Art gallery Ibasho is expanding: owners Martijn van Pieterson and Annemarie Zethof about their love for the south of Antwerp

After ten years, Dutchmen Martijn van Pieterson and Annemarie Zethof feel completely at home in the South of Antwerp. After IBASHO, they will soon open a new gallery with IN-DEPENDANCE.

‘Around 2014 we had concrete plans to open a gallery. As Dutch people, it seemed logical to us to look at Amsterdam, but we didn’t really like it. An English friend who lived here thought we should consider Antwerp: a beautiful cultural city with many good museums and galleries. It was love at first sight. In the Netherlands it is also impossible to imagine that you, like us, would start a gallery in your home. But here the houses are spacious and affordable. We looked in various neighborhoods and found the South attractive in terms of location. The new gallery is also nearby. First and foremost for practical reasons; we’ll walk there now. At the same time they are complementary: at IBASHO we present Japanese photography, the work at IN-DEPENDANCE is in line with our aesthetic, but is not directly connected to Japan.

It is also nice to live in the South. It’s a quiet neighborhood, but there’s plenty going on. The square in front of the reopened KMSKA has become nice, with all the restaurants and bars around it. And although Antwerp is a real city, you can reach everything in five minutes by bike or walk. Culture and fashion are also very present here. The students at the fashion and art academy create an interesting vibe, which you can feel throughout the city. We now have some friends here, including our two daughters of course – they both go to secondary school at Sint Lucas. We won’t just move again, this is a long-term commitment for us.’

Favorite places in Antwerp

—Van: Successful combinations: you don’t miss the meat here.

Regine Beerplein 1, camion-ette.be

—Acrai:A nice shop with beautiful designs.

Terninckstraat 2, @acrai_antwerp

—Black Market Antiques: From Japanese doors and cupboards to ceramics, school bags and kimonos.

Herentalsebaan 123, blackmarket.earth

—Ko’uzi: A fantastic address for sushi, with inventive recipes.

Leopoldplace 12, kouzi.be

—Hotel Pilar: The hotel where we send our guests. A very nice place.

Leopold de Waelplaats 34, hotelpilar.be

—The Finch: Another restaurant we like to visit. Chef Aiko is doing very well.

Vinkenstraat 1, thefinch.be

—Cronopio: Bookstore where we like to browse through the books.

Kasteelpleinstraat 21, cronopio.be

—PIVA: Martijn can recommend the cooking classes. The instructors have years of experience, often at star establishments.

Desguinlei 244, piva.be

—Fiera: A must for the location alone (the old skippers’ and trade fair).

Lange Nieuwstraat 14, fiera.be