Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The acclaimed art gallery – the Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA) in Brussels, which was devoted to contemporary art, will be closed permanently on Sunday, January 5th, 2025.
This move comes after the number of visitors has been reducing sharply due to the long-standing road constructions along the canal that have been affecting access to the museum since July 2024. Even when it was breaking attendance records in previous years, committing to the recovery would have been impossible due to its dependence on ticket sales, causing the museum to shut down.
The impact of Roadworks and MIMA’s farewell
With the road development for a new road along the canal and the closing of Quai du Hainaut, visitor numbers dropped between 50% and 75%. This reduced the financial position of the museum sharply, coupled with the inability to host private events due to limited access and parking problems. In response to its impending closure, MIMA has launched the “Endless Goodbye,” a series of farewell events. Others include the guided tour with Raphael Cruyt, the co-founder, and a money-off stock sale, then closing celebrations on January 5th in the evening. The museum’s final exhibition, “Multitude” by Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto (Vhils), will remain open until its last day.
Cruyt expressed his disappointment at the abrupt end of the museum’s journey, stating, “This is a brutal end to ten years of hard work.” MIMA, which started in 2016, has 19 exhibitions and more than 400000 visitors in almost nine years of its operation. Formed to innovate its programming and ensure its relevance to the context, MIMA has successfully established itself as an important cultural institution in Brussels.
A decade of cultural contribution
The Foundation of MIMA was not easy, as it officially started its operation at the time of the terror attacks in Brussels in March 2016. Despite this rather gloomy beginning, the museum soon emerged as a cultural institution trying to bring contemporary art to the people and reflect its interest through the prism of the contemporary world. Its mission was clear: to bring together various groups of people and bring fresh art ideas into the very centre of Brussels. Since its inception, MIMA has held nineteen artistic events that included such genres as murals and graffiti, installation art, and multimedia art; in total, the number of visitors has reached 404,626 people.
The effect it had on art society was not limited to art exhibitions alone. It responded sensitively to the local Molenbeek audience, working with people, schools, and even municipalities to facilitate what became a community-based practice of art as a form of communication. Other activities such as workshops, art sightseeing, activities and teamwork created awareness of modern art and its practices. They did this and earned MIMA the reputation of being the institution that supported the culture and community as much as art.
However, the vague construction of the canal roadworks works in conjunction with the decreasing visitor inflow and accumulation of the financial crisis at MIMA, which had no feasible management strategies. Heralding an important chapter in Brussels’ art and cultural history before the museum shuts down, the art inside the facility has sought to offer quality and encourage innovation.
