activism in the second half of the 20th century, the transformation of Antwerp reflects global evolutions in power dynamics, spatial and social ideals and the relationship with nature and ecology. It showcases unknown and underappreciated stories from the history of urban green space. Contemporary artistic and architectural interventions challenge conventional notions of urban nature and look ahead to a more inclusive, layered, and resilient urban future.
17.09.2025-01.02.2026
DE SINGEL, Antwerp
Opening
On 16 September, the VAi and DE SINGEL will open the exhibition Tamed Nature and take you on a journey through the story of the exhibition with an introduction by curator and historical researcher Bart Tritsmans. Eva Pfannes, co-founder and director of OOZE architects & urbanists, will give a lecture in which she will share her vision of nature in the city. Afterwards, you can chat in the bar and explore the exhibition.
16.09.2025
DE SINGEL, Antwerp
Performance
On 9 October, the city poet of Antwerp, Esohe Weyden and sound artists Maarten Buyl and Raphael Malfliet share their works on the interaction between the built environment and nature. While Buyl and Malfliet play live from their album Niemandsland composed for the exhibition Tamed Nature, Weyden reads her new poetry written specially for this event.
09.10.2025
DE SINGEL, Antwerp
Our exhibitions, publications, lectures and debates explore how architecture and ecological practices create space for new forms of coexistence – between humans and nature, between the present and the past, between established structures and alternative futures.
Installation
In the late summer of 2025, the Brussels-based practice Meow collective will present its work on the square in front of DE SINGEL. The collective enjoys collaborating with residents, users, and children to create spaces for social connection. In this edition of Tafelzetting, Meow collective shares its own story while also gathering stories from visitors and passers-by.
Tafelzetting #15 opens on Thursday, 28 August 2025.
29.08.2025-27.10.2025
DE SINGEL, Antwerp
Symposium
From 4 tot 6 September Decoratelier organizes a symposium around Boring. They invite dwellers and expert readers to perform a drilling, read a soil sample and amplify the histories it contains.
04.09.2025-06.09.2025
Decoratelier, Sint-Jans-Molenbeek
Talk
Buildings carry stories and values, but often these are stories of exclusion. On Tuesday, 30 September, PAF and Büro Juliane Greb invite you to an evening exploring disability as a critical lens and a creative force in architecture. Joining the conversation are Negin Eisazadeh (KU Leuven & ULiège), Sam Michiels (Accessibility Advisory Council of the City of Leuven), and Inge Vinck (architecten Jan de Vylder Inge Vinck).
30.09.2025
Timelab, Ghent
Film
From October 2025, you can attend Architecture on Film again at De Studio in Antwerp. Curated by VAi and De Cinema, the Architecture on Film series puts documentaries and fictional movies about architecture in the spotlight.. Explore the art and impact of architecture through the lens of cinema, where buildings become characters, cities set the stage, and design shapes stories.
07.10.2025/21.10.2025
04.11.2025/18.11.2025
02.12.2025/16.12.2025
De Studio - De Cinema, Antwerp
Exhibition
The Living Frameworks exhibition examines the relationship between the built environment and the natural world. In an era where the consequences of human interventions in natural ecosystems are increasingly coming to light, HOP.office explores the role of architecture and urban planning as a mediator between two seemingly separate domains.
22.10.2025 - 01.02.2026
OPENING 21.10.2025
DE SINGEL, Antwerp
Research Day
On Thursday 20 November 2025, the Flanders Architecture Institute organises its annual research day in De Singel in Antwerp. Entitled Hors catégorie, it explores how archival classifications shape – but also limit – our understanding of design heritage.
20.11.2025
DE SINGEL, Antwerp
Exhibition
From 10 May to 23 November, the 19th edition of the Biennale Architettura runs in Venice. The Flanders Architecture Institute is the commissioner of Building Biospheres, the Belgian contribution. The exhibition, curated by Bureau Bas Smets and Stefano Mancuso, investigates how the natural intelligence of plants can be used to produce an indoor climate. During six months, the pavilion will serve as a prototype for this innovative research.
> 23.11.2025
Belgian Pavilion, Giardini, Venice
