About

Géopolis is a centre for photojournalism and education, created in 2017 by a small team of geopolitics enthusiasts. By combining photographic exhibitions, events and radio programmes, it aims to question current affairs. Based at the Ateliers des Tanneurs in a unique venue, the centre offers a new exhibition cycle every two months, dedicated to themes from current affairs or history. These exhibitions showcase the work of leading photojournalists as well as young talents.

In addition to exhibitions, the centre has developed a rich programme of events to decode current affairs, as well as a whole range of educational activities for the general public, and especially young people (including radio workshops).

Géopolis also offers a series of touring exhibitions and online educational platforms (see the Digital Exhibitions tab). Exhibitions are also enriched with archive images thanks to a partnership with Sonuma-RTBF. The centre also maintains long-term partnerships, notably with Cosmopolis, the international centre of the city of Nantes, with which many projects are organised jointly.

Since 2020, these activities have been complemented by a radio dimension, with Géopolis being tasked with launching the Brussels branch of the local/European media outlet Euradio. As part of this project, we invested in a second venue: L’Ascenseur, which houses the editorial team as well as a café-concert open on Thursdays and Fridays.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, and given the experience of Géopolis’ founders, who know the country well, the centre has also launched a series of educational activities on Ukraine, delivered in 2022 to more than 5,000 people.

© Quentin Bruno

The origin of the project

In the face of major geopolitical and climate upheavals, the explosion of inequalities worldwide, the rise of populism and Euroscepticism, and the flood of information sweeping the world, the major issues of our time must—today more than ever—be explained with perspective and with the time needed for analysis.

In 2017, it was in response to this observation that, modestly, Ulrich Huygevelde and Thomas Kox, joined a few months later by Nadine Vermeulen, launched the project of a Brussels-based centre bringing together several media (photographic exhibitions, educational exhibitions, talks and debates, radio) to make it a resource centre on current affairs.

Thanks to the support of various institutions and a great deal of goodwill, this project was able to take off quickly and continues to grow today, notably through a fruitful partnership with Euradio radio.

Géopolis highlights