what is akimbo
Akimbo is an online magazine and platform aiming to bring together Art, Books, and Culture.
We are a small group of passionate readers, writers, critics, practitioners and artists based in Brussels who wanted to create a humble, open space for young creatives to meet and exchange ideas. In the spirit of Virginia Woolf, we searched for a room of one’s own after the working hours. Pub talks, text chains, coffee breaks and unhinged dinner parties craved for a common place.. Akimbo makes it possible to gather and publish texts and projects, making words and voices matter. We focus on contemporary complexities, riveting essays, aesthetic inspirations, the internal turmoil of 20-year-olds and other stories waiting to be told.
Akimbo is more than just an online publishing platform, it’s a vibrant community where Art is theft, Art is armed robbery, Art is not pleasing your mother. (Janet Malcolm)
our mission
Topics are always approached from various disciplines within the arts and cultural studies, and placed in both historical and contemporary perspectives.Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of your mind. So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and who cares whether it matters for ages or only for hours. (Virginia Woolf)
We are committed to opening up conversations on literature, contemporary art and popular culture, which should remain accessible to everybody regardless of their education and background.
Long live the unapologetic embrace of bad taste, grey zones, works in progress, web-weaving, and doodling.
Come in and take a seat.
team
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editor-in-chief
An-Katrien Callebaut (°2000) completed her master's degree in Art History at KU Leuven. She writes for art magazine Metropolis M, but remains open to new challenges (hit me up *wink*). Her love for 'storytelling', both in words and images, brought her to the art world. In 2024, she challenged herself with creative writing at Central Saint Martins, London. Additional interests include hosting dinner parties, discovering new coffee shops and discussing the current sociopolitics with a glass of red wine.
editor-in-chief
Eleonoor Kenis (°2000, Brisbane) is a writer and curatorial assistant based in Brussels, unwillingly asking herself if art can bear social change. She completed her Master's in Art History at KU Leuven. Her writings and projects focus on forms of urban heritage, grassroots initiatives within the cultural field, performance studies and the intersection of art and politics.
Xanthe Op de Beeck (° 2000, ☉Libra ☽ Aries ↑ Libra) lives in Brussels and graduated as art historian from KU Leuven in 2023. Her fields of interest concerning art and art history are widely spread across various disciplines and media involving Textile arts, Fashion studies, Dance- and Performance arts and Feminist art history.
Emma Vranken (° 2000) graduated as an art historian (2022) at KU Leuven and as journalist (2023) at the VUB. She currently lives in Schaerbeek with two housemates and a cute kitty. She loves literature, theatre, pop culture and is also interested in astrology. She herself is a Pisces sun with a feisty Leo rising.
Machteld Mercelis (°2000) is a visual artist based in Brussels. Graduated as an art historian, she went from theory to practice and is currently doing a bachelor in visual arts at LUCA School of Arts. In her practice she tries to connect craftmanship, materiality, the origins of resources, and how history can provide a looking glass for the present.
wildverband
Leonie Overmeire (°2001) is doing her master in Architecture at KU Leuven (Sint-Lucas Ghent) . She finds inspiration in feminist literature, the scenography of the street and the temporality of the club-scene. While building, she is looking for ever-changing spaces that take on a layer of meaning when people come together. You can find her either in the wood-workshop, a coffee bar or nowadays behind a DJ-booth. Together with Anouk, she is part of the modular and temporary collaboration “wildverband”.
wildverband
Anouk Meurice (°2000) is a Master in Architecture who is currently exploring the boundaries of the field by studying furniture design. Her conceptual thinking results in recognisable archetypes that seek the tension between playfulness and vulnerability. Interests that keep her occupied are photography, scenography, abundant baking and endless daydreaming. Together with Leonie she is part of the modular and temporary collaboration Wildverband.
wildverband
Wildverband is a modular and temporary collaboration between Leonie Overmeire and Anouk Meurice. Within this context, they explore the boundaries of architecture. The interplay arises from intuitive absurdities that they translate into spatial compositions. Their hunger for making is rooted in phenomenology and poetic thinking. Wildverband grew out of a love of brick and an aversion to regularity. Despite their background in architecture, they draw a lot of inspiration from performance and scenography.