Situated in Antwerp’s historical centre, valerie_traan is a vivid meeting point between art, architecture, and daily objects. Since its inception, the gallery has continued to push boundaries by commissioning exhibitions from a wide variety of artistic voices who share an appreciation for strong, empathic content and the simple pleasures of imperfection. Artists who abandon comfort zones in order to question, reconstruct, and find beauty in everyday things. 

The question whether or not it is art, design, or architecture is irrelevant. This attitude is even reflected in the physical framework of the gallery — located in an extension of her home, gallery director Veerle Wenes makes private rooms part of an ever-evolving space. 

“I opened the gallery to meet people, to create things, new concepts, new exhibitions, new encounters, so in a way it was to create a new way of life." – Veerle Wenes.

In 2023, Veerle Wenes opened valerie_troost gallery in Oostende, Belgium, an appendix to valerie_traan gallery. At both galleries she examines the tension between aesthetics and the stories, interactions, and frictions that shape society. valerie_troost gallery pays special attention to the relation between artwork and the spatial context in which it is displayed — the architecture, people and things it shares the space with — producing an infectious tension between concept and material, the concrete presence of a work and the way it stimulates the imagination by generating possible meanings.

valerie_traan gallery is a member of Antwerp Art, connecting the contemporary art scene in Antwerp. 

The latest in the series of valeries. A gallery, a design brand and now, a colour range. Veerle Wenes went in search of ordinary things in her daily life and surroundings to create My Everyday, a palette of 13 colours. 

Everyday life is a source of inspiration when gallerist Veerle Wenes devises projects and exhibitions — when she selects artists and their art for valerie_traan gallery, and design objects and furniture for valerie_objects.