This show is a journey through art and research, through life, death, and everything in between. It emerges from ongoing investigations on the importance of taking microorganisms on their own terms.

Mycelium that repairs cracks or grows paper; unexpected materials created through co-cultivation of fungi and bacteria; “unseen” microbial worlds in nuclear power plants as resource for solar cells, … We are inclined to objectify and reduce these life forms and deploy them for our own purposes, without further questioning.

Shifting Scales focuses on transdisciplinary collaborations that challenge human-centricity and demonstrate its decolonizing potential. We invite you to attune to a world full of complex, fragile, and surprising connections and to reflect together on relationships in the living world

With: Nele Buyst, Matthijs De Block, Marjan De Mey, Lealia Dierickx, Jonas Ghyselen, Janne Halme, Hamza Malik, Remy Ratajczak, Christina Stadlbauer, Bart HM Vandeput (Bartaku art_research), Fleur Willekens, Anne Willems.

Practical information

When? From 23 October 2025 to 12 January 2026

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Where? The foyer of the Brantijser (S.SJ building), Sint-Jacobsmarkt 13, 2000 Antwerp

23/10 | Opening exhibition

You are warmly invited to the exhibition opening on 23 October at 5:30 p.m. at Brantijser.

Register via the button below.

15/10 | A soirée on microbes that matter

On the 15th of October, we kindly invite you to a soirée of live-lab performance, experimentation, a conversation and a ritual to practice microbial perspectives. Practitioners share with you their ongoing research that spans art, philosophy and science. At the core of this evening are participatory, hands-on experiments involving fungal textures, microbes, leaves, solarcells and our breathing.

We conclude with a reception in the beautiful 1930s Art Deco monument that houses the Institute of Tropical Medicine.

With: Christina Stadlbauer, Nele Buyst, Bartaku, Anne Willems, Matthijs De Block, Hamza Malik, Jonas Ghyselen, Janne Halme, Marjan DeMey. 

Practical Information

15 October 2025  |  6 - 9 pm

Institute of Tropical Medicine

Nationalestraat 155

2000 Antwerpen

The exhibition and soirée are part of the Plexity series and organised by the University of Antwerp and the University of Ghent, in collaboration with the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp. 

Both events present the following artistic research projects: Bactohealing, Koelleven, Referentiekader voor een Genetisch Gemodificeerd Kunst Organisme, Photovoltarium, Mycelium as alternative for paper.

The exhibition and soirée are made possible with the support of FWO (Research Foundation – Flanders), Flemish Cultural Authorities (Innovative Partnership Projects). 

In collaboration with: Universiteit Antwerpen, Universiteit Gent, Universiteit Hasselt, Aalto University, SCK Mol, Kunstkuur, Royal Musée de Mariemont, Atelier Terre du Jardin aux Fleurs Bruxelles, GLUON, nadine vzw, r-Ohm vzw.