Elen Braga - Elen ou Hubris
From 4 September 2025 until 31 March 2026
Elen Braga – Elen ou Hubris (2020)
Hand-tufted tapestry, 2400 x 460 cm
In March 2020, Elen Braga’s monumental hand-tufted tapestry replaced the Belgian flag for one day on the Triumphal Arch in Brussels’ Parc du Cinquantenaire. With this striking gesture, the artist questioned the value of monuments, national pride, and collective representation within the political and colonial history of the site.
The work takes its title from hubris, the ancient concept of excessive pride or arrogance. By presenting herself in a blue catsuit lifting an Olympic weight plate, Braga evokes mythological figures such as Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky, and Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. At once powerful and vulnerable, the figure confronts the viewer with ideas of monumentality, identity, and visions of the future.
Tufted entirely by hand over the course of 364 days and using 200 kilograms of acrylic wool, Elen ou Hubris embodies both endurance and resilience. It reflects Braga’s broader practice, in which performance, textiles, and labor-intensive processes merge with themes of mythology, religion, and self-transcendence.
Born in Maranhão, Brazil in 1984 and now based in Antwerp, Elen Braga weaves together her Brazilian roots and Belgian life, creating works that are at once personal, symbolic, and universally resonant.
(Photograph by Guy Kokken)
