From 21 March till 11 July 2012 Contour, the Biennial of Moving Image, will present video art in De Loketten in the Flemish Parliament.
De Loketten is a monumental space in the House of the Flemish Representatives. In this space, the Flemish Parliament pursues an active exhibition policy in which contemporary art plays a prominent role.
The Flemish Parliament has presented prior exhibitions which focus on specific media, such as ‘Design Icons in Flanders’ (2003-2004), ‘6+ Antwerp fashion in the Flemish Parliament’ (2007) and ‘Screen Worlds: Contemporary photography in the Flemish Parliament’ (2008). The current exhibition, ‘Contour on Tour’, highlights video art in Flanders.
The exhibition consists of a nucleus of twelve artists whose works are being shown in an enormous black box in the middle of the space. It includes works by Sven Augustijnen, Michaël Borremans, Wim Catrysse, David Claerbout, Anouk De Clercq, Johan Grimonprez, Hans Op de Beeck, Nicolas Provost, Bart Stolle, Dennis Tyfus, Sarah Vanagt, Katleen Vermeir and Ronny Heiremans. Together the works on display by these artists provide an exciting survey of the first decade of the twenty-first century. This decade is characterised by digital techniques becoming increasingly accessible and less expensive. Due to these developments, video art has definitively earned its place in museums, art centres and galleries.
On the one hand, in the selection of video works we see a focus on the pure, poetic quality of the moving image. On the other hand, the medium lends itself perfectly to critical reflections on the documentary nature of images. The video works presented distinguish themselves from cinema and television by their uncompromising play with narrative structures, image composition, sound and the – often interactive – relationship with the spectator.
In a few separate spaces you can browse through a compilation of historically important video works from the previous decades, put together by Argos.
Commissioned by the Flemish Parliament, this exhibition was produced by Contour Mechelen, an organisation that presents the Biennial of Moving Image every two years. In doing so, Contour has acquired significant expertise with regard to video art and film in the contemporary art world. Curatorship of the exhibition ‘Contour on Tour’ is in the hands of Hans Martens.
In 2012 Mechelen is also host town to the exhibition Newtopia: The State of Human Rights.
Practical information:
Contour On Tour: video art in the Flemish Parliament
21.03 – 11.07.2012
Location:
De Loketten, Flemish Parliament
IJzerenkruisstraat 99
1000 Brussels
Free entrance from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm
(closed on Sundays, public and bank holidays)
Info:
deloketten@vlaamsparlement.be
tel. 02 552 46 11 / 0491 35 61 51
www.vlaamsparlement.be
www.contourmechelen.be
www.argosarts.org
A production by Contour Mechelen vzw in cooperation with the Flemish Parliament and Argos
Visual Arts Flanders 2012 is a joint initiative of the Flemish Institute for Visual, Audiovisual and Media Art (BAM), the Flemish Arts and Heritage Agency and the five participating cluster events.
