Queer Art on Tap: Grands Carmes Launches Monthly Exhibitions in its Community Bar

Right in the middle of Brussels’ old town Grands Carmes is turning its bar/café into a rotating gallery for emerging artists. Every month, one artist takes over the walls, with a cosy opening night on the second Thursday of the month – and LGBTQIA+ artists are especially invited to apply.

Grands Carmes, the new LGBTQIA+ community centre just a few steps from Brussels’ Grand-Place, is slowly transforming into a vibrant hub for care, culture and celebration. On top of support, health and community activities, the team is now opening the doors of its bar/café area to visual artists who want to show their work in a warm, queer‑friendly environment.

Every month, the bar space becomes a small gallery: Grands Carmes invites one emerging artist to exhibit their work, from photography and illustration to painting, mixed media or more experimental practices. The idea is simple: offer accessible visibility, create new encounters between artists and audiences, and make sure that art is not disconnected from daily queer life – it hangs above your drink, your chats, your community meetings.

Read also : Belgium’s First LGBTQIA+ Medical Center Opens in Brussels: Maison Arc-en-Ciel de la Santé

The rhythm is set by a recurring date: each exhibition officially kicks off with an opening on the second Thursday of the month. These evenings are meant as convivial moments where you can meet the artist, connect with other visitors, discover new work and simply enjoy the atmosphere of this freshly opened LGBTQIA+ space in the city centre.

LGBTQIA+ artists are at the heart of this call, in line with Grands Carmes’ mission as a space “at the disposal of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies” that promotes diversity, care and information. The monthly exhibitions are organised by EXPO, a volunteer group within Grands Carmes that curates the programme and helps shape the space as a living, evolving platform for queer expression.

This artistic programme is just one piece of a much larger puzzle: the building on Rue des Grands Carmes 20–22 is being developed into a 1,800 m² centre where health, culture, education and community life come together. Alongside the bar/café and event rooms, Grands Carmes is also working on an inclusive health centre for LGBTQIA+ people, making it a unique project in Belgium and in Europe.

For artists, the application process is intentionally light: Grands Carmes directs interested people to a Google Form linked from the “CALL FOR ARTISTS: MONTHLY EXHIBITIONS” page on its website and via Grands Carmes on Instagram. You share your contact details, a short presentation of your practice and a selection of images; the EXPO volunteers then get in touch with selected artists to coordinate dates, hanging and the opening evening.

Whether you’re a queer artist looking for your first solo presentation in Brussels, or an emerging creator who wants to connect more directly with LGBTQIA+ communities, this call is a chance to occupy space and let your work live in a place built on care and empowerment. Next time you pass near the Grand-Place, you might just find your own art lighting up the walls of Grands Carmes’ bar.

How to apply

Interested in exhibiting at Grands Carmes? Here’s how to do it.

What happens next: the EXPO volunteer group reviews proposals and contacts selected artists to fix dates, technical details and the opening evening.

Who can apply: emerging visual artists, with a strong focus on LGBTQIA+ artists and queer‑inclusive practices.

What you can show: photography, illustration, painting, collage, mixed media, digital art and other wall‑based works suitable for a bar/café space.

Where: bar/café at Grands Carmes, Rue des Grands Carmes 20–22, 1000 Brussels, a few steps from Grand‑Place.

When: monthly exhibitions, with an opening on the second Thursday of the month.

How to apply: fill in the Google Form linked from the “CALL FOR ARTISTS: MONTHLY EXHIBITIONS” page on the Grands Carmes website and via their Instagram bio.

What you need: your contact details, a short description of your artistic practice, and a small selection of images of your work.

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