SHIFTING SCALES

Jun 9

All Rise: The Women Have Taken the Court

It is a bold statement of the women artist collective ZIJspoor to take over an entire courthouse, and ZIJspoor makes it a powerful one. In Shifting Scales, 46 female artists take back their space in a world that too often overlooks them. By occupying the Old Courthouse of Antwerp - historically built to judge rather than to listen - the message could not be more clear. Justice, in art as in society, needs rebalancing and they’re not waiting for permission to do it.

The opening days of Shifting Scales during Antwerp Art Weekend 2025 were nothing less than a triumph. Curated by artists and ZIJspoor founders Elise Willems and Demi Cocquyt, the exhibition champions autonomy, self-determination and experimentation. Free from commercial or institutional influence, the show offers a platform where artists can create on their own terms. The result is a mix of installations, sculptures, paintings, performances, and interdisciplinary works that challenge hierarchies and reshape the narrative from within. Shifting Scales is not just a title — it’s a call to action.

The courthouse itself plays an integral role, not just as a venue but as a conceptual partner in the show. With its crumbling walls and long legacy of judgment, it sets the tone for a deeper reckoning. Justice is reimagined through a feminist lens, questioning not only the visibility of women in art, but the deeper systemic biases that remain entrenched. Elise Willems' The Last Judgement, a striking triptych featuring a central mirror, captures this perfectly — casting each viewer as both witness and judge, as the building itself awaits its final fate.

ZIJspoor operates like its name suggests — a side track, an intentional detour from the mainstream. As a collective, it operates outside the traditional art world structures and resists the order of galleries and the limitations of market-driven art. Instead, it builds momentum through mutual support, vulnerability, and a shared refusal to play by outdated rules. There are no gatekeepers here — only open space, created and held by the artists themselves.

In the end, Shifting Scales is more than an exhibition — it’s a moment of reclamation. It’s about asking who gets to define value, beauty, and truth. It’s a call to continue the conversation — about justice, gender, and the role of art in shaping a more equitable future. The scales are beginning to shift. As artist Nina Vandeweghe put it, “Let’s eat some f*cking cake.” They did ate the cake and left no crumbs.

Participating artists:
Amber Andrews, Aurélie Bayad, Sigurros Gudbjorg Bjornsdottir, Justine Cappelle, Kelly Christogiannis, Ines Claus, Demi Cocquyt, Ilke Cop, Fleur De Roeck, Ellen Dhondt, Charlotte Dumortier, Deveny Faruque, Liesbeth Feys, Susanna Ingignoli, Victoria Iranzo, Noortje Lenaerts, Lize Maekelberg, Nel Maertens, Ileana Moro, Elvira Mulkay, Alice Nataf, Juliane Noll, Victoria Palacios, Eleni Papadopoulou, Ellen Pil, Aurélie Salavert, Delphine Somers, Anastasiia Stefaniuk, Sarah Stone, Charlotte Stuby, Nele Tas, Eva Van Bemmelen, Nina Van Denbempt, Manu Van Guijze, Lynn Van Hoydonck, Alice Vanderschoot, Nina Vandeweghe, Charlot Van Geert, Marlies Vander Straeten, Cootje Veelenturf, Hazel Ver Moesen, Soetkin Verslype, Celina Vleugels, Elise Willems.