'Coast to Coast' by Flo Kasearu

Beaufort04 is the fourth edition of the Triennial of Contemporary Art by the Sea in 2012. The Triennial has become a reputed cultural event that is not to be missed. The Belgian coast and contemporary art have come together through monumental installations and intriguing works of art embedded in the unique biotope of the dynamic coastal municipalities. An artistic commission headed by Phillip Van den Bossche, curator for Beaufort04, and intendant Jan Moeyaert made a studied selection of European contemporary artists. The selected works of art are a reflection of what is happening in the contemporary European art scene. With new or existing works, the artists respond to the environment outside the museum and share an imaginative and imaginary world with the visitors of the coast. Again, the fourth edition of the Triennial of Contemporary Art will undoubtedly cause a summery sensation and give rise to artistic reflections along the Belgian coast. Beaufort04 is an initiative from vzw Ku(n)st and her partners under high patronage of Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council.

The artists of Beaufort04 are Norbert Francis Attard, Isaac Cordal, Michal Gabriel, Nedko Solakov, Les Frères Chapuisat, Hans Op de Beeck, Jaume Plensa, Claire Fontaine, Zilvinas Kempinas, Melita Couta, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Adrian Ghenie, Ivars Drulle, Jannis Kounellis, Arne Quinze, Flo Kasearu, Nick Ervinck, Paolo Grassino, Jeppe Hein, Marco Casagrande, Bernar Venet, Folkert De Jong, Dalila Gonçalves, Martine Feipel & Jean Bechameil, Erwin Wurm, Michael Johansson and Stefan Sous. Mu.ZEE, the museum of contemporary art of Ostend, contributes to Beaufort04 with the exhibition The kust en te keur. The Scottish artist Lucy McKenzie mounted an exhibition on the modernist façade of the Museum, in collaboration with Carolin Lerch, Caitlin Keogh, Lucile Desamory and Beca Lipscombe.

Curator
For the second time Phillip Van den Bossche (1969) is curator for Beaufort, the Triennial of Contemporary Art by the Sea. For Beaufort03 (2009) he made a selection of international artists who implemented the history and the patrimony of the Belgian coast in their art. Among those artists were John Baldessari, Daniel Buren, Krijn de Koning, Lili Dujourie, Guiseppe Gabbelone, Lothar Hempel, Evan Holloway, Thomas Houseago, Robert Kusmirowski, Matt Mullican and Leonor Antunes. In 2012, for Beaufort04 he chooses to work with artists from the European Union.
Phillip Van den Bossche started his career at Stichting De Appel in Amsterdam, where he co-curated several exhibitions, such as the solo-exhibition of Mark Manders in 1997 and several film evenings in 1997 & 1998. He gave lectures at the Academy for Art and Design, AVANS at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, and worked repeatedly as editor for publications in prominent art magazines or for catalogues. From 1998 till 2001 he became the manager of Stichting Exedra, the centre for contemporary art, architecture and design in Hilversum. From 2001 until 2007 he worked as a curator at Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven where he presented more than ten group or solo exhibitions from international artists. Since 2007 he is the curator of Mu.ZEE, the art museum by the sea – Collections of the Province of West Flanders and Ostend, and artistic and managing director of Mu.ZEE, the Ensor House (Ostend) and the Permekemuseum (Jabbeke).

Practical details:
Around 30 locations dispersed over the 9 coastal municipalities:
De Panne - Koksijde/Oostduinkerke - Nieuwpoort - Middelkerke/Westende
Oostende - Bredene - De Haan/Wenduine - Blankenberge - Zeebrugge
Open 24/7
www.beaufort04.be