The City of Antwerp has organised the photo exhibition ‘The road covered. Antwerp 1993 – 2023‘. It shows how the street scene in the 19th-century belt of Antwerp evolved between 1993 and 2023, and also focuses on places where change is afoot in the coming years. Everyone is welcome to visit the free exhibition, in the FelixArchief (Felix Archive) until 3 November 2023.

In 1993, Antwerp was the European capital of culture. Within the Open City architecture program, coordinator Pieter Uyttenhove and photographers Hans Bol and Georges Charlier created an exhibition in the then empty Sint-Felix (Saint Felix) warehouse. 

It was arranged as a walk through the building and consisted of black and white photographs of neighborhoods in the 19th century belt of the city, the area within the current Boulevards (Leien). Afterwards, the photo panels and accompanying texts were donated to photo museum FOMU.

Completely renovated

Today, 30 years later, everyone can rediscover the idiosyncratic view of Uyttenhove, Bol and Charlier. The coordinator and photographers at the time digitized the photos from 1993. 

But above all, they completely re-photographed part of the series this year, from the same points of view. They also added new images of neighborhoods that were not yet or insufficiently depicted in the previous edition. The new exhibition has now been realized with all these ingredients.

Antwerp’s official city architect Christian Rapp: “In addition to being a valuable artistic work, this exhibition is also a document of 30 years of urban development. She visualizes the transformation of the urban fabric. The exhibition also takes a look at the places that will experience new developments over the next 30 years.”

Unique photo document

The exhibition includes a total of 120 photos and an interactive map on which visitors can find the locations of the various photos. It consists of three parts:

• In the first part, one discovers thirty of the digitized photos that bring the 19th-century belt of 1993 back to life.
• The second part consists of thirty other photos from 1993, each linked to a new photo that reflects the current situation. They offer a unique view of the changes that Antwerp has experienced over the past 30 years. From disappeared factories, shops and cafes to new residential towers, streets and squares. The city’s social, cultural and economic life continues to evolve.
• 30 photos of areas that are currently or will soon be changing, such as the Slachthuis site, Nieuw-Zuid and areas along the Ring, form the final part. They were now recorded for future generations.

Practical

From Thursday September 7 to Friday November 3, 2023. FelixArchief, entrance Oudeleeuwenrui 29. Open every day except Mondays. Free.

Opening hours:

• Tuesday and Wednesday: from 8.30 AM to 4.30 PM.
• Thursday: from 1.30 PM to 6.00 PM.
• Friday, Saturday and Sunday: from 10 AM to 6 PM.