What’s on this week: 7-13 January

Beat the winter blues with some belly laughs at English Comedy Brussels’ first live show of the year. UK-based Marcel Lucont (main image) and Alexis Dubus are regular stand-up performers in the Belgian capital. If you’ve yet to experience Lucont’s dry Francophile wit or Dubus’ absurd and sharp take on life, then you’re in for a comic surprise. 11 January 20.00, Aloft hotel, Place Jean Rey (Etterbeek)

January is synonymous with jazz in Belgium and top of the bill is Djangofollies, the annual homage to Belgian jazz giant Django Reinhardt. The gypsy jazz virtuoso, born in Liberchies (Pont-à-Celles) in 1923, was one of Europe’s most innovative musicians, transforming straight jazz into ‘hot jazz’. Over two weeks, 15 concerts in Brussels and across the country celebrate his musical heritage in an eclectic programme. Among the contemporary talents paying tribute are Amati Schmitt & Brady Winterstein (pictured), Renaud Dardenne Trio and the Eliott Knuets & Jonathan Collin Duo. 13 January-6 February, Les Riches-Claire Centre Culturel and Théâtre Marni (Brussels), plus multiple venues in Belgium

Sol LeWitt. Wall drawings, works on paper, structures (1968-2002) explores the American conceptual artist’s Jewish heritage and his close ties with Belgium via a unique selection of striking and immersive works (pictured). During his prolific career, LeWitt (1928-2007) maintained professional relationships with Belgium’s art world. On display is a mural created in Brussels that played a pioneering role in introducing conceptual art to the country. He also worked with leading Belgian architect Charles Vandenhove in refurbishing Liège’s CHU hospital. Barbara Cuglietta and Stephanie Manasseh curate the exhibition. Also showing at the museum is Works on Paper. Galila’s Collection (until 13 February), a dive into the world of Brussels-based collector Galila Barzilai Hollander. Multidisciplinary works by international artists reveal her engaging personality and eclectic collecting style. Until 1 May, Jewish Museum of Belgium, Rue des Minimes 21Wiels Contemporary Art Centre has extended its winter exhibitions dedicated to Marcel Broodthaers (Industrial Poems, Open Letters) and RH Quaytman (Modern Subjects, Chapter Zero) until the end of the month. Broodthaers (1924-1978), was an internationally-renowned Belgian poet, filmmaker and visual artist with a highly literate and often witty approach to creating art. This show presents his entire collection of motifs for a series of plaques and installations. In a contrasting display, contemporary artist Quaytman delves into the artistic history of Brussels’ Wiertz Museum. Until 30 January, Avenue Van Volxem 354 (Forest)

The International Study Group kicks off its 2022 agenda with a talk by Ronald De Bruin on his book The Brussels Da Vinci Code: The Rediscovery of Ancient Knowledge in the Capital of Europe. The director of the European Co-operation in Science and Technology has discovered a pattern in the Brussels urban landscape that matches the famous star constellations mimicked by the pyramids along the Nile (in English). 17 January 10.30, Château Sainte-Anne, Rue Du Vieux Moulin 103 (Auderghem)

Get tickets now: Sleeping Beauty The English Comedy Club presents its popular annual winter pantomime, a riff on the classic fairytale, but with everything that makes a good panto: silliness, terrible jokes and social distancing. 21-23 January, Auderghem Cultural Centre

OUTSIDE BRUSSELS

It’s the turn of Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí to be given the immersive digital art treatment in Inside Dali at Ghent’s Saint Nicholas Church. Step inside the fantastical and dreamlike universe of the 20th-century avant-garde icon within the dramatic setting of the city’s ancient Gothic church. The highlight of the multimedia experience is a 14-metre-high space providing full immersion into Dalí’s colourful and awe-inspiring world. Until 15 May, Korenmarkt, Ghent

La palette de l’artiste-peintre Franz Kegeljan is an exhibition honouring Namur’s proud son, part of a wide-ranging retrospective launched last year to mark the 100th anniversary of his death. The works he painted over his lifetime are a complete visual archive of the historic city and offer a fascinating insight into its rich past. After a visit to the museum – located in the Hôtel Groesbeeck-de-Croix – take the city’s new cable car to the citadel to view a complementary exhibition where Kegeljan’s paintings are shown alongside photos of contemporary scenes by five Namur photographers. Until 17 April, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Rue Joseph Saintraint 7, Namur