Cosas de la vida: A resonant exploration of humanity at The Marnix Gallery
Philip Aguirre y Otegui – Cosas de la vida | The Marnix Gallery, ING Belgium | until 29 May 2026
Brussels - ING Belgium is pleased to present Cosas de la vida, a temporary exhibition at The Marnix Gallery featuring the work of Belgian‑Basque artist Philip Aguirre y Otegui. Through stylised human figures, textile works, assemblages, and drawings, Aguirre reflects on the human condition - resilience, vulnerability, and the poetry of daily life. His works echo universal scenes and emotions drawn from both his close surroundings and his deep connection with West Africa.
“I try to capture the beauty of the imperfect - the fragile moments and gestures that tell us who we are,” says Philip Aguirre y Otegui. “My work is a reminder that we carry the world within us, wherever we go.”
The exhibition is curated by Kathleen Weyts, editor in chief of Glean magazine and aligns with the mission of The Marnix Gallery - ING Belgium’s public art space - to make art accessible to all through reflection, dialogue, and shared experience.
“With The Marnix Gallery, we want to offer an open space where people can engage with art in a meaningful way,” says Anne Petre, Head Curator ING Collection Belgium. “Aguirre’s exhibition embodies that ambition perfectly.”
Cosas de la vida invites visitors to wander through a landscape of sculptures and images that explore humanity’s hopes, struggles, and connections - a narrative both deeply personal and universally recognisable.
Cosas de la vida, on view from until 29 May 2026, can be visited at The Marnix Gallery, which is generally open from Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00.
Group visits are possible by prior reservation via the art team’s email address and are subject to availability, as well as to any events already scheduled in the building. Please note that on exceptional occasions, the gallery may be reserved and therefore temporarily closed to visitors.
ING Belgium will announce upcoming exhibitions at The Marnix Gallery at a later stage.
About Philip Aguirre y Otegui’s ‘Cosas de la vida’
Philip Aguirre y Otegui’s Cosas de la vida reflects on the human condition through stylised figures, textiles, assemblages and drawings. His work echoes scenes from everyday life and from places he observes, such as a West African beach where moments of hope, fragility and resilience coexist. Even in decay, he finds beauty and renewal, revealing how what seems lost can be restored.
His figures appear solitary yet contain entire worlds, inviting viewers to reflect on what it means to be human today: how we live, relate, remember and care for one another. Working with wood, metal, plaster, clay and found materials, Aguirre constructs stories rooted in life itself, offering an oeuvre that speaks of resilience, hope, beauty and poetry.
Since the opening, ING has been particularly pleased to learn that Philip Aguirre y Otegui has been selected as a participating artist in the central exhibition of this year’s Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh. This recognition further underlines the relevance and international resonance of his work.
About The Marnix Gallery
After more than 30 years at Place Royale, the ING Art Centre has been reimagined and is now integrated into the bank’s headquarters, bringing the ING collection and its exhibition programme back together in one place. Located at street level and open to anyone entering the building, The Marnix Gallery reflects ING’s longstanding commitment to art and creativity, and its desire to make culture more widely accessible.
The Marnix Gallery gives concrete expression to ING Belgium’s vision of an open and welcoming art space - a place where people come together to experience art through reflection, relaxation, and the exchange of ideas. This vision is captured in the concept “Open Space, Open Mind,” which embodies the essence of ING Belgium’s artistic philosophy.
For further information:
Gianni De Muynck
About ING
ING Belgium is a universal bank that provides financial services for private individuals, businesses and institutional customers. ING Belgium S.A./N.V. is a subsidiary of ING Group N.V. via ING Bank N.V. (www.ing.com).
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