De Unie Hasselt-Genk
John Hill
23. July 2014
Felice Varini – Trois ellipses ouvertes en désordre, Radisson Blu Hotel – Hasselt
De Unie Hasselt-Genk is billed as "a new and suprising art project" that, starting June 21, links the Belgian Limburg cities of Hasselt and Genk.
The project consists of a dozen national and international artists "translat[ing] the unique urban environment, the specific landscape and the strong cultural history of the two characteristic Belgian Limburg center cities of Hasselt and Genk into new and (semi-) permanent works of art, set in special locations within the open space." The most high-profile commission is Felice Varini's contribution, shown above. Like other Varini artworks, otherwise jumbled geometrical patterns cohere in one location; in the case of "Trois ellipses ouvertes en désordre" the three ellipses painted on the roofs and walls of buildings in Hasselt are visible from the Sky Lounge of the Radisson Blu Hotel.
A few of the other De Unie Hasselt-Genk contributions – architectural in nature – are highlighted below.