17.09.2024 – 01.02.2026

Tamed Nature examines Antwerp’s green spaces and their evolving role within the city’s urban fabric and political landscape, from the 19th century to today. While the exhibition draws on extensive documentation of parks and public landscapes, its focus lies in the broader relationship between urban nature, architecture, and planning.

At the center of the gallery, a large platform—rotated 10 degrees within the rectangular space—presents the exhibition’s chapters side by side through vitrines, screens, and framed drawings. Surrounding it, four walls positioned parallel to the gallery’s short sides create shifting thresholds. Their staggered openings guide visitors along a gently meandering route, echoing the experience of moving through a park. These walls define thematic zones without fully enclosing them; sightlines remain open across the space thanks to the gaps and the central plinth.

Rather than imitating the natural appearance of Antwerp's green spaces, the scenography deliberately aims to create a sense of interweaving between nature and architecture. The walls are designed to resemble façades, and the large plinth is intended to cut through them like a massive green element.

Client: VAi - Flemish Architecture Institute
Location: Antwerp / BE
Curator: Bart Tritsmans
Curator contemporary works: Hülya Ertaş
Production team VAi: Nino Goyvaerts, Eva Pot
Execution: Chloroform & Guy Antoni (De Singel)
Assistant: Francesca Desantis
Photography: Sepideh Farvadi, Dieter Daniëls