Volume 1 of Pintjes, by renowned Brussels-based illustrator Selkies and award-winning writer Eoghan Walsh, launches on 11 December at the Lord Byron.
Celebrating what makes Brussels’ best cafés and bars both iconic and beloved of the city’s residents, Pintjes launches its first volume on Wednesday 11 December at the Lord Byron in Brussels. The zine is a collaboration between renowned Brussels-based illustrator Selkies, who has worked with Irish musicians Kneecap, and writer Eoghan Walsh, author of the award-winning book “A History of Brussels Beer in 50 Objects”.
Each limited edition print run of Pintjes will focus on a neighbourhood or district in Brussels with a high concentration of iconic, interesting, or just downright eccentric cafés – celebrating what makes them such a unique and essential part of Brussels’ fabric in word and image. For Vol.1, Eoghan and Selkies have zoomed in on the very epicentre of Brussels, the place where the city began and where the two most often gravitate towards – the streets around the Bourse. There, they have chosen their five favourite bars – Le Coq, À La Bécasse, Estaminet Toone, Booze ‘n Blues, and Lord Byron – to talk about what makes them so special.
Launch Party
This first volume of Pintjes will be released at a launch party at the Lord Byron (Rue des Chartreux 8, 1000 Brussels) on Wednesday 11 December, alongside the sale of a very limited number of exclusive prints based on the illustrations from this first edition. The zine will be produced in extremely limited quantities – only 50 copies will be printed, and when it’s gone, it’s gone.
Quotes
“Louise and I share a love of two things – print, and good, characterful Brussels cafés. Both of which always seem to be on the verge of disappearing. With daily headlines about some of the city’s most atmospheric and enjoyable bars under pressure or disappearing, we thought, what better way to celebrate some of our favourites than with a dedicated zine. We love the DIY aesthetic of zines, and thought it was a great match for the rough and readiness of Brussels’ best cafés.”
“What makes a good Brussels pub for me is one that’s been around long enough to accumulate some good, weird decor, some consistent (and consistently odd) regulars, ideally a resident cat, and a good, comfortable chair. If Pintjes is about anything, it’s about basking in and celebrating these – increasingly endangered – spaces in Brussels. Brussels can be such an intense city, walking the streets I do genuinely get such satisfaction from stopping to smell the roses (or the Lambic). That’s what Pintjes is about, finding something completely quotidian and going “that’s lovely isn’t it, enjoy that” – and we don’t do that enough with Brussels’ fantastic cafés.”
Notes for the Editor
- Selkies is an illustrator from Dublin now living in Brussels. Her work is often about nostalgia, sometimes for her roots back in Ireland and sometimes for the remnants of old Brussels on her doorstep. She has worked with football clubs, music festivals, and musicians. Pintjes is her first self-published zine, and her work is for sale here: www.selkiesstudio.com
- Eoghan Walsh is the award-winning Brussels-based writer of the “Brussels Notes” newsletter. He has written for The Irish Times, Pellicle, Le Fooding, Guzzle, and others. Founder of the Brussels Beer City blog, Eoghan’s most recent book – “A History of Brussels Beer in 50 Objects” – was published in July 2022.
- Press kit – illustrations
- Contact: Eoghan Walsh, +32485399443
Contact: Eoghan Walsh, +32485399443
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