We are rooted but we are floating
since 2003 Contour Biennial of Moving Images occupies a distinct position in the Belgian visual arts landscape, enjoying a reputation that extends far beyond the country’s borders. Contour has been produced and presented by the kunstencentrum nona since 2017. The tenth edition – titled C0N10UR – is curated by Auguste Orts, a Brussels-based production and distribution platform run by artists Anouk De Clercq, Fairuz Ghammam, Herman Asselberghs, Manon de Boer and Sven Augustijnen.
During the biennale, screenings and weekend programs will complement the exhibition with performing arts and live music. In this tenth edition, C0N10UR goes beyond Mechelen. Also part of the biennale are the cultural partners, the argos audiovisual arts center in Brussels and the Kunsthal Extra City in Antwerp.
With this anniversary edition, C0N10UR wants to celebrate the rich contemporary Belgian audiovisual arts scene, not only artists and filmmakers, but also production platforms and venues. The curators therefore decided to cooperate only with artists in residence in Belgium. With calls for new films and video works that may survive beyond the biennale, C0N10UR hopes to sustainably support and enrich the existing field.
There is no overriding topic. Instead, Auguste Orts relies on what lives in his immediate environment: a vibrant biotope of artistic practices, local across borders, boundless yet grounded. C0N10UR borrows its title from the philosopher Rosi Braidotti: “We are rooted but we are floating” is her retelling of Virginia Woolf’s elegant articulation of grounded mobility and deeply rooted ability to change. And with a bit of imagination, this motto even refers to the film experience of viewers who, sitting in front of the screen for a moment, can move freely in their heads and hearts.