We are rooted but we flow

Since 2003, the Contour Biennial of Moving Images has occupied a distinct position in the Belgian visual arts landscape, with a reputation that extends far beyond the national borders. Contour has been produced and presented by kunstencentrum nona since 2017. The tenth edition—named C0N10UR—is curated by Auguste Orts, the Brussels production and distribution platform led by the artists Anouk De Clercq, Fairuz Ghammam, Herman Asselberghs, Manon de Boer, and Sven Augustijnen.

During the biennial, screenings and weekend programmes will complement the exhibition with performing arts and live music. For this tenth-anniversary edition, C0N10UR is also expanding beyond Mechelen. Cultural partners argos centre for audiovisual arts in Brussels and Kunsthal Extra City in Antwerp are also part of the biennial.

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 presentation venues. The curators have thus decided to work solely with artists residing in Belgium. With invitations for new film and video works that can live on beyond the biennial, C0N10UR hopes to sustainably support and enrich the existing field.

There is no overarching theme. Instead, Auguste Orts proceeds from what lives in its immediate surroundings: 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 flow” is her restatement of Virginia Woolf’s elegant articulation of grounded mobility and deep-seated possibility of change. And with some imagination, this motto even refers to the viewing experience of a film audience that, temporarily seated in front of the screen, can move freely in head and heart.

C0N10UR participating artists: Aay Liparoto, Alex Reynolds, Alexandre Mulongo Finkelstein, Alma Söderberg, Annik Leroy, Brahim Tall, Camille Picquot, Chloë Delanghe, Chloé Malcotti, Christina Stuhlberger, Dominique De Groen, Effi & Amir, Eitan Efrat, Elie Maissin, Eric de Kuyper, Eva Claus, Eva Giolo, Frederic Rzweski, Guy-Marc Hinant, Jan Rzewski, Julie Morel, Katja Mater, Léonard Pongo, Maaike Neuville, Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Melissa Gordon, Mieriën Coppens, Mischa Dols, Mohanad Yaqubi, Omar A. Chowdhury, Rebecca Jane Arthur, Rosine Mbakam, Sandra Muteteri Heremans, Sirah Foighel Brutmann, Stephane Ginsburgh, Subversive Film.

Opening weekend
September 6, Brussels: argos centre for audiovisual arts
September 7, Antwerp: Kunsthal Extra City
September 8, Mechelen: Cinema Lumière, De Garage, kunstencentrum nona, Museum Hof van Busleyden

Visual identity: Atelier Brenda

Press: Club Paradis