In 2018, Florian Araïb made a bold decision. Instead of working for someone else’s enterprise to get a few years of experience under his belt, he took the plunge and opened his own gallery in Brussels: Galerie Sept. Starting from scratch, Araïb’s primary motivation was a passion for art itself, and today the gallery is founded on tenets of a deep community ties and carefully cultivated relationships with artists.

Breaking out on one’s own always carries risk, but for Araïb that risk has paid off, evidenced by the gallery’s latest development. Galerie Sept has now opened a second location, this time in the Belgian seaside town of Knokke.

In light of this new development, we reached out to Araïb to learn why he chose Knokke for the gallery’s expansion, and how the program might evolve in this new space.

Installation view of “Juliette Clovis: Living Surface,” Knokke (2026). Courtesy of Galerie Sept.

Since you last spoke with Artnet News just over a year ago, you have announced a new gallery space in Knokke on the Belgian coast. Can you tell us a bit about the motivation behind taking on this new space?

The decision to expand to Knokke was both organic and strategic. Over the past years, we developed a strong and loyal collector base along the Belgian coast; it became clear that a more permanent presence was needed.

Knokke operates within a very particular rhythm—a place where collectors spend time, return to regularly, and engage with differently, with more attention and continuity. This creates the conditions for a deeper dialogue, which aligns closely with how we build long-term relationships with both artists and collectors.

At the same time, Knokke functions as a unique meeting point within Europe as collectors from Germany, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the Netherlands converge there, often across generations. It’s almost village-like scale creates proximity, while its reputation situates it within a broader international context of collecting.

This new space, larger in scale, allows Sept to extend its curatorial language, enabling more ambitious presentations and a stronger articulation of the artists’ practices in space.

Installation view of “Juliette Clovis: Living Surface,” Knokke (2026). Courtesy of Galerie Sept.

What went into choosing a location and space? What was most important to you in the decision-making process as it relates to how you present your artists?

What mattered most was to create a space in which the works could fully unfold, both physically and conceptually.

The architecture remains restrained yet present, not imposing, but supportive of a wide range of practices—from minimal abstraction to materially complex and sculptural work. The five-meter-high ceiling introduces a new relationship to scale, particularly for more monumental works.

Light plays a fundamental role. Many of the artists engage with surface, texture, and subtle chromatic shifts, making natural light an active component of the work’s perception.

The gallery unfolds across two levels: the ground floor opening in May, followed by a lower level dedicated to more focused, often more conceptual presentations. A second phase will open later this year, allowing the space to evolve progressively.

Parallel to the spatial development of the gallery, Sept is initiating a collaboration with Sculpt Studio, an experimental botanical design studio based in Amsterdam and Brussels.

Her work investigates the relationship between nature and human construction, creating large-scale installations that exist between organic growth and spatial intervention.

Within the exhibitions, these elements are not decorative, they function as a living extension of the curatorial framework, introducing temporality, transformation, and a different rhythm into the experience of the work.

Installation view of “Juliette Clovis: Living Surface,” Knokke (2026). Courtesy of Galerie Sept.

How will the programming for this new space continue or depart from the Galerie Sept program thus far?

The program in Knokke continues the core vision of Sept, a sustained dialogue between abstraction and figuration, between material and gesture. At the same time, the space allows for an expansion—exhibitions become more immersive, more spatially constructed, more precise in their internal dialogues.

Its location on the Kustlaan introduces a direct and continuous interaction with the audience. The gallery is conceived as both open and structured, capable of offering intimacy while remaining accessible.

This duality reflects an essential aspect of Sept, creating entry points for new collectors, while maintaining a strong curatorial rigor.

Installation view of “Sebastiaan Knot: Projection Reflection,” Brussels (2026). Courtesy of Galerie Sept.

Can you give us some insight into the forthcoming solo exhibitions and the type of work that will be going on view?

The upcoming program is structured around a series of focused solo exhibitions, each conceived as a complete environment.

These presentations bring together practices operating through different temporalities—some rooted in repetition and slow transformation, others in immediacy and material intensity. What connects them is a strong sense of presence, and a shared attention to how works exist in space.

In Knokke, “Juliette Clovis: Living Surface” approaches ceramic as a system in transformation. Her works are composed of hundreds of individual porcelain elements, assembled into flexible structures that oscillate between surface and architecture. The pieces resist the traditional fixity of ceramic, instead introducing movement, tension, and a form of organic growth. The surface becomes active, almost skin-like, unfolding over time and inviting a sustained, physical engagement from the viewer.

In Brussels, “Projection Reflection” by Sebastiaan Knot explores light as both subject and material. Beginning with photographic constructions of color and wavelength, the work evolves into sculptural objects through processes of printing, bending, and assembling. These objects exist between image and structure, absorbing, transmitting, and reflecting light. Their perception is never fixed, but continuously shifts depending on position, environment, and the presence of the viewer.

What went into choosing which artists to showcase at this specific moment for the gallery? How do these artists reflect your vision for the gallery?

The selection of artists is grounded in continuity and dialogue.

Sept works with artists over time, following the development of their practice rather than responding to momentary visibility. What connects them is not a shared aesthetic, but a shared intensity, a commitment to building a language that is both personal and rigorous.

This new space allows these practices to be experienced differently—scale, spatial construction, and proximity shift perception, offering both new and existing audiences a renewed encounter.

The program remains focused on strengthening core artists, while introducing new voices that expand its trajectory, particularly through a growing attention to sculptural and material practices.

Installation view of “Sebastiaan Knot: Projection Reflection,” Brussels (2026). Courtesy of Galerie Sept.

A lot has changed in the art market over the past year, have there been any trends or changes you’ve observed either from the perspective of the gallery itself or more broadly that you find particularly exciting or intriguing?

Over the past year, there has been a shift toward more deliberate and informed collecting, decisions are less immediate, but more considered.

There is also a growing attention toward artists with clearly articulated practices, where consistency and depth become central.

For galleries, this reinforces the importance of context—it is no longer only about presenting works, but about constructing a framework through which they can be understood.

At the same time, digital platforms continue to expand how audiences engage with art, broadening both access and the profile of collectors.

Within a complex global context, art seems to take on a different role, less as an object of speculation, more as something that anchors attention and offers continuity.

Learn more about Galerie Sept here.