Open Call: Curator for Contour Biennale 10

View of Ritu Sarin & Tenzing Sonam, Drapchi Elegy, 2017, during Contour Biennale 8. Photo: Lavinia Wouters.

Contour Biennale 10
Autumn 2023
https://www.nona.be/en/contour

Contour Biennale
Contour Biennale is a biennale for contemporary art in Mechelen (Belgium). It is the longest-running art biennale in Belgium and is part of an international professional network. Contour began in 2003 as an international platform with a focus on video art and time-based media. Over the previous nine editions, Contour Biennale has grown into a pioneering and widely acclaimed art event in a constantly changing format that appeals to both international visitors and local residents. Strongly embedded in the local fabric, the biennial has been aiming to reflect critically and consistently on current affairs, presenting pressing themes and art that relates to a world in change. The curators of the most recent editions were Jacob Fabricius (2013), Nicola Setari (2015), Natasha Ginwala (2017) and Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez (2019).

Contour Biennale is organised by kunstencentrum nona, a multi-disciplinary art centre that produces and presents performing arts, visual arts and music. A compact team of permanent staff will produce the tenth Contour Biennale in close collaboration with the curator, supporting the curator in anchoring the event in the urban landscape and in maintaining the relationships with national and international partner organisations.

10th edition
Contour Biennale 10 will be a long-running exhibition in Mechelen during the autumn of 2023. The artistic quality of the works exhibited is of prime importance. We aim to reconcile incisive choices of content with an audience that is as wide and diverse as possible.

Inclusivity, fair practice and ecological awareness are values that kunstencentrum nona holds in high esteem. Consequently, Contour Biennale 10 must aim towards the same sustainable development goals throughout the entire process.

Curator
The curator determines the concept, content and form of Contour Biennale 10. The curator has affinity with moving image and apart from curating the biennial is willing to search for connections with the performing arts and music programming of nona. The assignment will run from June 2021 until December 2023.

The curator:
-has access to an extensive network and has an understanding of the international visual arts landscape, as well as a critical perspective;
-has the capacity to occupy curatorial standpoints and to communicate them clearly;
-can free up sufficient time to present and to represent the biennale;
-possesses the necessary management skills to lead staff and has experience in project management;
-can work within a predefined financial framework and is willing to seek extra funding;
-will develop a public programme with both a widening and deepening dimension;
-will bear in mind the context of the medium-sized city where the exhibition is to be held.

Applications
Submit your application to contour@nona.be.

Your application should consist of a:
-motivation letter (maximum 1 A4 page)
-project proposal including a few names of artists whose work you would like to present (maximum 2 A4 pages)
-a CV with a summary of your professional experience as a curator (maximum 1 A4 page)

The deadline for submitting your application is February 28, 2021. If you have any questions about this call, please email us at contour@nona.be.