After months of declining ticket sales due to major road roadworks along the canal, Brussels art museum MIMA is closing its doors for good on Sunday 5 January.
The Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA), the establishment is being forced to close its doors after almost 10 years of exhibitions in the Brussels municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean.
Issues for the museum arose after the the Quai du Hainaut, where it is located, was closed off to traffic in July due to a risk of the road collapsing into the water.
This proved to be a fatal blow for MIMA which depends on ticket sales. It was unable to cope when attendance dropped by between 50% and 75% as a result of the road work
Goodbye events
In its final week, the museum is hosting various events for its final days. The museum is running the 'Endless Goodbye series of events, with its Multitude exhibition open to the public along with DJ sets and pizza parties.
There will also be an opportunity to purchase souvenirs at stock clearance sales on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 January between 11:00 and 19:00. All prices are reduced by 50%.
On both days, MIMA co-founder and curator Raphaël Cruyt will provide guided tours around the museum at 11:30. The price of the visit is included in the museum pass. The closing ceremony will take place at 19:00 on Sunday evening.
Credit: MIMA
'Did not expect it'
MIMA opened in 2016 and has welcomed over 400,000 visitors since then. Just like its closure, its opening on 22 March occurred in extraordinary circumstances: it clashed with the Brussels terror attacks that killed 32 people and injured hundreds more. The museum changed its programme to reflect the emotional atmosphere at the time.
After staging 19 exhibitions that incorporate Molenbeek locals, police forces and numerous other groups from around the city, MIMA's founders have expressed profound disappointment about its untimely closure.
"This is a brutal end to ten years of hard work," Cruyt told The Brussels Times. "We were breaking attendance records and did not expect to end up in this situation."
The closure of the Quai du Hainaut has prevented foot pedestrians from reaching the museum, and given that 50% of MIMA's income comes from ticketing this has had a negative financial impact.
In addition, the museum is unable to hold private events without access to parking nearby.
A reopening is unlikely given the slow progress of roadworks. "I have no vision for the future, none at all," said Cruyt. "The current situation has no end in sight and there are certain conclusions you can draw from that."
