ABOUT

Since its founding in 2003, Contour Biennale has carved out a singular space in the landscape of moving images and time-based media, engaging with the shifting contours of artistic practice with each edition. Over ten iterations, it has evolved into an internationally widely acclaimed biennale—one that resists fixity, continuously reimagining itself to resonate with both local rhythms and international currents.

Deeply entangled with its surroundings, Contour has always been more than an exhibition; it is a site of inquiry, a critical lens on the questions of our time.The curators of the recent editions, Auguste Orts (2023), Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez (2019), Natasha Ginwala (2017), Nicola Setari (2015) and Jacob Fabricius (2013) have each shaped the biennale’s trajectory, and have unfolded its expanding enquiry, scope and vocabulary.

 

ORGANISATION

Between 2017 and 2023, the Contour Biennale was organised by the Mechelen-based nona art centre, which today still organises the Contour Series, a project that exists separately from the Contour Biennale. The archive of earlier editions of the biennale can be found on nona’s website: https://www.nona.be/en/editions.

Since 2024 Contour Biennale has been run by the non-profit organisation Contouristen, a group of Belgium-based curators and artists.

The Contour Biennale is supported by Flanders State of the Arts, City of Mechelen and Kunsthal Mechelen.