Art Brussels today announces further details of its 39thedition which takes place from 20 -23 April at Brussels Expo. As one of Europe’s oldest and most established fairs, Art Brussels has a reputation for discovery, and this year 152galleries from 32countries will present a mix of established and emerging talent as well as artists to rediscover. The fair will present the best of the contemporary gallery scene, showcasing more than 800artists as part of a vibrant programme. Alongside the new initiatives and projects commissioned for the fair, Art Brussels will feature works that engage with technology and Artificial Intelligence, spirituality and mysticism, and themes of race, identity and gender politics.

The participating galleries are divided into four different sections according to the artists exhibited: PRIME(for mid-career and established artists), DISCOVERY(emerging artists), REDISCOVERY(unduly underrepresented or overlooked artists from the 20thcentury) and SOLO(solo artist presentations).

The fair continues to show its dedication to curated displays by hosting a high number of SOLOpresentations, with 29 galleries highlighting the work of individual artists.

Key SOLO presentations include: Jim DineatTEMPLON (Paris, Brussels), the prolific, genre defying pioneer of art ‘happenings’ in the ‘60s; Gavin Turkat MARUANI MERCIER (Brussels, Knokke, Zaventem), one of the YBA movement (Young British ArtistsGroup)whose installations and sculptures playfullyrecontextualize everyday objects and address issues of authorship, authenticity, and identity; Thilo Heinzmannat dépendance (Brussels), who presents three new paintings made from forcefully applied clusters of pigment; Ria Verhaeghe at Richard Saltoun (London, Rome), whose Verticalsseries features newspaper images of deceased individuals and arranges them in an ethereal vertical form against striking backgrounds layered with gold leaf; and Hans Opde Beeck at Ron Mandos (Amsterdam) whose work reflects on our complex society and the universal questions of meaning.

The best SOLO presentation will be awarded the SOLO Prize (supported by Hiscox), with the winning artist receiving €10,000.

Full list of SOLO projects: Angel Vergara Axel Vervoordt Gallery |Tessa PerutzBaronian | Korakrit ArunanondchaiCLEARING | Marinella SenatoreCeysson & Bénétière | Regine SchumannDep Art Gallery | Thilo Heinzmanndépendance | Marria PrattsEveryday Gallery | Noé SendasGaleria Presença | Ryan WildeGalerie Julien Cadet | Jérémie CosimiGalerie Les Filles du Calvaire | Hans Op de Beeck Galerie Ron Mandos | Dirk Van SaeneGallery Sofie Van de Velde & PLUS-ONE Gallery | Willehad EilersHarlan Levey Projects | Catherine Repko Huxley-Parlour | Navid NuurJahn und Jahn | Léonard Pongo Kristof De Clercq gallery | Marcos Avila Forero LMNO| Gavin TurkMARUANI MERCIER | Thu Van TranMeessen De Clercq | Giangiacomo RossettiMendes Wood DM | Ana KarkarNosbaum Reding | Rodrigo HernándezP420 | Ria VerhaegheRichard Saltoun Gallery | Aneta Kajzer Semiose |Kate GottgensSMAC Gallery|Machteld Rullens Sorry We're Closed | Jonny Niesche The Hole|Jim DineTEMPLON| Nathanaëlle Herbelin Xavier Hufkens.

The speed and regularity of obsolescence in the world of consumer technology is addressed by a number of artists. In DISCOVERY,Jonas Lund’s solo presentation at OFFICE IMPART (Berlin) marks the first show created entirely with ChatGPT, exploring the ethics and possibilities of using AI in the creation of art. In PRIME,Guy Yanai’swork at Praz Delavallade (Los Angeles, Paris) strips away references to the tangible world and creates a visual experience that is more akin to digital imagery; and at SANATORIUM (Istanbul), Christiane Peschek’s works interface between post-photography, post-internet, text and painting, between analogue processes and digital/virtual transformation.

Several artists will explore mysticism and spirituality through depictions of ritual, shamanism, transcendental experience, and imaginary dream worlds. In DISCOVERY,Kemi Onabulé at Sim Smith (London) draws on the depiction of people from ancient cultures, seeing humans and souls as more symbolic rather than individualistic. In PRIME, Rodrigo Hernándezat P420 (Bologna) presents large works made with golden hand-hammered brass, creating a devotional atmosphere suspended between dream and reality, and Kendell Geers at ADN Galeria (Barcelona) weaves together diverse Afro-European traditions, including animism, alchemy, ritual and socio-political activism, which is laced with black humour, irony and cultural contradiction.

Other works at the fair examine notions of gender, identity and the body. Examples in DISCOVERYinclude: melanie bonajo at AKINCI (Amsterdam), whose immersive installation gives a glimpse into her project about the body and sexual identity at the Venice Biennale in 2022;Louka Anargyrosat SEPTIEME Gallery (Paris, Cotonou) whose construction of a motoGP locker room with ceramic protective suits invites reflection on masculinity and its symbols; Selma Selman at KUK GALLERY (Cologne) whose work explores the racist isolation, classification, and denunciation of those who are 'different' or 'foreign'; and AliSalazar at Ginsberg Galeria (Lima, Madrid) who presents five works belonging to the series Unworthy of Being Human, which portray genderless and sometimes faceless figures in a state of metamorphosis.