Herkenrode Abbey’s tranquil landscape near Hasselt now hosts a ghostly revival, thanks to Gijs Van Vaerenbergh‘s compelling artwork CLAUSURA. Commissioned by the Flemish heritage organization Herita, this installation reimagines the once-vibrant heart of the abbey through a shimmering steel framework. This ambitious project doesn’t reconstruct the abbey’s lost cloister literally; instead, it traces its outline with thin steel tubes, creating an architectural mirage that wavers between presence and absence as you change your perspective.
Once among the wealthiest Cistercian abbeys in the Low Countries, Herkenrode was founded in the late 12th century and evolved into an expansive monastic complex. Its gardens, galleries, and Gothic church were central to the site’s life. Time, however, has not been kind. Fires, decay, and demolition have left only a few fragments of the abbey standing today.
Spatial poetry through steel
Enter Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, whose Belgian artistic practice instills a sense of poise and imagination. With CLAUSURA, they restore the ensemble using rhythmic, skeletal lines that invite multiple interpretations. As you traverse the grounds, the installation’s outlines leap between startling clarity and ethereal abstraction. Steel frames revive elements like vaults and towers, while also stabilizing existing remnants such as the sisters’ quarters and infirmary, preserving the masonry along with a layer of contemporary creativity.
Memory and perception in steel lines
This thoughtful intervention continues the studio’s exploration of architecture’s perceptual dimensions. Known for projects like Reading Between the Lines and Labyrint, Gijs Van Vaerenbergh often defies architectural norms, treating structures as atmospheric sketches that challenge our sense of solidity and permanence. At Herkenrode, absence transforms into a tangible experience. By moving through these ephemeral spaces, you engage in a silent dialogue with both the past and the potential future. The first phase of CLAUSURA is slated to open on June 18th, 2026—promising a new relationship with the historical and the imagined.
Fictional ruins and architectural memory
Coinciding with the project, Fictional Ruins is a publication and exhibition exploring the studio’s two decades of innovative work. Capturing themes of reconstruction and memory, it features projects such as The Upside Dome and Inverse Ruin. Opening at BAC Art Lab in Leuven, the exhibition combines scale models, film, and fragments to delve into how the art duo situates absence within their creative framework.
Each project, a study in fragmentation and abstraction, reconstructs cultural narratives—anchoring them in today’s imagination and memory. Gijs Van Vaerenbergh demonstrates how ruins, through deliberate incompleteness, are rebuilt in our minds, suggesting a dance between loss and creative perpetuity.
Project info:
Name: CLAUSURA
Designers: Gijs Van Vaerenbergh | @gijsvanvaerenbergh
Location: Herkenrode Abbey, Hasselt, Belgium
Client: Herita
Opening first phase: June 18th, 2026
Explore how architects reframe past and present in Markus Brunetti’s venerating European ecclesiastical landmarks through photography.
Sources & Links
Source: designboom.com