21 Aug 2009

Biennale of art in Zwalm, Belgium: Kunst&Zwalm 2009!

Kunst&Zwalm is a biennal exhibition of contemporary art in the Zwalm region, the gently undulating countryside in the heart of the Flemish Ardennes. It confronts the work of both Belgian and foreign artists with the particularities of the rural environment.

Established in 1997, Kunst&Zwalm provides a unique, integrated and environmentally sustainable model of artists working directly with rural communities in homes, villages and workplaces. Vzw Boem (Kunst&Zwalm) operates in the Flemish Ardennes, a priority area for sustainable tourism development located in the Province of East Flanders, at a short distance from the city of Ghent.

As usual, Kunst&Zwalms biennal events involve collaborations with different European regions and countries. In recent years, the organisation developed partnerships with the French and German speaking regions of Belgium, but also with organisations in France, Spain and Holland. This year, Kunst&Zwalm focuses on artistic connections within the Benelux.

Participating artists are: Stefaan Dheedene (B), Luc Ewen (L), Martine Feipel & Jean Bechameil (L), Jerry Frantz (L), Christian Frantzen (L), Roel Jacobs (B), Mark Manders (Nl), Rik Moens (B), Sophie Nys (B), Roland Quetsch (L), Kelly Schacht (B), Tamara Van San (B) en Dimitri Vangrunderbeek (B).

Along the 9 km exhibition track, each artist chose an exceptional location to execute an in situ intervention. Internationally renowned Dutch artist Mark Manders, for instance, re-creates the intimate atmosphere of an artist's studio in a barn, displaying his drawnings and clay sculptures in an intricate, seemingly impovised manner. Young female artists Kelly Schacht, Tamara Van San and Sophie Nys took the project as an invitation to trigger new forms in relation tho the magnificient landscape, offering strong insights on the idyllic environment. The invitees of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg develop artworks that involve or confront the local village and its inhabitants with their personal lifestyle and history.

To follow the artists and their work for Kunst&Zwalm you can become a fan on facebook. You will be updated with photos, text and video!

Opening 29th of August at 11:00 am.
Each weekend between August, 29th and September, 13th.
From 13:00 till 19:00.
Route: 9Km'