A tower of bronze lawn chairs, a woman with herring in the sea or a tidal fountain: that's what the eighth edition of Beaufort has to offer.

From west to east, from the marshes on the French border to Haest: it takes more than a day to walk or cycle from artwork to artwork. Don't worry, the Beaufort sale runs until November 3rd. The search takes you not only to the beach, but to all kinds of lesser-known and undiscovered places along the coast and in remote areas.

There are 18 new artworks or art installations on display by local and foreign artists. All coastal municipalities, except Bredin, participate for financial reasons. 8 works remain permanently installed.

Amen Els Waits Beaufort calls it a “68-kilometre-long gallery.” In the eighth edition (“Eight Stormy Beauforts!”) I found a common thread in the “fabric of life,” the idea of ​​clear communication. “What are the memories, stories and myths that occur along the coast? Can we work with artists to look for places that are changing, to which they can add an extra layer with their authentic visual language?”

Over the past three years, Els Wuyts has worked extensively with artists and municipal authorities to get the right work in exactly the right place. A hidden nature reserve in Nieuwpoort or the wide beach of Zeebrugge. Figurative images or abstract constructions.

Everything feels different near the sea, where your senses are stimulated. “It's not just about looking, but also smelling and touching. You absorb the entire environment, along with the artworks. That's why we ask visitors: Take your time!”

The first trip along the route already yields some recurring themes: you get to sit on quite a few artworks and installations! In Blancenberg the French artist has Roman Wentzeem Three sofas are placed on the pier, in the lighthouse and in the garden. They have curly decorations reminiscent of the Blankenburg-era Belle Epoque, but they are also separate seats. You are sitting next to your neighbor, but looking in a different direction.

“Everything in Time” is a beautiful title for the Taiwanese's work Bai Hsuan Wang, who lives in Ghent. I placed two Oriental bronze statues next to a bench on a path raised from the sand dunes near the Zeepreventorium in De Haan. Let's look at the sea together.

At Newport's beautiful Koolhofput Nature Reserve, you can recline on a bronze bench composed of the handprints of hundreds of local residents. “At Rest” is a work by the Spanish American Silva Aparicio.

In de Pan has an artist Philippe Vervet In collaboration with architecture firm Fallow, an entire square near the abandoned St. Peter's Basilica has been redesigned. It will soon be converted into a library. “Old photographs show that the church was located in the middle of the sand dunes at that time. “The plaza is now being paved and the dune landscaping is back,” Vervet says.

He added seven blue lanterns and a polygonal stained-glass pavilion. You can go in and sit on the concrete benches. In the middle, the fountain flows in sync with the North Sea's ebb and flow: at low tide it is only a few centimeters high, and at high tide it reaches more than 4 metres.

“The work undergoes many changes: light, reflection, sun, or as it is now: fog. At low tide, the fountain will be a calm place, and at high tide it will be very intense. The square is located one kilometer from the beach, but Philippe Vervet sees The work is “an advertisement for the sea, so it is called “The Merry Sea.” I give the sea a stage.”

Vervaet feels some kinship with Paul Delvaux. “His paintings revolve between dream and reality. This is how I see my work. The moment between day and night, where everything changes, is a source of inspiration.

Then there is the tower of lawn chairs. What Beaufort talked about most was work, even before the course began. “Monobloc Moments” is set on a nondescript roundabout on the edge of the Wenduine. Some locals didn't like the work either. Sarah Bgarland, A Finnish artist who has lived in Amsterdam for years explains her purpose: “You see these types of garden chairs all over the world. Everyone has one. We associate them with holidays and free time, but such a plastic chair is also a symbol of outcast society.”

Bjarland made casts from a sustainable material: bronze. In contrast to perishable plastic. She stacked 47 chairs in a messy tower. “As if a wind had passed through it. I like to play with the idea of ​​entropy: that everything eventually reaches a state of chaos.”

Sarah Bjarland isn't too worried about negative reactions to her first major work in the public space: “I don't think about it too much and I don't take it personally. People can find it beautiful or ugly. They have every right to. Often, for “For art in public spaces, not everyone likes everything. I think it's important for artwork to ask questions and make people think about society. I tried to make something that's fun and a bit poetic. I hope some people will see that too.”

Another recurring theme at Beaufort 2024: women. The big thing that catches the eye is the “herring” by the countryman Johan KretenA huge bronze woman with a fish in her hands. At high tide, the North Sea washes Oostduinkerke's feet.

Ostend also has a special woman as a guest: the “mother” of the Dutch woman Femi Oten It is a white marble statue of a pregnant woman, balancing all kinds of body parts on one foot. It is located in a water area near Kursaal, not far from Ostend's other famous sculpture, “Fat Mattel” by Georges Jarrar.

On the King Albert Memorial in Newport, there are girls playing in iridescent green. They do a handstand or throw their arms in the air. Powered by Alexandra Birkin.

After eight cycles, Beaufort has become a permanent place on the Belgian coast, attracting many tourists. It is also nice that the artworks remain permanently after each Beaufort. The sculpture garden has now grown to about 50 pieces. Think of the bronze rig made by Steve Desmet on the breakwater in Ostend or the “side” rig made by Wim Delvoye in Ostend. There will be 8 more after this edition.

The outdoor exhibition is free to the public. It is the municipalities and the province of West Flanders that are (deeply) in their pockets for Beaufort. The city or municipality pays between 75,000 and 100,000 euros for a permanent work of art, an amount that is doubled by the province. Artists receive between 10,000 and 12,000 euros as a temporary loan. “It's a lot of money, but it's worth it,” says museum curator Els Wittes. “Sustainable materials, energy and transport are expensive, but we spend every cent of the euro. I hear from municipalities that the return is amazing.”

The return, of course, is the many tourists who go on an artistic trip to explore, and at the same time rent a bike, book a hotel, or go out to dinner. But Beaufort is much more than that. Els Wits: “I believe in the power of art, which can make a difference and change people’s lives.”

“Beaufort's DNA is so nice because it's so accessible in the here and now. If someone suddenly needs time at sunset to search for another fantasy, that's possible. There are no office hours, no lines. It's a way to be 'She's able to experience things and feel It up close. Who knows, it might be an incentive for people to visit other art projects. “Anyone who comes here to taste it can taste it.”