Flanders is the place to visit in 2012 for both those who take a professional or leisurely interest in contemporary art! 2012 will bring the coinciding of important exhibitions of visual art taking place in Flanders, Belgium.

Visual Arts Flanders 2012 is proud to present Beaufort04 (Belgian coast), TRACK (Ghent), Middelheim Museum 2012 (Antwerp), Manifesta 9 (Genk) and Newtopia (Mechelen). The convenient geographic location and the shared focus on contemporary art of these five events have triggered the creation of an international communication platform that comprehends all of these appealing events into one coherent cluster.
In 2012 Belgium’s neighbouring countries also offer major happenings in contemporary art such as dOCUMENTA (13) (Kassel, Germany), London 2012 Festival- Finale of the Cultural Olympiad (UK), lille3000: Fantastic 2012 (France) and MONO 2012 (Centre Pompidou-Metz, France together with Mudam, Luxembourg).
Visual Arts Flanders 2012 is convinced that the high quality standard of each of the five exhibitions represented will persuade the professional and touristically inclined art visitor to also stop over in Flanders when travelling to art events in Belgium’s neighbouring countries.

The Cluster:

• Beaufort04 is the fourth edition of the Triennial of Contemporary Art by the Sea. A selection of contemporary artists from the 27 member states of the European Union will show their work in locations dispersed all over the Belgian coast.
• Building on the tradition of Chambres d’Amis (1986) and Over the Edges (2000), TRACK in Ghent invites thirty-five international artists to take their art outside the museum. Their works of art will be presented at several indoor and outdoor locations in six areas of the city of Ghent.
• The Middelheim Museum in Antwerp will undergo a complete metamorphosis in 2012. This will be celebrated with the inauguration of a half-open pavilion by the Belgian architect Paul Robbrecht, an exclusive exhibition of works by Thomas Schütte and monumental creations by artists such as Ai Weiwei and Roman Signer.
• For its ninth edition, Manifesta 9, the European Biennial of Contemporary art settles down in Genk. The former mining region will be host to emerging international artists and will focus on issues such as the social repositioning of a post-industrial society as well as on new possibilities to deal with material and immaterial cultural heritage.
• Newtopia: The State of Human Rights is the first major international exhibition of contemporary visual art to investigate the relationship between art and human rights. Approximately 50 international artists will present their work on different locations throughout the city of Mechelen such as the Kazerne Dossin. Museum, Memorial and Documentation Centre on Holocaust and Human Rights; the Cultural Centre Mechelen; the Lamot Conference and Heritage Centre and the Museum Court Van Busleyden.

The five cities where the events take place are geographically positioned in the region of Flanders, no more than an hour away from Brussels and at almost equal travelling distance from the exhibitions in Belgium’s neighbouring countries. Travelling to and from one of the five cities/areas is easy and fast by means of plane, high-speed train or car.

The Visual Arts Flanders 2012 coordination centre is a joint initiative of the Flemish Institute for Visual, Audiovisual and Media Art (BAM), the Flemish Arts and Heritage Agency and the 5 participating institutions and organisations. It is the very first time that contemporary art organizations embrace the opportunity to use their international appeal and reach as leverage. The project not only sets out to reach specific communication goals and visitor figures per target group but strives to create know-how and best practices for the individual organizations as well as the arts sector in Flanders and beyond.

Venue dates & admission

• Beaufort04 – Belgian Coast
  31.03 ›› 30.09.2012
  free
• TRACK – Ghent
  12.05 ›› 16.09.2012
  10 €
• Middelheim Museum 2012 – Antwerp
  From 26.05.2012
  free
• Manifesta 9 – Genk
  02.06 ›› 30.09.2012
  10 €
• Newtopia: the state of human rights – Mechelen
  01.09 ›› 10.12.2012
  10 €

International partners

• lille3000: Fantastic 2012
• London 2012 Festival, Finale of the Cultural Olympiad
• MONO 2012

The Visual Arts Flanders 2012 website contains all necessary information to make the most of your leisure trip or professional visit, including lodging and travel information concerning the cities and regions involved, with a specifically designed offering. For professional visitors accreditation will be available online as well as travel discounts from the above mentioned travel partners. www.visualartsflanders2012.be