ANTWERP | ‘To the Antarctic. The polar pioneers of the Belgica’ exhibition at Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS)

Since 21 June, summer solstice, the Museum Aan de Stroom (Museum At the Stream) or MAS in Antwerp hosts the ‘To the Antarctic. The polar pioneers of the Belgica‘. In Belgium, Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery‘s adventure is as famous as Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton‘s Antarctic voyages are in the United Kingdom or Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (Norway) worldwide. Amundsen, by the way, was an officer on the Belgica.

“Come and meet the expedition members of the Belgica. Some 125 years ago, they set off from Antwerp to the last blind spot on the world map: Antarctica. The expedition got stuck in the polar ice and made history as a result. Learn how the men managed to survive, who followed in their footsteps, and what Antarctica is like today”, the MAS website says.

The exhibition runs until Sunday 3 November 2024 from 10:00 to 17:00.

“Up until then, no one had ever done it: the young, international crew of the Belgica got stuck in the ice, and had to survive in the freezing cold for a year. They fell ill due to poor nutrition and had an extra hard time mentally during the long polar night without daylight. But they continued pioneering scientific research: they mapped new areas with Belgian-sounding names and collected unknown fauna and flora.”

“To free themselves, the expedition members did the impossible: with great perseverance, they sawed a way through the ice to free their ship. Just before a second polar winter began, the Belgica set sail back to Belgium.”

“In this new exhibition, you travel with the expedition yourself. Diaries of the crew, beautiful photos and authentic parts of the expedition ship bring this incredible adventure back to life.”

“Antarctica is a breathtaking place, but climate change is also being felt on this pristine continent. The expo therefore also takes you to the Antarctic today. You will learn about scientific research and climate, territorial claims and international collaborations.”

The exhibition was created in cooperation with International Polar Foundation, the foundation behind the Princess Elisabeth Station in Antarctica.

Art at the exhibition

Throughout the exhibition, Artist Esther Kokmeijer from the Netherlands invites visitors to reflect on the area. In her artwork ‘Terra Nullius‘, she draws attention to Antarctica’s geopolitical protected status.

“As a statement to keep Antarctica pristine, she used correction tape to make all details invisible on almost 50 maps of the continent. With this installation, she talks about the relationship of man and politics towards this piece of nature.”

Antarctica today

The exhibition also tells the story of Antarctica today. You will find out how scientists are still conducting groundbreaking scientific research there. This topical part of the exhibition was created in collaboration with the International Polar Foundation.

A visit

The exhibition is located in the third floor. The layout and scenography is quite silple, make use of off-white and light blue. Colours you associate with snow ad ice. Using bright white would be… to bright.

The exhibition explores how the Belgica voyage came to be, how it went, how it’s positioned in the history of polar exploration and there’s attention for Antarctica today.

The Belgica and the name Adrien de Gerlache ring bells with Belgian, but few will know how the expedition actually went. Very à la belge, it seems. Half-heartedly, underfinanced and lacking focus and discipline. At least most of the crew survived.

So, I found this exhibition insightful.

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