Mira Sanders (b. 1973) studied Fine Arts at Sint-Lukas Brussels and is lecturer / researcher at the KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture Campus Sint-Lucas Brussels/Ghent. Her oeuvre consists of video works, drawings and installations, in which a constant quest emerges for the places, people and stories they contain. Mira Sanders’ current work focuses on how objects, people or events in physical spaces and on the actual terrain 'inhabit' place. Her visual language consists of meticulous lines, markings, borders, routes, maps, plans and drawings that describe, read spaces, and outline imaginary journeys in an attempt to surpass the limits of language.
In 2007 she was one of the laureates of the Young Belgian Painting Award. Her work has been shown, among other places, Galerie VidalCuglietta (Brussels), Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire (Paris), ARGOS centre for art and media (Brussels), MDAC Rochechouart (Rochechouart), BOZAR (Brussels), deSingel (Antwerp), Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens (Deurle), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Huize Frankendael (Amsterdam) and CEAC (Xiamen).

Co-founder of The Mental Masonry Lab (with Cédric Noël).

Mira Sanders obtained her PhD in the arts Over de (on)mogelijkheid om een beeld te vormen van limieten (About the (Im) possibility to Form an Idea of Limits) in 2017.

Solo exhibitions  (selection) 

2021 'A Voyage into the Moon', in collaboration with Cédric Noël,
         Botanique Exhibitions, Brussels - BE
         'The Phenomenal Park', in collaboration with Cédric Noël and students from the   

          Faculty of Architecture, Sint-Lucas KU Leuven, Botanique Exhibitions, Brussels - BE
2018 'Inland Voyages in An Inland Voyage',

        Musée d'Art Contemporain de Rochechouart - FR

2017 'Along the Sides Along'',

         Netwerk centrum voor hedendaagse kunst - Aalst - BE

2016 'Inland voyages in an inland voyage'

         ARGOS centre for art and media - Brussels - BE

2015 'Lignes de temps', a proposal by Eva González-Sancho

          Galerie Lullin+Ferrari - Zurich - CH

         'Transitions', a proposal by Catherine Henkinet and Olivier Gevart

          été 78 in collaboration with ISELP - Brussels - BE

2014  'The Mental Masonry Lab'

          (in collaboration with visual artist Cédric Noël)

          ZKU - Berlin - DE

2013  'Lignes de fuite'

          Galerie Vidalcuglietta - Brussels - BE

2012  'Watch that sound'

          Netwerk - Aalst - BE

2011   'Biennial Watch this Space 2011: Dessiner, Tracer'

          Cent Lieux d'Art 2 - Solre-le-Château - FR

2011   'Ludus Pro Patria'

          lieux communs - Namur - BE

2010  'Invisible Lines'

          Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire - Brussels - BE

2009 'Ane©dote'

          Incise espace d'exposition - Charleroi - België

2009 'Bemused'

          Beletage - Köln - DE

2008 'Silent China'

          Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire - Brussels - BE

2007 'By this I send you some noise of the city I am in'

          CEAC - Xiamen - China

2006 'Picture This!'

          Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens - Deurle - BE

2005 'Welcome to Robin's Land, an Archipel Under Construction'

          Comptoir Du Nylon - Brussel - België

2003 'Courir les rues…'

          Etablissement d'en Face Projects - Brussels - BE

Group exhibitions / publications (selection)

2023
'Conducturis', in collaboration with Cédric Noël, Chaleur Humaine - Triennale Art &

Industrie , Frac Grand Large - Hauts-De-France, FR

2021

'One way or another', curated by Posture Editions, S.M.A.K., Gent - BE
'Cartographies of the Imagination', Omved Gardens, London - UK

'Experimental Diagramming', DOM publishing, ed. dr. Lidia Gasperoni, Sarah Gretsch, Berlin, DE

2020
'Serendipidity', curated by Septembre Tiberghien and Olivier Gevart, été 78, Brussels - BE

'Risquons-Tout, Open School', WIELS, Brussels - BE
'Exposition/Espace/Cadre', éditions La Part de L'Oeil, Brussels - BE

2019

'Experimental Diagramming', curated by Anna Hougaard, PhD, dr. Lidia Gasperoni

Architekturmuseum, Berlin - DE

2018

'Nothing Like a little Levity', Molière Project, Brussels - BE

'Revisiting Heritage', LUCA gallery, Brussels - BE

'Wandering Arts Biennial', Brussels - BE

'Suspended Spaces. Une expérience collective', BPS22, Charleroi - BE

2017

'Drawing Ambience', Boyarski Collection, a proposal by Riet Eeckhout and Arnaud Hendrickx, VAi, Antwerp -BE

'Art Public', 3ième édition, Charleroi - BE

'Refaire Surface' with Suspended Spaces, Centre d'art Le Lait, Albi - FR

'Vis-à-Vis', curated by Andreja Borin, Maribor Art Gallery collection

and 49 Nord 6 Est – Frac Lorraine collection

'10 jaar SECONDroom', SECONDroom, Antwerp - BE

'SUPERDEMOCRATIE', curated by Bart De Baere / Pierre-Olivier Rollin / Paul Dujardin, Het Senaat - Le Sénat, Brussels - BE

2016

'Panorama', curated by Nancy Casielles, BPS22, Charleroi - BE

'HISTORICODE Scarcity & Supply', 3rd Nanjing International Art Festival, Baijia Lake Museum, Nanjing - CN

'stad van morgen: a glimpse of where we're going', a proposal by Elly Van Eeghem, The Mental Masonry Lab and its Game of Stones, STAM, Gent - BE

The film 'An attempt at defining the idea of transition' is shown on demand of the architect Christian Kiekens in the exhibition 'Het huis. De mentor. Het archief. Christian Kieckens', VAi & deSingel - Antwerp - BE

'Switch On!' with Suspended Spaces, Palacio Pombal, Lisboa - PO

'Sair do livro' with Suspended Spaces, CAPC, Coimbra - PO

2015

'Sortir du livre' initiated by Suspended Spaces, Mains d'Oeuvres - Paris - FR

'BEING URBAN', The mental Masonry Lab and its TMMRADIO, ISELP - Brussels - BE

'Accidental colors. Je voudrais une robe couleur du temps.'', a proposal by Maud Salembier, The Mental Masonry Lab and its Game of Stones, B-I-N - Turnhout - BE

2014

'Herbier', Maison du Bocage, Sains-Du-Nord, l'écomusée de l'Avesnois - FR

'Granfalloon', CC Hasselt, Hasselt - BE

'Umland,' Villa De Olmen, Wieze - BE

'Ramble', FelixArtMuseum, Drogenbos - BE

'Silver Bliss #2: Portrait of A City', Argos centre for art and media - Brussels - BE

'Hotel Charleroi. A Winter School'

The Mental Masonry Lab and its Game of Stones

Hotel Charleroi - Charleroi - BE

2013

'CONSTRUCTIES', galerie Emergent, Veurne - BE

'Mijn derde land', Frankendael Foundation, Amsterdam - NL

'Conversation Pieces. A proposal by Suspended Spaces', Galerie Art&Essai, Rennes - FR

2012

'Celeste Prize', Centrale Montemartini, Rome - IT

'Watch that sound', Netwerk, Aalst - BE

'Le Prince des rayons', Galerie VidalCuglietta, Brussels - BE

2011

'Suspended Spaces #1', Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris - FR

'Suspended Spaces #1', Galerie Art&Essai, Rennes - FR

'Druckgrafiken aus dem Archiv des Frans Masereel Centrums (selection Gesa Puell)', Verein für Original-Radierung München, München - DE

'Ex-libris', Galerie VidalCuglietta, Brussels - BE

2010

'Suspended Spaces #1', Maison de la culture, Amiens - FR

2009

'ANIMATED', CAB Grenoble, Grenoble - FR

'Contour 2009' (curator Katerina Gregos), 4TH BIENNAL OF MOVING IMAGE, Mechelen - BE

2008

'35 jaar Frans Masereel Centrum', Kasterlee - BE

2007

'Transat Video at Les Filles du Calvaire', Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire, Paris - FR

'Borderline festival, "We Cannot Stop, To Stop Is To Fail" ', Platform China, Beijing

'Prijs voor Jonge Belgische Schilderkunst - Prix de la Jeune Peinture Belge', ING award, BOZAR, Brussels - BE

'MULTI/PLIER, (curator Edith Doove)', Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire, Brussels - BE

2005

'In a Tall Distance with Mr. Reis', BAS - artist initiative Banu Cennetoglu, Istanbul

'Ondulations', Transat Vidéo & l'Autre Café, Normandië - FR

'TELEGRAM' (artist initiative Rosa Barba), Amsterdam - NL

Lectures (selection)

2024
'An act of Drawing', talk in the lecture series Dirty Drawings curated by architect Bilge Bal, Istanbul - TR

'Conducturis', talk in the

Fieldstation Netwerk Lecture Series on Media Ecologies, curated by Corneel Cannaerts and Fieldstation.net, Berlin - DE

2022
'Micronarratives and the City', a conversation and seminar in collaboration with Alina Cristea and Ileana Marin, CESI, University of Bucharest, Romania

2021
'Cartographies of the Imagination', webinar organised by

Kirsty Badenoch and Sayan Skandarajah, London, UK

'Atlas of imaging and reflection processes. A site in construction',

lecture, School of Natural and Built Environment Queen’s University Belfast - UK

2020 'Encounter Place', lecture,

School of Natural and Built Environment

Queen’s University Belfast - UK

2019 'A Voyage into the Moon - chapter 2: Overture', public presentation of a vinyl (sound work), in collaboration with Cédric Noël Argos - art and media centre, Brussels - BE

2018 'Naviguer dans la Vallée Dorée le long d’un saumon au crâne tondu et des petits ânes comiques', colloque Portrait de l'artiste en cartographe, ENSA Limoges - FR

'Substance Data', symposium

From Performance to Action and   

Back Again, Museum M, Leuven -

BE

2017
'on the (im)possibility to form aidea of limits' Periferia Festival, Public School for Architecture - Brussels - BE

2015
'Dessiner un temps', ISELP - Brussels - BE

2014  '

The Mental Masonry Lab

LaCambre - Brussels - BE

Awards

2017
Inland Voyages in An Inland   Voyage awarded as best exhibition 2016, AICA Belgium

2007

Young Belgian Art Award, BOZAR, Brussels, ING award

Screenings

2018 Film 'Objet Perdus Trouvés'

• Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2018 - CH
  
• Alcine 48 - ES
• Torino Film Festival 2018 - IT
• Watch Docs 2018 - PL
• FIFA Montréal - CA

Research

www.astrocytestudio.com
“Views on a territory imprinted by the fabrication of a brain” 

An artistic research initiated by Cédric Noël with Mira Sanders, Joachim Olender,
Laure Cottin Stefanelli, Benoit Dusart, Raymond Balau and Anaïs Chabeur

Support : FNRS-FRART, a/r ASBL, ENSAV La Cambre, KU Leuven