Koen van den Broek (1973) is an artist. His work is on the one hand rooted in twentieth-century European painting and on the other hand inspired by the American landscape. In his paintings, van den Broek strips the landscape of all embellishments and concentrates on its geometric structure. In a sometimes measured, sometimes fluid interplay of light and darkness, of flat areas and volumes, he explores the urbanised world. In his role as ambassador of the Art Unit, van den Broek curates a biannual exhibition at the Leienpaleis. The first exhibition, Antwerp Universal, is a large-scale collaboration between the Leienpaleis and national and international galleries. 

Koen van den Broek painted a fresco on one of the ceilings of the Leienpaleis, entitled Casting Stand. The inspiration for the intervention on site is a twig with autumn leaves he found near his home. The artwork is his contribution to the grandeur and richness of the interior architecture of the Leienpaleis. The fresco is in harmony with the floral patterns of the wall decorations, the mantelpieces, and the staircase of our majestic building. Casting Stand also sprouts from the landscapes painted on the walls of the small salons. The work fits perfectly in the Leienpaleis, which for the first time in one hundred and fifty years is opening its doors to the public at last. Imagine yourself beneath the fresco. Right in front of you: a bay window overlooking the inner courtyard of the Palace. The outside world is very close. Casting Stand brings nature into the Leienpaleis and reinforces the link between the outer and the inner world, blurring the line between the private and the public domain. Similar to the building, the artwork wants to enter into a dialogue with the outside world and the public domain. The Leienpaleis and the fresco call for serenity. The fragility of the twig and its warm autumn colours symbolise the vulnerability of the building, our past, and the footprint influence of time. Koen van den Broek breathes new life into the monumental house by giving it a work of art after so many years of vacancy, Coupled with the thorough renovation of the property it saves it from decay. The title Casting Stand refers to auditions in the film world. Every time the actor takes an audition and hopes to get a role, he has to expose himself completely. So does the fragile twig apply for existence? It proudly perseveres between the colours of autumn, which evoke transience and perspective. Hence the fresco may be interpreted as the portrait of an actor. This is a noteworthy piece of art for the artist’s poetics. Landscapes and infrastructure, in a wider sense: the open air, form the basis of his paintings. Having He traveled the world in search of raw materials for his art. His travels have become the guiding principle of his work, but the inspiration for this work is less exotic. After twenty years of wandering Koen van den Broek was inspired by the Belgian landscape. As such, Casting Stand is perhaps the starting point of a new phase in his artistic journey.

Jeroen Olyslaegers (1967) is a literary author. Since his debut in 1994, he has meticulously been working on ‘an oeuvre’ in which the defencelessness of the individual and the city of Antwerp are recurring themes. This dedication paid off when in 2016 he was acclaimed for his publication WIL and became a fixture in literature. Wildevrouw, published in 2020, confirmed his status as a compelling storyteller. With Jeroen Olyslaegers, the Literary Unit is assured of a charismatic ambassador. 

Elise Caluwaerts is not only one of the world’s leading sopranos, but also the most diverse and daring performer in her category. She has been shining in the leading role of Enjott Schneiders’ Marco Polo at the Guanghzou Opera House in China and on stage in Denmark, Norway, and Australia. 

Initially, Elise Caluwaerts focussed on Baroque music, but she was soon drawn to Contemporary and Romantic music as well. The soloist does not limit herself to (classical) music and collaborates on projects that cross the borders of established genres. Her 2017–2018 tour with author Lize Spit and pianist Kim Van den Brempt in a performance of Richard Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder was an undeniable success (in Flanders). Elise Caluwaerts also dived into the role of curator for a House of Flanders production in which she instigated a dialogue between art, fashion, and technology. There is no doubt that Elise's multidisciplinary approach is well in line with the cultural approach of the Leienpaleis, aiming is to transcend artistic boundaries into collaboration   

As the ambassador of the Classic Unit, Elise Caluwaerts wants to create tandems between established talents and young musicians, in parallel with a mentoring program. This is her post-Corona crisis way of reintroducing the practice of connections between musicians. 

Tanguy Ottomer is the most eccentric city guide in the country. After living two years in Berlin, he moved back to his hometown, Antwerp, realising his endless love for his native city. As a city guide he enthuses visitors from all over the world with thrilling city tours about the history, fashion and architecture. His passionate approach was noticed by CNN in 2013, which instantly named him one of the seven best guides in the world. Since then, Tanguy Ottomer has extended the range of his activities to Brussels, Ghent, Bruges and Knokke, and now unconditionally calls himself a “Professional Belgian” (Beroepsbelg).  Moreover, he took up writing, and published several books on the city of Antwerp. The Leienpaleis is delighted to count Tanguy Ottomer among its ambassadors, a cultured reference who inputs a lot of passion and flair into our project. Our collaboration has generated a new guided tour: the Leienronde, the discovery of Antwerp’s great central avenues. 

Axel Daeseleire is has been one of Flanders’ favourite celebs in a long time. As an actor, a painter, a poet, and a DJ, he is key figure on film and television. His most notable roles were in Matrioshki – Russian Dolls (Matrjoeska’s) and Tangier (De hel van Tangier).   He has also made a series of human-interest television programmes, in which his disarming, down-to-earth approach won over both viewers and subjects. 

As our resident DJ, Axel Daeseleire appeals to his talent of master of ceremonies and will let the whole residence echo with excellent vibes. We couldn’t have found a better cultural ambassador for this title!

Since Lisbeth Gruwez graduated from the Royal Ballet School Antwerp and the P.A.R.T.S. School for Contemporary Dance, she had an impressive career that has taken her all over the world.  She co-operated with Jan Fabre for many years, and in 2007 she founded the dance company Voetvolk (Infantry) with Maarten Van Cauwenberghe whom she had met in Fabre’s studio. Maarten Van Cauwenberghe was trained as a commercial engineer, but eventually opted for a career as a musician and composer. 

The productions of Gruwez and Van Cauwenberghe are captivating. In their eyes, the music is more than a support to a choreography, but interacts with the dance as a whole and creates a delicate symbiosis between body and sound. The stakes of their work are high. averse to trends, they try to create unforgettable highly sensual and timeless shows. If Gruwez' choreography was initially characterised by extremes and explosions, it has now evolved into implosion, refinement, and attention to detail.   

Voetvolk is the permanent dance and performance partner of the Leienpaleis. Gruwez and Van Cauwenberghe give to our artistic unit a creative duo of international allure.