The CONTOUR 7 team looks back on the seventh Moving Image Biennale in Mechelen with great pleasure and satisfaction, for it was an exceptional edition. Curator Nicola Setari chose Fooling Utopia as motto for the Biennale, and invited us to fool utopia together. This resulted in a lot of interested visitors, an exceptional high rate of guided tours, three successful debates with the Utopia & Europa Salons, an appealing Fooling Utopia Library and overall a high amount of positive reactions.

The national an international press was unanimously convinced, and spoke of “a convincing edition with qualitative artworks” (De Standaard), “a diverse and exceptionally interesting parcours” (De Morgen), “an overall level of quality that reaches high peaks” (H ART) and the fact that the thematics “touch on some of the most pertinent political and social topics across Europe and the world today” (Art Slant).

A warm thank you to all visitors and all people involved! See you next edition, curated by Natasha Ginwala from 10 March until 21 May 2017!

Welcome on the 28th of October at Hof van Busleyden, where CONTOUR 7 will host the last in a series of three Utopia & Europa Salons. These salons, of which the entrance is completely free, tackle questions at the heart of Utopia and think about the role of artists, writers and thinkers in Europe today.

The second salon on October 28th features a masterclass by visual artist Andrea Büttner, a lecture by philosopher of art Patricia Falguières, a debate moderated by CONTOUR 7 curator Nicola Setari and a screening of La Bataille du Rail (extended Let's Talk Peace! version) by A Dog Republic with live soundtrack. At the venue, you will also be able to visit the program of CONTOUR 7, a Moving Image Biennale, including the Fooling Utopia Library.

The Utopia & Europa Salon is organized also in the framework of the European Commission's New Narrative for Europe actions with a focus on young people in countries of the European Union.

Registration required at www.contour7.be/en/utopia-europa-salon-3

On Wednesday 21st of October, there is the possibility to discover CONTOUR 7, a Moving Image Biennale, in the beautiful Mechelen evening glow. On the same evening, there will also be a free guided tour along the parcours and the artworks of the Biennale.

Date: Wednesday 21st of October
Venues: Starting Point CONTOUR 7, Mechelen Cultural Centre, De Vlietenkelder and Hof van Busleyden (De Noker and Kazerne Dossin will not be open for visits)
Hour: 17:00 - 22:00
Start free guided tour: 19h at the CONTOUR 7 Starting Point - Minderbroedersgang 5 (registration is required via alyssa@contourmechelen.be)

For the seventh Moving Image Biennale, curator Nicola Setari selected three advisors to sharpen the research perspective of the Biennale. Together with Chus Martìnez, W.J.T. Mitchell and Hilde Van Gelder, Setari chose Fooling Utopia as the motto for the CONTOUR 7, which is dedicated to the humanist and statesman Thomas More.

The catalog of the exhibition, to be released during the second Fooling Utopia Salon, bears the same name. In the catalog, designed by Studio Luc Derycke, we find the residu of this interaction between curator and advisors in the form of several essays reflecting on the theme of the Biennale.

We invite you to plunge into two of these essays – Lessons from Moria by Hilde Van Gelder and a part of the essay In Search of a New Life by Nicola Setari – as a teaser for the entire catalog which features more information on and images of the artworks, the venues and the theme of CONTOUR 7, a Moving Image Biennale in Mechelen.

Preview Fooling Utopia catalog

The film Lili by An van. Dienderen has been nominated to participate in the BFI London Film Festival for the Short Film Awards. Lili is commissioned and coproduced by CONTOUR 7. Our warmest congratulations to An!

More information at BFI London Film Festival