The Art & Memories exhibition, running from October 16 to December 16, 2026, at the ULB's Solbosch campus, offers a reflection on artistic and scientific creation. It dialogues between modern and contemporary artworks from the university's collection and research projects, exploring how collective heritage is transformed by individual experience.
« A creation, a discovery, never appears in a contextual desert, but at the heart of the immense memorial fabric of all the creations, constructions, experiments that preceded it », explains Marius Gilbert, ULB's Vice-Rector for Culture and Scientific Mediation. He defines the « clash of memories » as the encounter between what precedes us and what each person carries within themselves, emphasizing that even with shared references, individual history, experiences, and unique sensibilities lead to distinct creations.
The advent of artificial intelligence raises new questions about human singularity. AI produces from existing data but lacks individual memory, composed of lived experiences. « At a time when we increasingly question human uniqueness in the face of AI advancements, perhaps it is in the immense diversity resulting from this clash of memories that we can find answers », suggests Marius Gilbert.
The exhibition features various events until December 16, addressing themes such as memory loss, dance, reconstructing family history, AI's fabrications, and science serving art. Highlights include cinema with Christopher Nolan's Memento on October 22, an artists' tour of Ixelles on November 6-7, a dance performance by La Saltarelle on November 17, and discussions on family history and science in art.
The exhibition is held at the Salle Allende - ULB, Campus du Solbosch, Building F1, 1st floor, Av. Paul Héger 22 - 1050 Ixelles. It is open Tuesday to Thursday, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., with free admission. The vernissage is on October 15 at 6 p.m.
