International Visitors Programme

What and why?
For whom?
How?
After the visit?
Contact?

What and why?

Since 2005, BAM organises an international visitors programme for the visual, audiovisual and media arts. Every year, BAM invites curators from abroad to visit the contemporary art scene in Belgium. Curators are offered a personal programme in which they meet artists and other professionals from the sector. Included are visits to museums, arts centres, educational institutions and galleries. The programme is prepared in close consultation with the curators and takes account of their actual wishes. In addition they are put in touch with artists and organisations that are not so well known at international level. This way, BAM tries to increase international interest in contemporary art in Belgium and enhance its position abroad. Each visit generally lasts three to four days, unless there are reasons that require a longer stay.

For whom?

This programme is intended for art professionals in the visual, audiovisual and/or media art sector, including curators, journalists, critics or researchers. The goal is to maintain a balance between young upcoming people and established professionals associated with major institutions, biennales, festivals, universities and magazines.

Click here to see an overview of the participants of previous programmes.

How?

Visitors are selected in various ways. BAM regularly receives advice from artists and arts organisations about people who keep close track of the international art world and would be interesting to invite.

Because the visitor programme is becoming more widely known abroad, the number of people who apply spontaneously is increasing. They are asked to submit a concise application with a thorough justification for their visit. These applications are dealt with once every three months.

The application comprises:

• a CV and a brief biography
• a clear justification for the visit
• themes or topics that the visitor would like to see covered
• names of people and organisations that the visitor would like to visit
• an account of what the visitor would like to achieve on the visit
• the short- and long-term objectives
• possible dates for the visit

BAM can only invite a limited number of visitors every year. It goes without saying that for this reason we cannot invite everyone. Selection takes place in internal consultation with the management of BAM.

Visitors are themselves responsible for travel, accident and health insurance.

After the visit?

The visitor keeps BAM informed of any tangible results arising from the visit. These results, as well as more information about the visitor and the programme, can be read on this website. Immediately after the visit, some feedback is requested refering to the following questions:

• Did you get to know any artists/organisations during your visit in which you have a specific interest? If so, which ones and why?
• Are you interested in being kept informed by e-mail of major exhibitions in Flanders and of Flemish artists abroad?
• Are you interested in occasionally receiving publications about the Flemish art scene by post or mail?
• When you make an evaluation of your visit, do you have any comments on the organisation or content of your visit?

Click here to see an overview of the results of previous visitors programmes.

Contact

BAM, Flemish institute for visual, audiovisual and media art
Bijlokekaai 7d
9000 Ghent
Belgium

Lissa Kinnaer
T: +32 9 267 90 44
lissa.kinnaer@bamart.be