CURATORIAL PROPOSALS FOR BIP2020 – VISUAL ARTS BIENNALE

Closing date for application: 31 January 2020 at midnight

For the 12th edition of the BIP | Biennale de l’Image Possible [Biennale of the Possible Image], which will be held in autumn 2020, the Liège Cultural Centre – Les Chiroux is looking for partners who wish to curate an exhibition.

BIP | BIENNALE DE L’IMAGE POSSIBLE [BIENNALE OF THE POSSIBLE IMAGE]

Created in 1997, the event which would rapidly become the International Biennale of Photography and Visual Arts of Liège turned into the BIP in 2010 to become the Biennale de l’Image Possible [Biennale of the Possible Image] on the occasion of its 10th edition in 2016. This change of name, where the direct reference to photography disappears, contributes to a groundswell which has gradually modified the physiognomy of the exhibitions mounted by the Biennale since it was created.

Since 2016, the BIP | Biennale de l’Image Possible no longer takes account strictly of movements in photography when it reaches its limits, but more broadly of circulation patterns of the contemporary image which crosses cheerfully the intimate, media, political, economic, sociological and anthropological fields in ever more flexible as well as hybrid forms and aspects.

The Biennale de l’Image Possible has over the years emerged as an event that defends artists who attest to such permeability and crossings. Through its artistic selection, the BIP questions contemporary images and the relations that we maintain with them.

BIP 2020

The common thread of BIP2020 will be the question of the impact of art on real life (see note of intent appended). This 12th edition of the Biennale de l’Image Possible will occupy a space outside of museums, enshrined in the flow of the city, its energy and dynamism; to bring a disused or empty building back to life, in anticipation of a new occupation, and participate in the intention of BIP2020 to keep abreast living processes, situations or modes of concrete workings.

Every selected project will therefore be included in an exhibition venue comprising different spaces to be occupied, with diverse offerings selected by BIP2020 for that matter and coordinated so as to respond to — and confront — each other.

BIP2020 launches a call for projects to curators and curatorial collectives as well as to people, organizations or groups working in a not purely artistic field (for instance, falling under such disciplines as journalism, scientific research and contemporary geopolitical and environmental stakes) and wishing to establish a link with artistic creativity through the featured project.

The aim is to take up the BIP2020 note of intent (available on https://www.bip-liege.org) and react to it by proposing a project.

The area of activity falls under the exhibition in a very wide meaning of the term. It can bring together all types of technical images (photo, video, VR, etc.), be individual or collective, propose a fixed or open-ended content. Alongside its own artistic content, the project will also comprise an event and/or meeting between artists, the initiators of the project, any guests and the public, so as to promote the different focuses of meetings between all the participants, including the clusters of reception.

At least two proposals will be selected.

SPECIFICATIONS

• At least one fifth (20%) of the budget will be allocated to supporting artistic creation (copyright or production).
• For a collective proposal, particular attention will be given to selections comprising:
  • A balanced distribution of genre;
  • Including internationally recognized artists but also emerging artists
  • Including artists stemming from or living in the French Community of Belgium (Wallonia and Brussels).
• Proposal of at least one event (workshop, meeting with artists, projection, conference, etc.) geared to the exhibition and its intention.
• Compliance with the requirements and deadlines in terms of communication (capacity to provide texts and visuals on time, sharing networks and dissemination of the BIP project in general).
• Attention paid to the ecological impact of production and the means and resources needed for the installation.
• Coordination of the implementation of the project in a concerted manner with the BIP2020 team, in accordance with the freedoms and constraints of the event and the venue.

BUDGET

The budget of each selected project will be approved before implementation. Each of the selected projects can qualify for a sealed budget envelope of €25,000 maximum (not including expenses for communication, opening / closing and insurance which are assumed by BIP2020), which is to cover all other expenses, fees and promotion, inclusive of VAT. Any search for additional funding will be the responsibility of the initiators of the selected project with the prior consent of BIP2020.

COMPOSITION OF THE FILE

• General note of intent and description of the project (illustrated if possible) (5000 characters maximum).
• Artistic references, prospective or considered artists and works
• Draft budget
• CV of the initiators of the project

The application must be drawn up in French or English and sent by e-mail before 31 January 2020 at midnight, to info@bip-liege.org

TIMELINE

• Receipt of applications: until 31 January 2020 at midnight
• Interviews with the initiators of the shortlisted projects: mid-February 2020
• Final results: 15 March 2020
• Implementation of the projects: 15 March – Autumn 2020

SELECTION CRITERIA AND PROCEDURE

The projects will be selected by the BIP2020 according to the following criteria:

• The quality of the artistic selection.
• The relevance of the reply to our BIP2020 note of intent proposed by the project.

A set of proposals will be shortlisted from the applications received during an initial (pre-selection) phase. The initiators of these proposals will be invited to come and meet the BIP2020 team.

A minimum of two projects will be selected in a second phase, after these interviews, to be implemented and presented in BIP2020. The final number of projects selected will depend on the budget required and the general quality of the proposals, as well as their potential to interact with the others.

For any questions about the application, please contact us : info@bip-liege.org

Annex : Note of intent – BIP 2020 available on https://www.bip-liege.org