La Verrière, the exhibition space of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès in Brussels, opened its new show “Aster” in dedication to French-Danish artist Eva Nielsen. It is the first international solo exhibition of the renowned artist, who was recently nominated for the 2025 Marcel Duchamp Prize, and features works by object-sculpture designer Arnaud Eubelen and Charlotte Posenenske. It is the eighth show that curator Joël Riff has worked on for the mesmerizing foundation space in Brussels.

Anyone who missed the opportunity to visit the light-filled space of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès in Brussels now has something new on their to-do and must-visit list: Accessible only through its store, La Verrière attracts visitors at the very end of the boutique, a hidden, dreamy glass house founded in 2000 to support contemporary creation and artists. When we enter the space, it is hard to decide where to find beauty first: in the perfect natural sunlight performance, the stunning three main works facing the visitor’s eyes upon entering, or in the vast new definition of conventional perspectives they invite us to explore. For more than 15 years, fine artist Eva Nielsen has been experimenting with the dimensions of space. Her work depicts the world in all its strata, piercing, stretching, and turning perspectives upside down, expanding our sense of vastness. In her new show “Aster,” she combines painting, photography, and screen printing to explore objects in space and reevaluate our perception of images, our view of the landscape, and the standardization of the objects that surround us. The show includes three large-format canvases created specifically for the exhibition, evoking a new, cosmic, enigmatic horizon. Her series is accompanied by works from Arnaud Eubelen, whose pieces are informed by industrial reality and objects emerging from discarded materials. Through this dialogue, which curator Joël Riff says has organically merged from working on Nielsen’s vision for the show, “Aster” opens new dimensions for understanding the work of the international painter. An abstract, minimal sculpture by German artist Charlotte Posenenske adds to the conversation as well. “It was important for us to give a perspective with a historical piece,” says Riff. Charlotte is a pioneer who also became an incredibly powerful socialist of labor.

Exploring the tensions between hand and machine, built space and nature, proximity and distance, these works comment on the idea of freedom and its existential power.

“When Joël invited me, I quickly had the desire to have a work that truly engages with the space, especially in response to the architecture of the glass roof,” explains Eva Nielsen, whose beautiful, high energy is so contagious that I totally forgot about my super early journey. The idea, explains Nielsen, was to create a frontal space in which one immerses oneself. “I was first immersed in the fabric of painting; I think you can feel it through the curiosity even in the color palette among the three main works. We look at landscapes here that are both real and surreal. In other words, there is also the projection of your own landscape, which I am not the master of. The combination of things and the layers allows for a mental combination of your projection.” Riff proudly takes us on a small tour through the show and agrees with Nielsen: “In this space, it is about everyone’s own experience; there is no hierarchy, there is no difference in value between the pleasures we show; this is really essential.” Responding to the idea of things emerging in space, it was also a crucial element for Riff to integrate objects that invite visitors to sit. “It is about the question of freedom and how much furniture also standardizes everyone.”

“Aster” is a powerful statement pushing the boundaries of our sense of vastness; it invites us to take a step back to gain a broader perspective. It creates a beautiful science of light that enables us to float, redefine, and emerge.