One of the objectives of BAM is the promotion of the Flemish artists abroad. Visiting international curators, critics, organizers and such to Belgium are accompanied in their contacts with the art scene.

BAM invites foreign guests to raise international interest for contemporary art in Flanders and to reinforce its position abroad. Relevant persons from the cultural sector abroad are offered a specific programme. This invitation policy contributes to the realisation of the international culture policy. On the one hand this aims at culture - and achieving knowledge transfer. On the other hand it must lead up to projects/co-productions in the country of origin.

The guests are working for example in museums and other exhibition centers or are freelance curators or critics. After consultation they get an individual program offered that connects to their practice and interests. More specifically, they are always asked about personal interests and professional preferences (painting, video, installation, photography, ...) and their knowledge concerning the Flemish artists as well as their general international interests. This is then translated into a programme.
We not only visit artist's work shops but also exhibitions in museums and art galleries. As a result, the guests can get as varied as possible a picture of the working environment and arising connections and networks.

Results of the visitors programme

Participants in the visitors programme

2009
Rebecca Cleman (Electronic Arts Intermix, NY)
Rebecca Shatwell (AV-festival, UK)
Bryony McIntyre (Arika, UK)
Angela Plohman (Director Baltan Laboratories, Eindhoven)
Kathrin Rhomberg ( Curator of the 6th Berlin Biennial)
Carlyn Christov-Bakargiev (Chief Curator at the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art in Turin and Artistic Director Documenta 13)

2008
Giusy Checola (Curator, Responsible for Project Development , International Relations of Nosadella.due)
Xenia Kalpaktsoglou, Poka-Yio en Augustine Zenakos (Artistic directors Athens Biennial 2009)
Anthony Huberman (Chief Curator Contemporary Art Museum St Louis, US)
Mohamed Ismael (Director National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa)
Larissa Harris (Associate Director and Curator, Center for Advanced Visual Studies, MIT, Cambridge, US)
Giovanni Carmine (director Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen)
Koyo Kouoh (independant curator, Senegal)
Wendy Chun (professor Brown University, US)
Joe Milutis (artist, writer, US)
Danae Mossman (curator SCAPE Biennial 2008 Christchurch)
Katrin Mundt (independent curator, Germany)

2007
Susan Kennard (director & executive producer The Banff New Media Institute)
Ana Serrano (director Canadian Film Centre Media Lab)
Young Arab Theatre Fund
Nikolett Eross (curator Trafo Gallery, Boedapest)
Elisabeth Maria Gottfried (chief editor Eikon, Austria)
Sybille Omlin (independant curator and author, Switzerland)
Tapio Mäkelä (independant curator)
Inke Arns (artistic director of Hartware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund)
Marylin Doula-Bell & Didier Shaub (director and artistic director Centre d'Art Contemporain Douala)
John Hopkins (artist, researcher, writer, teacher)
Susanne Neubauer (curator of the Museum of Art Lucerne)
Adam Szymczyck (curator of the 5th Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art, 2008)
Jon Ippolito (artist, curator, co-founder of Still Water for network art and culture at the University of Maine)
Armin Medosch (writer, artist, curator)

2006
Birgit Hauska (curator and programmer SK Stiftung Kultur Köln)
Ama Walton (Videonale Kunstmuseum Bonn)
Maija Julius (artistic director MeX, Dortmund)
Susanne Ackers (managing director Hartware Medien Kunstverein Dortmund)
Steve Dietz (director ZeroOne San Jose International Festival of Art and Technology)
Nav Haq (curator for Gasworks, London)
November Paynter (curator for Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center, Istanbul)
Andreas Broeckmann (director of Transmediale Festival, Berlin)
Mai Abu ElDahab (co-curator Manifesta 6 and freelance curator)
Iwona Blazwick (director of Whitechapel, London)
Raimundas Malasauskas (curator CAC Vilnius and critic)
Charles Esche (director of the Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven)
Trevor Smith (New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York)
Kassandra Nakas (freelance curator, Berlin)
Eva Scharrer (curator Sharjah Biennial 8)
Ceren Erdem (assistant Hou Hanru Istanbul Biennial)

2005
Emilio Navarro (director CAB De Burgos)
Dennis Elliott (director ISCP, New York)
Kasper König (director museum Ludwig)
Charlotte Laubard (director Capc Museum of Contemporary art Bordeaux)
Marilu Knode (Senior Curator Scottsdale museum of contemporary art, Arizona)
Sarah Cook (curator new media, university of Sunderland)
Jacob Lillemose (co-director Artnode)

More information:
Bieke Verdonck (responsible for international relations)
E-mail: bieke@bamart.be
Tel: +32 (0)9 267.90.44

Documents

• Publication - EIKON - Spotlight on Belgium!
  Elisabeth M. Gottfried, chief editor of the Austrian International Magazine of Photography and Media Art visited Belgium beginning of 2007, resulting in EIKON issue # 59, dedicated to the Belgian art scene.
  
  
• Finnish media artist Tapio Mäkelä on media art in Belgium [report]
  

  Tapio Mäkelä, media artist, researcher and event organizer from Helsinki, paid several visits to Belgium during spring 2007 and gives his impressions and observations concerning Flemish visual arts in the following text.