History of the Biennale of Young Artists from Europe and Mediterranean
The Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean was founded in 1984, thanks to an idea by ARCI Kids,the office of ARCI focused on young people, aiming to allow young European and Mediterranean artists to meet periodically in the main cities around the ‘mare nostrum’. In those times young creation was regarded as a marginal sector in the world of art and in the cultural market. At the same time, the youngsters of Barcelona, Marseille, Turin,
Zagreb, Alger began to share projects and languages, developing a common feeling welcomed and amplified by the Biennial.
After Tendencias (Barcelona, 1984), prologue of the manifestation, in 1985 the Catalan city hosted the first edition of the Biennial. In this first Biennial, the artists of six different countries (Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Yugoslavia) met together with some guests from Arab and Balkan countries. In this occasion was founded the International Committee of the Biennial that has now become the BJCEM Association.
The following editions of the Biennial of the Young Artists took place in Thessalonica (1986), in Barcelona (1987), in Bologna (1988), in Marseille (1990), in Valencia (1992), n Lisbon (1994), in Turin (1997), in Rome (1999), in Sarajevo (2001), in Athens (2003), in Naples (2005) and in Bari (2008). It’s very important remember others events realized in relation to BJCEM: Anteprima rock in Turin in 1990, Rotte Méditerranée in Algérie in 1990 e Six Workshop in Sarajevo in 1998.
The main target of the Association BJCEM is to promote the young artist’s creativity, to encourage international exchanges and the development of pacific relations across the Europe and Mediterranean. The International Association BJCEM is a wide network, encouraging the intercultural exchanges through the political and geographical frontiers: the structure of the Association promotes cultural exchanges beyond the existing political and cultural borders, thus presenting a Europe and a Mediterranean willing to dialogue and joint work.
During the 24 years of its history the Biennial has been considered as the main window over the creation in the Mediterranean, presenting the works of artists from 18 to 35 years, from different fields: visual arts, architecture, comic strip, cinema, industrial and digital creations, photography, writing, gastronomy, music, theatre, dance, etc.
14th Edition of BJCEM, Skopje 2009
The XIV Edition of the Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean will take place in Skopje, Macedonia from 3rd until 12th of September 2009.
The event will, will be organized by the Association for International Youth Cooperation (AMMS) from Skopje, and with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the R. Macedonia and City of Skopje and promoted by the BJCEM association.
14th Edition of Biennale of Young Artists from Europe and Mediterranean will bring into collaboration 713 artists, 100 cultural operators, 50 VIPs from 46 different European and Mediterranean counties. On this edition the most recent achievements of the artists from age 18 ‐35 years in various locations in Skopje will be presented in front of the international audience.
If the leading force for creative and continuous development of the old continent –Europe is the youth sector, then we see a very clear indicator of where we should put our investment! The 14th edition of biennale of Young artists from Europe and the Mediterranean aims at presentation of the youth creativity in the global terms, organizing a high level edition of the biennale, provide interconnectivity among the young artists, attract representatives of active cultural sector, convince the policy makers to reserve place in their international promotion for young artists, enlarge the current network and cooperation among the cultural institutions, present and implement new cultural trends, experiences and know-how throughout practical agenda and sustainable proposals and realizations.
Skopje is a city where the legend of seven gates exists. Seven roads lead to and from Skopje, very similar to the seven perceptions and vital accesses to and from the head of the human - The capital of the soul, the consciousness, and the personality of every human. According to this ancient myth, all of the seven roads were part of a huge monolith that was located exactly in the position of today’s Skopje basin. The monolith was round, similar to the human head, but without any opening or crack in it. Legend says that this rock used to be a head of a giant, over whom spells were cast. All seven openings in the giant’s head were sealed by those spells. One day, a hero walked by and with a magic spear, he reopened the eyes, the ears, nostrils and mouth. Thus the city sees, listens, breathes and talks through them. Everyone who passes along these roads will be able to see with the eyes of Skopje, listen with the ears of Skopje, breath the air of Skopje and understand the speech of the city.
This existing legend has been chosen as a topic of the 14th edition of the biennale. According to a theme, in front of all locations where the artistic disciplines will be performed, the symbolic gates will be positioned. Each artistic field will have special symbolic gate which is positioned to one of the entries of the city. The gates will be opened on the 3rd of September to officially announce the artistic interdisciplinary crossing.
14th Biennale of Young Artists from Europe and Mediterranean gives unique opportunity in seven disciplines of the Biennial to enter in Skopje from these seven gates. Gate is an association of a free entrance and always ongoing circulation - A spot from where the different cultural creativity from everywhere can enter and can be mixed with the cultural heritage inside - A spot from where the authentically cultural potential can come out and can be shared with the others. The Gate offers open space for creative expression and trans- national exchange. Seven spots leading to one and only place where through reading the history will bond together seven artistic disciplines.
Being classified as a multicultural city, Skopje is a place of no dominant cultural stream and as such it is a perfect place to experience different artistic disciplines. It is remarkable that no meter what kind of social atmosphere prevailed in the city, the authors ware always inspired to create art that is addressing a global context.
Skopje as a host of the one of the most remarkable cultural events so far in the region, provides an open space for expression of the young art scene, and will establish contact with the artists from other distant regions. In the same time the artists from Europe and the Mediterranean will have the possibility to experience the atmosphere and the spirit of the city.
Moreover the 14th Biennale is foreseen as a multi‐disciplinary event, which proposes creations from Music to Visual Arts, form Theatre to Video, from Applied Arts to Literature, till Gastronomy: that allows having a multiform survey, without barriers among artistic disciplines, a new and unusual fact for the region and Europe.
