Interview with Françoise, Founder of This Is Not Belgium
Making contemporary Belgian art more accessible, more visible and easier to buy.
Q1. How would you describe This Is Not Belgium today?
This Is Not Belgium is a platform entirely dedicated to the discovery and sale of contemporary Belgian art.
The project was created from a strong belief:
Belgium has an incredibly rich creative scene, with artists producing bold, sensitive and distinctive work that deserves greater visibility.
Today, This Is Not Belgium is evolving into a more focused and refined experience designed to make discovering — and buying — contemporary art feel more natural, more accessible and more reassuring.
The ambition is not simply to present artworks online.
It is to create a coherent environment where collectors can discover carefully selected Belgian artists through a clearer, more intuitive and more emotional experience.
I believe contemporary art should feel inspiring rather than intimidating.
That is exactly what This Is Not Belgium aims to create.
Q2. How did the idea originally come about?
The project came from something very personal.
After years working in the corporate world, I felt the need to reconnect with something more human, emotional and creative in my daily life. I wanted to build something that would leave space for imagination, intuition and emotion — something deeply Belgian in spirit.
At the same time, I spent years surrounded by creators, artisans and artists. I was always struck by the passion behind what they create, the quality of their work and the level of commitment they bring to it.
This Is Not Belgium was born from those two realities: a desire to reconnect with meaning and a deep admiration for Belgian contemporary creation.
Over time, as the project evolved, I also became increasingly aware of the gap between people loving contemporary art and actually deciding to buy it.
Many people are emotionally drawn to art, but still hesitate when it comes to purchasing.
Not because they do not like the work, but because the art world can sometimes feel intimidating, unclear or difficult to approach.
Understanding that hesitation became central to the evolution of This Is Not Belgium.
Q3. What is changing with the new version of This Is Not Belgium?
The entire experience has been redesigned around clarity, accessibility and confidence.
The new website allows visitors to discover artworks through a much more intuitive approach: by style, budget, dimensions, colour, orientation or visual category.
We also introduced tools allowing collectors to visualise artworks directly inside their own interior before purchasing.
That changes the buying experience significantly. Reducing uncertainty is essential when buying art online.
People no longer need to imagine whether an artwork will fit their space — they can immediately project themselves living with it.
We also wanted the overall experience to feel more reassuring and transparent through:
• a curated selection of Belgian contemporary artists;
• transparent pricing;
• secure delivery within Belgium;
• certificates of authenticity;
• and a stronger overall artistic coherence.
The objective is simple: making contemporary art feel more approachable and easier to buy online, without ever compromising artistic quality.
Q4. Why is curation and selection so important to you?
Because curation creates trust.
One of the challenges with many online art marketplaces is that the experience can quickly become overwhelming: too many artworks, too many styles, too little coherence.
When everything is presented equally, people often struggle to make a decision.
This Is Not Belgium takes a different approach.
The selection is carefully curated in order to create a strong artistic identity and a more coherent, reassuring environment for collectors and buyers.
Curation is not about making art uniform.
It is about creating clarity, quality and confidence around the buying experience.
Q5. Who is This Is Not Belgium designed for?
The project is designed for people who feel emotionally connected to contemporary art and want to integrate it more naturally into their daily lives.
Some are experienced collectors. Others are considering buying an original artwork for the first time.
What they often share is the desire for a clearer, more intuitive and more transparent experience.
This Is Not Belgium is aimed at people who are sensitive to aesthetics, interiors, design and contemporary creation, and who appreciate discovering artworks in a more accessible digital environment.
We also enjoy collaborating with businesses, interior architects, hotels, restaurants and professional spaces looking to integrate Belgian contemporary art into their environments.
Q6. What has been the biggest challenge so far?
The biggest challenge is building a digital environment where contemporary art can remain both emotionally engaging and genuinely accessible.
Today, people discover art differently.
They browse online, compare, save images, project artworks into their interiors and expect a seamless digital experience.
At the same time, buying art still remains a very emotional decision.
It requires confidence, coherence and trust.
One of the key challenges is therefore finding the right balance between artistic curation and accessibility — making contemporary Belgian art feel approachable without ever simplifying or diluting the artistic quality behind it.
Another important challenge is visibility.
There is an incredible level of creativity within the Belgian contemporary art scene, but helping that work reach a wider audience — including internationally — requires continuous work on visibility, presentation, technology and communication.
That is also what This Is Not Belgium is trying to contribute to.
Q7. Do you feel the online art market is really evolving?
Absolutely.
Online art sales have been growing steadily for years, particularly for contemporary works at accessible price points.
What is interesting today is that people are increasingly comfortable discovering artists digitally. The relationship to art is becoming more fluid, more immediate and less intimidating than before.
I also see this evolution directly through the platform.
At the beginning, most interest naturally came from Belgium.
Today, we increasingly see visitors, enquiries and interest coming from across Europe — and more recently from the United States as well.
It confirms something I strongly believe:
contemporary Belgian art has a real identity and resonates far beyond Belgium itself.
The challenge today is not creating interest.
It is creating the right environment around that interest — one that feels curated, trustworthy and accessible.
Q8. What is your ambition for the future of This Is Not Belgium?
To continue building a strong and coherent reference platform for contemporary Belgian art.
Not by becoming bigger at any cost, but by becoming more useful, more curated and more meaningful for both artists and buyers.
I want This Is Not Belgium to become a place where discovering Belgian contemporary art feels inspiring, accessible and reassuring — a platform that creates meaningful and lasting connections between Belgian artists and collectors.
I would also love for This Is Not Belgium to become one of the first places people naturally think of when looking for a meaningful artwork — whether for themselves, for their interior or as a gift for someone else.
Art has a unique ability to create emotion, transform a space and remain part of someone’s life for years. There are few gifts more personal and lasting than an artwork that truly resonates with the person receiving it.
I want This Is Not Belgium to become part of that relationship between art, emotion, interiors and everyday life.
