Guillaume Bijl: Life imitates art

For the past ten years, rue Dansaertstraat has been home to Établissement d’en Face Projects, the non-commercial space run by artists. Due to the termination of their contract, the gallery will move to a new location near the Museum of Fine Arts in September. It looks almost as though the art space has already moved. The gallery’s old location now houses the Extra Hair Shop, an African shop selling wigs and hair extensions. All the hair care products are neatly arranged in the window. Inside, you’ll find a wide range of wigs, extensions, and all kinds of shampoos. They are all immaculately arranged. The R&B blaring from the speakers provides appropriate background music. At the back, there is a small corner that functions as a hairdresser’s and storage area. Extra Hair Shop is not an ordinary shop, but the latest installation by artist Guillaume Bijl. Since the late 1970s, he has been transforming art spaces into the most diverse shops and service centres. In 1979, he rebuilt the Ruimte Z gallery in Antwerp into Driving School Z. It was so lifelike that people actually came to register for driving lessons. The Extra Hair Shop has also had to send several mystified customers away empty-handed. So seamlessly does the shop blend in on this part of rue Dansaertstraat. Just like Bijl’s previous installations, the Extra Hair Shop is meticulously arranged with great eye for detail. That is how the artist manages to befuddle visitors. He humorously plays with our pattern of expectations and in doing so, raises questions about the function and place of art. Bijl’s intervention is a fine end for Établissement d’en Face Projects’ stay at this location. His art imitates life. But as the space’s new function indicates, sometimes life also appears to imitate art.

Guillaume Bijl: Extra Hair Shop > 14/7, wo/me/We > za/sa/Sa 14 > 18.00, gratis/gratuit/free, Établissement d’en Face Projects, rue A.Dansaertstraat 161, Brussel/Bruxelles, 02-219.44.51, www.etablissementdenfaceprojects.org