In January and February 2026, the art galleries Hopstreet Gallery Brussels and In-dependence by Ibasho from Antwerp will exchange gallery spaces. The gallery space in Antwerp is located at Waalsekaai 59 in between the FOMU (Foto Museum) and Nieuw Zuid.

The concept of the exhibition An eye on polaroids is based on a selection of Polaroid photographs from the Antwerp private collection Double D Collection. The couple’s art collection focuses on self-portraits by artists with an affinity for photography and painting.

The collectors have been passionate about art since their youth. When choosing their studies, both initially considered art history, but ultimately opted for scientific studies. Nevertheless, their passion for art never faded. Their relentless collecting frenzy led them into a carousel of all its possible facets. Flea markets, auctions and, finally, frequent visits to galleries became part of their leisure time. They often develop friendships with gallery owners through one or more artists. In 2015, at Art Brussels they discovered Hopstreet Gallery and the work of German artist Thorsten Brinkmann, whose oeuvre is marked by great versatility.

Following The great cape Rinderhorn, Thorsten Brinkmann’s solo exhibition at BE-Part Waregem (2016), they added their first work by Brinkmann to their collection. Their passion continued to grow, and the adventure into which Thorsten and Hopstreet Gallery drew them became boundless, extending even to an intervention in their living room.

In 2017, Brinkmann created a series of large-format Polaroids based on his 2009 video Se King, of which they acquired several works. This became an ideal starting point for a new initiative in which Hopstreet Gallery enters into direct dialogue with their Polaroid collection, including works by Roger Ballen, Julie Cockburn, Vincent Delbrouck, Lara Gasparotto, Daido Moriyama, Marie Tomanova, as well as Polaroids by anonymous photographers. These Polaroids initiated a dialogue with works by artists represented by Hopstreet Gallery, such as Thorsten Brinkmann, Julie Cockburn, Sara Imloul, Noé Sendas, Berend Strik, and Susanne Wellm.

Several artists created new work specifically for this exhibition, using carefully considered and sometimes highly surprising presentation methods. Polaroids were embroidered and drawn upon; alongside the familiar small Polaroid format of 10.8 × 8.5 cm, large-format Polaroid prints and even stitched Polaroid prints are on view.