Michelle Geerardyn has been AB's in-house photographer since October 2019. On Friday 1 and Saturday 2 July she will look back on three turbulent years with 'Proche', an impressive photo exhibition.  

As in-house photographer, Michelle captured the AB from before, during and after the lockdowns. "What remained clear through all the chaos is that, it's the people, who make AB the venue that it is. It's they who come up with the good ideas to bring people together and create unforgettable moments", Michelle says. She quickly noticed that those moments of closeness became controversial. "That made for starkly contrasting images. Seeing an empty AB hurt, but it was also a sign that people were caring for each other by keeping their distance."  

AB had to think of other ways to bring people together. "Smaller events sometimes felt like cathartic explosions as a result, but at the same time were fraught with volatility and fear," Michelle recalls. "All of those conflicting feelings translated into photographs that reflected the hope, disappointment and joy within AB." Michelle will be collecting her favorite images from that period in an impressive photo exhibit at AB on Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2. She appropriately christens her expo "Proche. "This event is about being close in a safer, joyful and caring way", she says.  

AB is opening doors for the occasion that normally remain closed to the public. During 'Proche' you will thus discover the building in a new way. Besides a photographic overview of the past three years, AB will also be filled with artists and faces you wouldn't immediately expect to see. Brussels painters will be taking over the foyer and the main hall will be filled with testimonials from the youth of Brussels about how they have experienced the past few years in proximity.