The City of Brussels has acquired a monumental artwork by Latvian artist Evita Vasiljeva in Haren, making the installation a permanent part of its contemporary public art collection.
Titled "A short history of unresolved spaces by attempting a greater speed I–III," the installation consists of three monumental sculptures made from concrete, steel and polycarbonate, alongside several smaller structures that can be used as seating. The acquisition aims to bring more contemporary art to neighbourhoods outside the city centre.
Installed in 2024 on Place du Chicon, at the intersection of Rue de Verdun and Rue du Dobbelenberg, the artwork was originally created as part of Border Buda, an intermunicipal artistic project involving Brussels, Machelen and Vilvoorde.
The artwork was officially inaugurated as a permanent addition to the City’s In Situ BXL collection on Wednesday 14 October, in the presence of the artist. “With this acquisition, we are making an intermunicipal artistic project permanent, one that fully reflects our vision of art in public spaces: works designed for a specific location that invite people to see their surroundings differently,” said Anaïs Maes (Vooruit), Brussels Councilwoman for Public Space.
Credit: Anaïs Maes
Transforming overlooked urban spaces
Vasiljeva’s installation explores the often-forgotten spaces created by modern urban development, including areas beneath bridges, industrial sites and transport infrastructure. Located near the main bus stop serving Haren prison, the artwork provides a place to sit and pause in an area largely dominated by transport routes and industrial infrastructure. “Art and the city have one thing in common: neither is ever truly finished. I build monuments for spaces of transit, leaving the artwork in a state of becoming, suspended between what is and what is yet to come,” Vasiljeva explained.
The installation was initially commissioned through Border Buda, a cultural initiative developed between 2022 and 2025 to highlight the industrial and transitional landscapes shared by Brussels, Machelen and Vilvoorde. By purchasing the sculpture, the City of Brussels is ensuring that one of the project’s most visible creations remains permanently accessible to the public.
