The renovated freight station in Brussels hosted a Czech cultural program

Brussels - A fashion show showcasing the creations of young designers from the Czech Republic and Belgium, along with an exhibition on Czech art in public spaces. This cultural program accompanied the Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union and continued in Brussels. The event was hosted on Saturday afternoon at one of the new architectural gems of the Belgian capital - a former freight station in the port district, which has been transformed in recent years into a modern space for work and culture.

"Of all the events we are organizing for the Czech presidency, this one is by far the most unorthodox; some might even say crazy," smiled Jitka Pánek Jurková, director of the Czech Centre in Brussels, as she introduced the fashion show of young Czech and Belgian creators.

The show was part of the project We're Next, founded by Lukáš Spilka. A graduate of the Prague UMPRUM and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, he aims to open the doors to the world of fashion to a wider audience and support young and talented colleagues. At the Brussels stop of the cycle, forty models were presented, including creations by graduates from art schools in Prague, Brno, Plzeň, Zlín, and Liberec.

"I think we saw great talent from students both from the Czech Republic and Belgium. We saw emerging stars who in a few years may be walking on much longer and larger runways than here," evaluated the show by another representative of the Czech Centre, Daniela Vervloet. In front of hundreds of spectators, men's and women's garments of various colors and styles paraded, from relatively conservative to very extravagant models using elements such as pillows or masks covering the entire face.

The runway for the show was created in a section of the almost 300-meter-long central corridor of Brussels' Gare Maritime (maritime station). This massive building, constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, served for decades as a place where goods brought to Brussels by ships were customs cleared and transferred to trains. It is now a kind of "covered city" with offices, shops, restaurants, and a large space for cultural events.

The building underwent extensive renovation at the turn of the last and current decade, during which the hangars with metal structures were complemented by wooden cells for commercial spaces and also indoor gardens. The work of Belgian and Dutch architects emphasized sustainability and earned recognition from the European Commission last year. Gare Maritime has also become a dominant element of the emerging area Tour & Taxis, named after the princely family Thurn-Taxis, which is revitalizing industrial buildings by the canal north of the historic center of Brussels.

The exhibition, on the other hand, also addresses the issue of innovative use of public spaces and is on display throughout the weekend in the former freight station. Panels with dozens of photographs present artistic projects that have enlivened and continue to enliven the streets or industrial complexes of Czech cities over the last three decades, from Prague to Ostrava. This concept is followed by an interactive installation by artist Tomáš Moravec in a park near Gare Maritime, which simulates the mechanism of maritime radars.

The showcases of Czech art in public spaces represent a selection from the exhibition Out of the Gallery!, which took place in Prague last summer. One of the curators, Dan Merta, told ČTK in Brussels that the goal is to demonstrate how quality public space can be created through architectural interventions, design, or organizing festivals. He noted that it is a tremendous honor for his team to present the exhibition precisely in Gare Maritime. According to him, the space could serve as an example for Czech cities, although he remarked that it was created thanks to private investment.

"I have never seen anything like this before," Merta added.