Art Curation Within the Legacy of Villa Sous Tous Vent
- Aug 30
- 3 min read
KALPA Gallery curates a refined selection of contemporary paintings, bas-reliefs, and sculptures as part of its art consultancy project for the iconic and historic Villa Sous Tous Vent in Knokke (Belgium), recently restored and reimagined by Maison Osaïn, a Belgian collective for architecture, design, and sensory living based in Antwerp.
Art curation within the legacy of Villa Sous Tous Vent
Art animates a home, awakening its soul and evoking emotional intimacy. For the newly restored Belgian heritage-listed Villa Sous Tous Vent in Le-Zoute, a few moments from Knokke’s wild coastline, KALPA presents a curated selection of art, embracing minimalism and non-finito, and celebrating intuitiveness, the practice of contemplation and self-awareness. KALPA’s art consultancy project beautifully inaugurates its meaningful partnership with Maison Osaïn, an Antwerp-based collective for architecture, design, and sensory living. The studio led the recent renovation of Knokke’s historic Villa, built in 1926 by Ghent-based architect Valentin Vaerwyck and once the residence of Belgian modern art painter Albert Saverys.
The concepts of tactility, stasis, and serenity permeate the entire house, from the subtle architectural nuances to the art objects on display. In the Villa’s central open space, Annelies Toussaint’s white embroideries, created through the Japanese sashiko technique of knotting on hemp, convey a sense of meditative serenity and profound spirituality, enriching the narrative of the traditional marine element of the knot. Capturing tradition and innovation in craftmaking, Marc Ricourt’s sculptures in wood present an interplay of shades, from dark browns to rusts and reds. They celebrate the inherent beauty and integrity of the wood, emphasising deliberate cracks and intricate joints.
Unfolding across three floors, the Villa’s openings and thresholds are carefully articulated, creating fluid transitions between the interior and the exterior. In the sophisticated lounge, Eleanor Herbosch’s bespoke textural triptych honours the philosophical and art discipline of calligraphy, expressed through a deliberate and rhythmic configuration of brushstrokes. Nature blossoms in Yoshimi Futamura, Angela Palmarelli and Akiko Hirai’s abstract ceramic compositions, serving as radiant focal points within the living spaces. This conversation of languages and matter continues with Sabine Pagliarulo’s sculptures, whose soft, organic porcelain forms are resonant of shells and become feminine archetypes, instilling a quiet sense of protection and renewal.
On the first floor, a delicate yet powerful work in washi paper by Janine Thüngen-Reichenbach summons an atmosphere of intimacy and warmth, as if suspended within a silent frame between time and space. Guillem Nadal’s abstract white painting is an expression of the artist’s emotional landscape, in which the colour is treated as a material element, enhancing the textural paper reliefs and imparting motion to the overall composition. Marco Bellini’s wooden vessel reveals an archaic temperament: fissures and traces that speak of time, inviting us to connect with our inner fragilities as human beings. Finally, in one of the Villa’s most intimate, secluded spaces, Katrien Doms’ dark solid wood diptych bas-relief captures a balance between softness and destruction; this piece features poetic contours meticulously shaped through the intense, hand-applied power of extreme heat.
Conceived as a sanctuary of retreat, northern light shaping the space is a signature trait of Villa Sous Tous Vent. Natural materials, such as minerals, stone, clay, and wood, are present in the selected artworks and define the home’s colour palette, featuring bone, sandstone, and pale tones. The entire collection of art evokes a deep appreciation for natural processes, focusing on the beauty of irregularity and imperfection; each piece is singular, narrating a distinct story that carries the imprint of the artists’ emotions and skills.
