The organisation behind the publicly funded sculpture festival 'Sculptura' was declared bankrupt. With several creditors yet to be paid, some are calling for more accountability from public institutions.
The managing director of the organisation, Äke Verstraelen, is yet to contact the court-appointed curator, Rutger Belsack, to cooperate with the bankruptcy proceedings which began on 29 April 2025. He had until Wednesday to do so, according to Bruzz.
Verstraelen was the head of the Brussels Sculpture Festival VZW which organised two editions of 'Sculptura' in Brussels in 2023 and 2024.
'Sculptura' received €40,000 in 2023 and €50,000 in 2024 from the Brussels-Capital Region from a joint grant from the cabinets of outgoing Minister-Presidents Rudi Vervoort (PS) and Sven Gatz (Open VLD), according to Vervoort's spokesperson, Selin Salün.
In addition, it had non-financial endorsements from the Flemish Government, the National Lottery, and the European Parliament (EP).
Screenshot of promotional page by the European Parliament for the second edition of 'Sculptura'. Source: EP
The event received media attention last year following a report by The Brussels Times, where contributors denounced issues with the organiser relating to communication and payment.
Over a year since the 2024 edition, several artists and at least one transport company are yet to be paid. The Brussels Times could verify the unsettled bills to at least €22,000, although the actual amount is reportedly significantly higher.
'I am still struggling'
The news of the bankruptcy was no surprise for Henriette Kildegaard, the head of the transport company IDS Spedition. "There were so many people who were missing their payments so to me, the only thing that makes sense was that this was going to go bankrupt at some point."
German artist, Willi Reiche, saw the news of the bankruptcy as "a good thing" but believes that seeing any form of compensation is unlikely.
"I fear that the artists who have suffered losses will not benefit at all [...] Brussels had a great exhibition with exciting works of art - the artists shouldn't go away empty-handed just because the organiser Äke Verstraelen didn't have the dimensions of these two exhibitions under control," Reiche told The Brussels Times.
Reiche setting up one of his pieces for Sculptura #2 at Gare Maritime.
Kildegaard agrees the situation is more problematic for the artists. "Thank god my company is well run and it's an older company, so, we can suffer a lot loss like that [...] But I think the most sad thing is that you have artists who are [financially] struggling and who are doing a wonderful job to make beautiful art, and they will suffer more [...] that's most concerning to me."
Bulgarian artist Nevena Ekimova is an example of the impact Sculptura's mismanagement has had on smaller artists. "I am still struggling to pay back the loan I took more than a year ago, to transport my work to Brussels and back - an expense Akë promised to cover, together with an artist fee I never got either," she said.
Ekinoma’s artwork for Sculptura #2.
According to Ekimova, her lawyer believes that while the bankruptcy gives an opportunity to make a claim to settle unpaid bills "it is very doubtful that [she] will be able to get the actual money back."
Moreover, Kildegaard worries that bankruptcy procedures don't prevent similar issues from taking place in the future. "The thing is that people who are or companies that are declared bankrupt the next day they can, they can rise again and do the same thing all over, which I think is really sad."
'My tax money, your tax money'
For Ekimova, the impact of the festival goes beyond the unsettled bills. "It has made me not trust anybody anymore, especially people from abroad contacting me about my art. Which is so ironic, because here in Bulgaria we tend to idealise the West and their supposedly superior standards and morals."
While Brussels Sculpture Festival VZW was responsible for Sculptura, Kildegaard believes public institutions need to have stricter process to scrutinise who they endorse.
"When you know that an exhibition is receiving public funds, people will believe that there are good people behind it," she said. "I mean, it's my tax money, your tax money, I would say [institutions] have some kind of responsibility to check on these things."
Opening of Sculptura #2 at Gare Maritime.
The EP and the Brussels-Capital Region failed to provide a concrete explanation of the checks and balances in place when choosing to endorse Sculptura. This was also the case last year when they were repeatedly approached by The Brussels Times.
The Brussels Times has also seen communication that indicates that the use of public funds within 'Sculptura' is being investigated by the European Public Prosecutor's Office, following a complaint from one of the participating artists.
Regardless, Reiche hopes that artists are able to get some form of justice. "Above all, we mustn't forget that, in addition to the financial side, it is also very hurtful if the artistic achievement is not appropriately valued and financially recognised."
The Brussels Times contacted Äke Verstraelen for comment but has not received a response as of time of publishing.
