The Heart of the Matter is the first retrospective of influential American artist Carrie Mae Weems (1953) in Belgium. Through her incisive photographic works and video installations she explores themes of race, gender, power and memory.

Weems often appears in her photos as a subject, a guide and a muse. Her experiences as a Black woman inform her exploration of ‘forgotten’ histories. She reveals places that are often left out of the picture: from intimate kitchen table settings to film sets, and from African-American churches to former plantations. Her work invokes personal stories to address the complexities and injustices of the world around us.

The exhibition comprises more than 100 photographs and videos, including landmark works such as Museums (2006) and Kitchen Table Series (1990). Especially for this exhibition, Weems created the series Preach (2024), which points to the importance of faith both personally and societally. In this series, the art and architecture of spirituality emerge as powerful forms of resistance.

Carrie Mae Weems' work is represented in collections around the world and has been exhibited internationally at MoMA, the Guggenheim, Tate, Centre Pompidou, the Barbican, Luma and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, among others.

The Heart of the Matter, curated by Sarah Hermanson Meister, is a project by Gallerie d’Italia, museum of Intesa Sanpaolo, in collaboration with Aperture.

Who do you consider to be your family? And how do you record your personal history? We all use photography to sketch an image of our family and pass on stories to future generations. For the exhibition ‘Families’ we're diving into the FOMU collection in search of family photos.

We invite you to discover historical photo albums as well as photos by contemporary artists with a critical take on the traditional family portrait. These artists and photographers explore the complexity, and sometimes discomfort, of family relationships. They rewrite history with intimate photos, the likes of which you won’t often find in typical photo albums. A dialogue thus emerges between now and the past, between what we cherish and what we dare to question.

Every year, FOMU invites an artist to reflect on the collection. Especially for this expo, author Niña Weijers has written ten personal texts on the theme of family. Visual artist Ugo Woatzi has also created a series of family portraits for the Kaiserpanorama. This large wooden viewing box from 1905 is designed to allow twenty-five people to gather round it and view stereoscopic photos together. You can see the Kaiserpanorama in action every first Sunday of the month.

In a time when motherhood, the nuclear family and the idea of 'chosen family' are being hotly debated, ‘Families’ offers a surprising look at a topic that affects us all: family.

With more than 200 photographs from the FOMU collection by, among others:

Hélène Amouzou, Emmy Andriesse, Diane Arbus, Cecil Beaton, Henri Becker, Henri Beng, Livinius Jacobus Beniest & Zoon, Léon Bovier, Camille Orso Caël, Tom Callemin, Julia Margaret Cameron, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lynn Cohen, Bieke Depoorter, Omar Viktor Diop & Lee Shulman, Mike Disfarmer, Robert Doisneau, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Mayara Ferrão, Charles Froelich, Seiichi Furuya & Christine Furuya-Gössler, Henri Geirland, Gustave Ghuys, Victor Guidalevitch, René Guiette, Sunil Gupta, Jitka Hanzlová, Eikoh Hosoe, Peter Hujar, Bernard Jacobs & Cie, Lebohang Kganye, William Klein, Mous Lamrabat, Youqine Lefèvre, Vuyo Mabheka, Diana Markosian, Amatus Harry Nevejans, Giulia Niccolai, Bernard Plossu, Emile Pochet, Jacques Joseph Prévot, Marc Riboud, Paul Sano, Jacob van Crewel (Jeune), Bertien van Manen, Léopold Vanderstraeten, Edward Walton (Fils), Edouard Wettstein, Carmen Winant, Ugo Woatzi … alongside a host of anonymous photographers and their families.

Diane Severin Nguyen is an American artist with Vietnamese roots. In her work she explores the inextricable relationship between popular culture and politics. Her work spans video, performance and photography, with striking images that are as seductive as they are unsettling.

IF REVOLUTION IS A SICKNESS is about finding your place in today's complex political world. It is conceived as an immersive video installation. In the video, we follow a Vietnamese-Polish girl in Warsaw as she navigates a world full of conflicting expectations. Nguyen’s critique of power, nationalism and cultural identity comes wrapped in the catchy and unmistakeable aesthetic of K-pop.

The photographs, carefully selected to contextualize the film, depict moments of emergence, when an identity, idea or revolution is forming.

Nguyen prompts us to reflect on what a revolution might mean today. Beyond the coming-of-age story, the work offers a keen observation of the world at present: a visual trip that invites the viewer to dance, but also to reflect on how young people shape their identities amid the relentless expectations of our complex world.

This is the internationally renowned artist’s first solo exhibition in Belgium. Nguyen's work has previously been exhibited at MEP, Paris, SculptureCenter, New York, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

Nightwatch 2026 museum takeover & afterparty

On 15 May, the young artists of Nightwatch will once again take over the museum. Discover their work during the Nightwatch 2026 museum takeover, followed by an afterparty.

Nightwatch is a dynamic coaching programme by and for young talent. Five young entrepreneurs have created a multifaceted programme in which ten young artists are guided in their artistic development. The programme culminates in a Nightwatch museum takeover and nocturne.

Nightwatch 2026 showcases the work of:
Rahim Aharar
Marthe Ceulemans
Lore Grimon
Irma Janssens
Elena Lázaro
Dimana Markovska
Frederic Pels
Nikitas Sifonios
Chaix Szczurek
Markha Youchaeva

PROGRAMME
20:00: Doors
20:00 - 00:00: Expo Nightwatch + Performances
23:00 - 03:00: Afterparty with DJs TBA

Bezoek je de expo Families graag met een gids? Sluit dan elke derde zondag van de maand aan bij een instaprondleiding.

Je schrijft je solo of met een kleine groep in, en een ervaren FOMU-gids neemt je mee door de expo. Deze rondleiding is gratis, je betaalt enkel je museumticket. Reservatie is verplicht.

We organiseren instaprondleidingen in de expo Families op volgende momenten: 19 april, 17 mei en 21 juni 2026. Bekijk de FOMU-kalender voor alle info.

Praktische info
Dit aanbod is gratis, je betaalt enkel je toegangsticket.
Plaatsen zijn beperkt, reservatie verplicht.
Kom bij voorkeur wat vroeger, zo heb je nog voldoende tijd om je bij de balie aan te melden en je spullen op te bergen.
De rondleiding stipt om 14u, de gids verzamelt de groep in de inkomhal van FOMU.
De rondleiding duurt ca. 90 minuten.
Voertaal: Nederlands

Over de expo FAMILIES
Wie noem je familie? En hoe leg je je persoonlijke geschiedenis vast? We gebruiken allemaal fotografie om een beeld van onze familie te schetsen en verhalen door te geven aan volgende generaties. Voor de expo Families duiken we in de collectie van FOMU op zoek naar familiefoto’s.

Je ontdekt historische fotoalbums en foto's van hedendaagse kunstenaars die het traditionele familieportret in vraag stellen. Deze kunstenaars en fotografen verkennen de complexiteit en soms ook het ongemak van familierelaties. Ze herschrijven geschiedenis en creëren intieme foto’s die vaak ontbreken in het klassieke fotoalbum. Zo ontstaat een gesprek tussen vroeger en nu, tussen wat we koesteren en wat we durven te bevragen.

FOMU houses one of the most significant photo collections in Europe, featuring both equipment and photo documents. Each year, FOMU also presents several temporary exhibitions by nationally and internationally renowned photographers. Visitors can also attend lectures and workshops, as well as daily screenings organized by Cinema Lumière in the two beautifully equipped cinemas.