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INSIDER PICKS IN BRUSSELS
by dot connector Fabian Jean Villanueva.
Having started his career as a consultant for the European Commission (“too corporate!”), followed by his first steps in the global design arena with Base Design (“I owe a big part of my career to Dimitri Jeurissen”), a stint at Mad Home of Creators (“too government”), Atelier Pierre Culot, and later The Skateroom — which he left a year ago — Fabian Jean Villanueva has evolved into the ‘Swiss army knife’ connector of the art and design world he is today.
A quick scroll through his IG feed reveals how his dot-connecting magic works: singing Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody with Michèle Lamy, hanging backstage with Korn’s James ‘Munky’ Shaffer, or visiting with Cindy Sherman in NYC. When he isn’t WhatsApping Sherman, he’s likely busy setting up a pop-up at Art Basel with Sarah Andelman. It’s like scrolling through a family album of the art world’s who’s who.
“It’s not about the name-drop. It’s about genuine connection,” he smiles. The long- term relationships he builds with his ‘dots’ prove that’s no empty phrase. “I think I have my father to thank for that soft skill. He was fiercely loyal to his local haunts and the people behind them. He’d take a massive detour just for the small talk. Small talk, but real talk.”
In Jean Villanueva’s world, that ‘small talk’ translates into relationships that naturally snowball into other collaborations. “Raymond Pettibon introduced me to Jim Jarmusch—not a visual artist, but easily one of the most exciting collabs we’ve done. Check the short movie starring Beatrice Domond he did for the introduction of his skateboard series somewhere on the socials.
"It was through Michèle Lamy that I metLuc Tuymans and his wife, the great artist Carla Arocha, and Michèle led me to Korn’s guitarist ‘Munky’. It just keeps rolling from there.”
CONNECTING THE DOTS IS ONE THING. CREDIBLY TRANSLATING THOSE MAJOR NAMES INTO LIMITED-RUN EDITIONS IS ANOTHER. AND THAT’S WHAT HE DOES BEST.
At their core, these online-only platforms are redefining the gallery space as a hybrid playground. By combining digital reach with strategic physical pop-ups and social- first communication, they connect a new market to an art economy that the traditional circuit has yet to master. From a limited edition print by Luc Tuymans to Jeff Koon’s ‘Split-Rocker’ or a skateboard by Michèle Lamy, these editions offer an accessible first step into collecting, allowing artists a playful way to engage a new market. To celebrate the ‘Split-Rocker’—an artwork inspired by Koons’ children’s toys— Avant Arte introduced a retro video game. The player that records the highest score in the Split-Rocker video game wins an edition. Not exactly something we’d see classic galleries doing.
THE SWEET SPOT BETWEEN THE STREET AND THE GALLERY—HIGH ART VERSUS LOW—IS WHERE JEAN VILLANUEVA’S ARENA LIES. “EVEN WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I FELT RESISTANCE TOWARD ALL THOSE LABELS: HIGH-LOW, BLACK OR WHITE, STRAIGHT OR GAY... WHO CARES!” FOR JEAN VILLANUEVA, BRUSSELS IS THE ULTIMATE REFLECTION OF THAT MINDSET. “IT HAS THAT SAME MULTI-LAYERED VIBE. LET’S NOT LIE, IT IS A BIT OF A BORDEL—THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS WORKING—BUT IT’S A HUMAN-SIZED CITY THAT REFUSES TO BE PINNED DOWN. THAT’S EXACTLY THE ENERGY I LOOK FOR IN MY WORK, IGNORING THE LABELS AND SIMPLY MAKING IT WORK.”
Fabian is just as obsessive about his books (immediately tipping us off on who to talk to for an exclusive on the Musée Yves Saint Laurent) or the latest exclusive collab with The TwentyFour Six or a game changing cabinetmaker, as he is about his cousin’s caberdouche in the Marolles.
01.
“Le Petit Lion is one of those places where time stood still. Radio Nostalgie in the background, posters of Evander Holyfield and Céline Dion. An interior barely touched in decades, and real discussions de comptoir.”
02.
"La Spiga d’Oro is the best Italian restaurant in town. Far from the hype and trends. An experience. If you manage to get in."
03.
"Kiosk Radio is perfect to enjoy great DJ’s line up. And people watching. A platform which connects people through a simple and genuine experience."
"Lila29 on the 29th floor (!) of The Standard Hotel has the most beautiful view of Brussels."
04.
"A personal favourite for dinner with friends."
05.
"Saint Martin Bookshop is my official dealer of very rare books!”
"Enjoying craft beers at Le Laboureur with my friends of Stoëmp Studio is a ritual."
07.
"Winok for an apero on one of the most beautiful avenues of Brussels."