Outline

Outline (6th July 2026)

Département des Pièges

Designed as a room for research, this exhibition presents over seventy enigmatic objects, paintings and artworks selected in response to the theme of the trap. The exhibition’s title pays tribute to the Département des Aigles (Department of Eagles), a fictional museum created in 1968 by the surrealist and conceptual artist Marcel Broodthaers. Inspired by Broodthaers, who searched for a variety of objects and images of the eagle, Clémentine Deliss visited numerous Brussels museums in search for traps. She asked the institutions to respond to the theme by looking for pieces in their reserves. Gathered in the Département des Pièges here, these nets, snares, decoys and visual illusions are interspersed with artworks and prototypes by contemporary artists. Paintings and works in different media by local and international artists from the 17th to the 21st century line the wall.

Département des Pièges seeks to animate a transversal reading of collections and stimulate us as visitors to develop our own cross-connections and storylines. A communal table shaped like a human lung and designed by Nicolas Zanoni recalls philosopher George Bataille’s description of the museum as the lung of a great city that refreshes visitors as they flow through its rooms. A booklet in French, Dutch and English offers information on each exhibit, and a special edition of the artists’ and writers’ organ, Metronome, presents further reading on traps and their metaphors. An exhibition mediator is available for questions and support.

Please make yourself comfortable at the table and take time to observe the assemblage. You are welcome to use your laptop or tablet and work for longer periods in the exhibition. Photography is permitted.

Please note that this is a quiet zone. Kindly refrain from using your mobile phone. We ask you to respect your neighbour who may be engaged in contemplation, research, or simply enjoying the opportunity to slow-read the exhibition.
An exhibition by Clémentine Deliss
Assistant Curator, Pietro Scammacca
Room concept by Clémentine Deliss and Nicolas Zanoni

Furniture designed and produced by Nicolas Zanoni
Artists: Georges Aglane, Yeşim Akdeniz, Arman, Guillaume Ballewijns, Raymond W. Barion, Nick Bastis, Guillaume Bijl, Kévin Blindermann, Kasper Bosmans, Aline Bouvy, Jakob Brugge, Pierre Caille, Jacques Chemay, Marc Cram, Wim Delvoye, Laurent Dupont, Pélagie Gbaguidi, Robert Grange, Walter Le Blanc, Jef Leempoels, Valérie Mannaerts, Miao Miao, Rokko Miyoshi, Otobong Nkanga, Douglas Park, Gaetano Pesce, Marina Pinsky, Albert Saverys, Andrzej Steinbach, Camille de Taeye, Luke Willis Thompson, Ju Ting, Oscar Tuazon, Didier Vervaeren, Jan Weenix, and Nicolas Zanoni.

Département des Pièges has been developed in partnership with the ArBA-Esa in the framework of the post-graduate research project The Metabolic Museum directed by Dr. Clémentine Deliss. Master’s students have accompanied this research since 2023. KANAL-Centre Pompidou acknowledges the generous support of documenta archiv, Kassel; Cloud Seven Brussels; Goethe-Institut Brussels; The German Embassy in Brussels; and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing, Zurich, Ardez.

Metronome No. 15, Le Département des Pièges, edited by Clémentine Deliss. Design based on L’Ossature métallique, 1951, Belgium, adapted by Adriaan van Leuven. A co-production of Metronome, Kanal-Centre Pompidou, documenta archiv, Kassel, and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Brussels.