Needs of the Soul

An exhibition organized by Dorotheum at its Brussels offices
Curator: Kathleen Weyts

Exhibition Rendez-vous: 10 – 13 September 2026 
By appointment: 10 June – 13 September 2026

“To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul. It is also one of the most difficult to define. A human being has roots through his real, active, and natural participation in the life of a community that preserves certain treasures of the past and certain expectations for the future… Every human being needs multiple roots. It is necessary to draw almost the whole of one’s moral, intellectual, and spiritual life from the environment to which one naturally belongs.”

— Simone Weil

“What needs of the soul correspond to the body’s needs for food, sleep, and warmth?” In response to the questions posed by the philosopher Simone Weil (1909–1943), the exhibition organized by Dorotheum Brussels and curated by Kathleen Weyts brings together fifteen works by fifteen artists from different generations and backgrounds. The works engage in a dialogue around the “vital needs of the soul” as defined by Weil. By connecting the power of words with that of images, Needs of the Soul invites visitors to reflect upon and engage with the world around them, offering a renewed perspective on the conditions of existence in a changing environment.

In times marked by violence, fear, and distress, how do we cope? How do we respond to the challenges before us? Faced with a relentless flow of information from every direction, it may seem impossible to make sense of it all. Confronted with current events, we may feel powerless—yet we must remember that we can still act within the situations we encounter.

Simone Weil reminded her students of a simple truth: “If one prevents oneself from thinking about all this, one becomes complicit in what is happening… One must take one’s place within this system of things and act.” Weil insisted that philosophy is neither theory nor discourse, but practice. So it is with life. So it is with art.

The era in which Weil developed her thought bears many similarities to our own. What can we do? While the needs of the body—protection, shelter, clothing, heating, hygiene, and care—must take precedence, we must also recognize the privilege from which we operate and the responsibility that comes with it. We can cultivate introspection, openness, curiosity, and resilience. We can imagine alternatives, create new images, and generate new ways of thinking. We can think. We can act.

Artists

Kicsy Abreu Stable, Philip Aguirre y Otegui, Carla Arocha & Stéphane Schraenen, Sven Augustijnen, Anna Bella Geiger, Lili Dujourie, Beau Disundi Nzazi, Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Hamza Halloubi, Jean Katambayi Mukendi, Maryam Najd, Angyvir Padilla, Annaïk Lou Pitteloud, Jonathan Prince, Luc Tuymans, Joëlle Van Autreve, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Sharon Van Overmeiren.

The Needs of the Soul

Order, Freedom, Obedience, Responsibility, Equality, Hierarchy, Honour, Punishment, Freedom of Opinion, Security, Risk, Private Property, Collective Property, Truth, Rootedness

Works and Themes

Order – Sharon Van Overmeiren

Freedom – Hamza Halloubi

Obedience – Maryam Najd

Initiative & Responsibility – Beau Disundi Nzazi

Equality – Anna Bella Geiger; Carla Arocha & Stéphane Schraenen (Dance Floor)

Hierarchy – Philip Aguirre y Otegui

Honour – Luc Tuymans

Punishment – Harald Thys & Jos De Gruyter

Freedom of Opinion / Association – Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven

Security – Carla Arocha & Stéphane Schraenen; Joëlle Van Autreve

Risk – Sven Augustijnen; Annaïk Lou Pitteloud

Private Property – Angyvir Padilla; Lili Dujourie; Joëlle Van Autreve

Collective Property (“participation in collective goods”) – Jean Katambayi Mukendi

Rootedness – Jonathan Prince

The Need for Truth – Kicsy Abreu Stable

The proceeds from the sale of works by Luc Tuymans and Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven will benefit Museum At Risk. The proceeds from the work by Jean Katambayi Mukendi will be used to support the Lubumbashi Biennale.