When you think of commissioned art, you tend to picture a painting or sculpture that brightens up a building, usually accompanied by a nameplate. Not all artists see it that way. Some prefer not to have their name displayed, or believe that the line between architecture and a work of art cannot be drawn. Valérie Mannaerts and Richard Venlet talk about their commissioned work.

As I speak with artist Valérie Mannaerts (1974, Brussels) at Café Victor in Bozar about the curtains she designed for the venue, a woman shyly asks if they are for sale anywhere. Mannaerts kindly explains that the work was conceived specifically for this location. Not long before, a friend had asked me exactly the same question. When I told Mannaerts this, she wasn’t surprised. She understood, because she herself doesn’t want the work to stand out explicitly as ‘art’.