Akt #5

AKT V joins a group of creatives who dance to their own tune. Whilst documenting their individual journeys, this fifth issue of the magazine gathers the momentum of an intuitive, collective human spirit.

We pursue the pathways of pioneers such as composer Joep Beving, fashion designer Anna Heylen and chef Willem Hiele, who have boldly shaped their own niches in the cultural landscape. And encounter new generations of talent; Margot Verstuyft, Emiel Vercruysse and Thomas Haarmann, whose outputs vary from fashion to interiors, yet who share the ability to look inwards into the depths of their distinct personalities to find their way.

Trusting our intuition isn’t always easy. Sometimes it can oppose a pathway that seems more rational. Yet ultimately, intuition reveals our most authentic direction. As editor Jessy Van Durme reflects: “Trust the process, if it is yours to follow.”

Every creative act carries that tension; a push and pull between heart and mind that can also manifest itself physically – in the materials that designers Benoît Viaene and Delphine Cordie stress and hone, the psychological toil and philosophical revelations of artist Leonardo Anker Vandal, or the rhythmic compositions of Bram Vanderbeke’s sculptures.

Though individual, these journeys have a collective power in how they resonate and respond to our society today. Humanity, in the face of our increasingly complex and inhumane world, is the driving force of architect Nicolas Schuybroek’s calming and protective spaces. Humanity is what fuels the curiosity of artist Mark Manders’ sculptures and installations, and what Babs Decruyenaere seeks to deeply reconnect with through her transient land art, explored within a specially commissioned insert.

The final pages reveal an intimate soundtrack crowdsourced from our contributors, so join us on the dance floor – perhaps their rhythms are your rhythms, or maybe this issue will inspire you to discover your own.

About Akt:

AKT is an independent magazine about Belgian culture.

Though the magazine is a periodical, it aspires to be timeless. Each volume captures the people, design and essence of 21st century Belgium through stories that are worthy of continued and repeated reflection. Photography guides readers into the world of AKT. The minimal style draws focus to the depths of materiality and dimensions of colour. It asks readers to pause longer and look closer. Each frame is studied and deliberate – captured, it seems, with the patience of a painter who works slowly on his masterpiece for months.

Combining photography, with words and graphic design, AKT reaches an authentic and ‘site-specific’ aesthetic that draws off the flat, rolling landscape and northern European climate of Belgium itself. It is an aesthetic that is hedonistic and atmospheric in its ability to reach all of the senses and transport the reader.

AKT stands for “A kind tribute”, which expresses the approach of the founders. Belgian natives Jessy Van Durme and Piet-Albert Goethals founded the magazine in 2019 on their attuned sensibilities of curiosity, appreciation, and enlightenment.