The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) will present a major retrospective of Belgian artist Philip Aguirre y Otegui from 3 October 2026 to 17 January 2027. ‘Art and the world‘ will bring together monumental sculptures and smaller works spanning his career from the 1980s to the present.
Born in Schoten in the province of Antwerp in 1961, Aguirre y Otegui is primarily known as a sculptor and painter. His work repeatedly addresses migration, refugees, water and the idea of architecture as shelter. These themes are closely connected to his family history: his father, Juan Martin Aguirre, came from the Spanish Basque Country and moved to Antwerp as a child in 1936, while his mother’s family experienced persecution during the German occupation of Belgium.
Art, beauty and social inequality
Aguirre believes in the universal power of art and considers the search for beauty a fundamental human need, as essential as water and bread. His work expresses the hope that beauty can help alleviate social inequality, which helps explain his strong focus on public art.
The KMSKA exhibition will place large-scale sculptures alongside smaller works, creating a dialogue between different dimensions of his practice. Rather than presenting the museum simply as a place for contemplation, Aguirre uses the exhibition to play with the idea of the museum as an oasis or aesthetic refuge in turbulent times.
The works are arranged along a chronological thread, with thematic clusters addressing subjects including ‘(im)power‘, water and ‘intimacy versus the outside world’.
Aguirre’s sculptures use materials including plaster, wood, bronze and terracotta, sometimes combined with objects he has collected during travels. His artistic influences include Frans Masereel, Constantin Brâncuși, Alberto Giacometti, photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo and contemporary Belgian artist Francis Alÿs.
From Antwerp to Cameroon
Several of Aguirre’s works can be found in public spaces around Belgium. They include ‘Fountain‘ at Antwerp’s Koolkaai, ‘The carrier of the mattress‘ at Brussels Airport, ‘Gaalgui‘ in Nieuwpoort and a five-metre-high sculpture of former Belgian politician Karel Van Miert in Oud-Turnhout.
His work also addresses some of the darker chapters of Belgian history. ‘15 August 1942, Lange Kievitstraat, Antwerpen‘ at Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen commemorates the first raid against Jews in Belgium.
One of his best-known international projects is ‘Théatre Source‘, a monumental installation created between 2010 and 2013 in Douala, Cameroon. The work transformed a muddy well into a meeting place for a local community, combining a water source with a staircase and public space. Aguirre received the International Award for Public Art in 2017 for the project.
The artist has previously had major solo exhibitions at the Middelheim Open Air Sculpture Museum in Antwerp in 2008 and Mu.ZEE in Ostend in 2013.
Artist talk and guided tours
Aguirre will discuss the exhibition himself during a ‘KMSKA Late‘ artist talk on 8 October from 19:00 to 20:00. Curator Annelien De Troij will be in conversation with the artist in room 2.2. The talk is free for visitors with a museum ticket for Thursday evening, with no advance reservation required.
The KMSKA will also organise 90-minute guided tours exploring Aguirre’s work chronologically and thematically. Tours are available in Dutch, French and English, while other languages can be requested.
Dutch-language walk-in tours will also be offered, costing €10 in addition to the museum admission fee.
Workshops and accessible tours
Four ‘Collage workshop – Philip Aguirre y Otegui‘ sessions will take place on 11 October, 22 November, 13 December and 10 January. Led by artist-tutor Griet Verschueren of Atelier Pium, the three-hour workshops will use Aguirre’s work as a starting point for exploring shape, colour, rhythm, composition and space. No previous artistic experience is required.
The KMSKA will additionally organise special tours for blind and visually impaired visitors on Monday 14 December 2026 from 14:00 to 15:30 and Wednesday 16 December from 10:30 to 12:00. Participants will receive descriptions of selected works and have the opportunity to touch certain materials.
The retrospective ‘Philip Aguirre y Otegui: Art and the world‘ runs at the KMSKA in Antwerp from 3 October 2026 to 17 January 2027.
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