la châtaigneraie - centre wallon d'art contemporain

Since its official recognition in 1984, la châtaigneraie has been a place of promotion, but also a place of meeting and awareness of contemporary art. The center makes its contribution to art history through the presentation of contemporary art movements that have characterized the region and through retrospectives. It also offers space for experimentation for young artists. The mansion, which houses the walloon center for contemporary art, was built between 1830 and 1840. It is located in a park classified and protected by the walloon region and belongs to the municipality of flémalle, which ensures its maintenance. The center is the result of a local desire to create a space dedicated to contemporary art. There is nothing trivial about such a place in an industrial city on the edge of a metropolis. It is a matter of advanced programming while remaining accessible to a local population, who are often not very familiar with contemporary art. Its specificity thus lies in the eclecticism of the disciplines it deals with in its various manifestations. Although the cwac describes itself as a walloon center, it does not limit its field of action only to wallonia. Originally a simple exhibition space, led by the flémalle cultural center between 1979 and 1984, the center took its first steps. Afterwards, from 1984 onwards, it officially became the walloon center for contemporary art of the french community of belgium. From that moment on, the non-profit association has been managed by a board of directors consisting of representatives of the wallonia-brussels federation, the municipality of flémalle, the province of liège, the cultural center of flémalle and specialists from the world of visual arts. A cultural committee, made up of artists and cultural officials, adopts the program, which has been characterized from the outset by the eclecticism of the disciplines covered. We pay particular attention to maintaining privileged links with the liège art academies (esavl and esa saint luc), but also with those of the entire wallonia-brussels federation (bois de la cambre, l'académie des beaux-arts de tournai ...) .