Mission
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Art is an effective language of communication for cultural engagement.
Art reduces physical, intellectual, emotional, mental and social distances between human beings.
Art generates common spaces for original individuality and social encounter.
Art is a form of experience that creates new sensations and reveals new subjectivities.
Art influences change and has the potential to transform the way in which we see and act in the world.
Art is a human need for its existence.
The Mediterranean, the inland sea, has witnessed the birth of human civilizations.
A mosaic of tribes, first settlements, and first cities surrounds it.
It is more than a crossroads. It is where “everything flows”. It is the sixth continent.
Through the Mediterranean people move, travel, navigate, and transmit knowledge, culture, philosophical thoughts, trades of goods, tastes, savoir vivre, arts, beliefs, traditions…
Anew, it is a region of strategic geopolitical importance for multilateral and national interests.
The Mediterranean is a community that extends beyond its borders and Europe incorporates the Mediterranean.
In 1985, BJCEM set out to support the creativity and professionalisation of young artists and creators in and around the Mediterranean, to strengthen the relations between all the actors active in the contemporary cultural and artistic landscape of the region, to encourage peace dialogue, collaborative practice beyond the existing boundaries.
BJCEM brings together 45 partners from 15 countries, including local and national private organisations and public administrations as well as higher education institutions.
BJCEM is a cultural network that develops research, education and multi sector cooperation projects.
BJCEM is a continuous research project targeting young artists. It initiates cultural, social, political, artistic dialogue and scrutinizes the Mediterranean’s multiple horizons.
BJCEM believes that artists and creators must be enabled to experiment with innovative, critical and conceptual content.
BJCEM supports young artists and creators as agents that foster social transformation and critical political thinking.
BCJEM is convinced that cultural exchange and dialogue are a prerequisite to develop new forms of sharing economy, social inclusion and human development.
History
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BJCEM,Biennale des jeunes créateurs de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée was founded in Sarajevo in 2001.
BJCEM believes that art and culture play a fundamental role in our societies by fostering respect and understanding for diversity through the discovery of the values of different cultures that enrich our own. Art is a universal language and, as such, it contributes to bridge borders and resolve conflicts. Initially created to oversee the Biennale, today BJCEM is a solid network with 47 members, ranging from cultural institutions to independent organizations, with partnerships throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa, also with organizations and projects focused on the Mediterranean Diaspora. We are present in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Republic of San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. We also cooperate with an external partner in Austria. BJCEM aims at fostering mutual understanding, intercultural dialogue and collaboration in the arts among young creators, around the Mediterranean. Our projects and activities provide training, mobility, and exchange opportunities that, in turn, support artists’ creative processes, through personal and professional growth. Registered as an international association in Belgium with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and an executive office in Turin, Italy, BJCEM is an independent organization, open to all those who shares its aims and interests without cultural, religious, political, social or moral distinction. It is a member of the Anna Lindh Foundation and of Culture Action Europe. BJCEM acknowledges the support of the City of Turin. The Biennale of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean was held for the first time in Barcelona in 1985, from an original idea of ARCI Ragazzi, the youth branch of the Italian ARCI. During its first editions, the Biennale was conceived as a multidisciplinary event for young artists under the age of 35, from Europe and the Mediterranean. The goal was to showcase their artistic production, by which they expressed their personal vision of the world, and to support young artists’ creativity as a resource, and not only as a form of entertainment. Through their creative force, young people were enabled to express themselves as well as their vision of reality; to make visible the alternative proposals of a generation not fully satisfied by tradition. Above all, it provided them with an opportunity to engage politically, through art, for their own personal and professional development.
The Biennale has held editions in Barcelona 1985, Thessaloniki 1986, Barcelona 1987, Bologna 1988, Marseille 1990, Valencia 1992, Lisbon 1994, Turin 1997, Rome 1999, Sarajevo 2001, Athens 2003, Naples 2005, Puglia 2008, Skopje 2009, Thessaloniki-Rome 2011, Ancona 2013, Milan 2015, Tirana-Durres 2017, San Marino 2021. The Biennale has involved over 10.300 artists, with a total of over 750.000 visitors. It has been acknowledged as the most important event for young artists in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Multidisciplinarity has always been one of its strengths, because it has spanned from the visual arts to the applied arts, moving images, literature, gastronomy, music and performances, to name just a few. During each Biennale, several hundred artists peacefully “occupied” the host city over days and weeks: the arts have been a means to invest the city and prove the potential of culture as a tool for social and human development. In the latter years and, given the general context, to make the event more sustainable, the Biennale has changed format and has reduced the total number of artists involved. It has continued to be the event where to showcase young emerging artists from the Euro-Mediterranean but it has also developed into a structured opportunity for research, training, networking to set-up transnational collaboration projects. The Biennale has made possible, especially in recent editions, collaborations in various forms, from artists’ residencies to training and research projects, from presentations of the results of European projects to workshops, actively involving both local communities and BJCEM members. The Biennale is indeed the culmination of a research project that accompanies young artists in their growth, by offering them not only an exhibition showcase, but by giving them useful tools to become active professional artists in the Euro-Mediterranean region. In the last 30 years, the region has undergone profound changes and the Biennale has stayed present, as a relevant actor. It has become an independent and consolidated international network, where organizations and professionals meet in a safe space and can work together with the shared aim of making the Mediterranean a place where dialogue and cooperation are understood as tools for peace building and development.
A platform for the launch of the careers of young Euro-Mediterranean artists, the Biennale’s success is proven by the success of the artists that it has unwaveringly supported and promoted. Among these, we are proud to mention IRWIN, Grazia Toderi, Eva Marisaldi, Miltos Manetas, Vanessa Beecroft, Eulalia Valldosera, Adel Abdessemed, Vasco Araújo, Tobias Putrih, Erzen Shkololli, Mathieu K.Abonnenc, Ayreen Anastas, Giorgio Andreotta Calò, Haris Epaminonda, Damir Očko, Didem Erk, Ayman Ramadan, Elena Mazzi, Emilio Vavarella, Noor Abed, Adrian Abela, Noor Abuarafeh, Hanan Benammar, Yesmine Ben Khelil, Maeve Brennan, Johanna Bruckner, Madison Bycroft, Binta Diaw, Adji Dieye, Caterina De Nicola, Alessandra Ferrini, Francis Offman, Marina Xenofontos, among others.
Who we are
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Mercedes Giovinazzo Marín
Director of Interarts, an ngo specialized in international cultural co-operation. She holds a Laurea in Archaeology (Università degli Studi “La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy) and a Master’s Degree in Arts Management (École Supérieure de Commerce de Dijon, France). Previous posts include: Director of Services and Deputy Director of Customer Services, Universal Forum of Cultures, Barcelona; Administrator, Division of Culture and Cultural and Natural Heritage, Council of Europe, Strasbourg; director, Mastère Européen Management des Entreprises Culturelles, École Supérieure de Commerce de Dijon; Board Member, Teatro di Roma (2013- 2016); President, Culture Action Europe (2008-2015); President, “Access to culture” Platform, European Commission (2008-2011). She led the global campaign calling for culture in the 2030 SDGs.
The Board of Directors consists of the President of the Association, the Treasurer and the representatives suggested by the National Committees and elected by the General Assembly. The Board of Directors plans and manages the activities of the Association aiming at the common interest.
Ibrahim Spahić – Bosnia and Herzegovina
He is Director of the International Sarajevo Festival Sarajevo Winter. In 1984, he was the first President of the Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean. He has been respectively President of the International Centre for Peace; the Board Sarajevo – first intercultural city of the European Council; the Publishers’ and Booksellers’ association of Bosnia & Herzegovina; the GDS (Citizen’s Democratic Party); the International foundation Kulin ban; the IITM for B&H; House of Europe Sarajevo; the commission for cultural strategy development in B&H; the Art Community Collegium Artisticum and Eco-movement Skakavac. He was member of the Executive Committee of the European Committee for culture of the European Council and president of the project Sarajevo – cultural centre if Europe 1993/94, and member of the Executive Committee of the European Association of Festivals. He was the first president of the Lions Club Sarajevo. He was representative in the Bosnia & Herzegovina Parliament Assembly for three mandates.
Leonardo Punginelli – Italy
Since 2004, he has been the Secretary of the Italian BJCEM Committee. Since 2016, he has been Director of the Young Artists Association of Emilia-Romagna. Since 1989, he has been Head of the Young Artists Office of the Municipality of Ferrara. He has written and coordinated projects at national level in the field of youth creativity and urban regeneration. He has designed and directed exhibition and cultural spaces of the Municipality of Ferrara and has organized numerous exhibition events, from 1990 to today, at local, regional, and national level.
Abdo Nawar, Dr – Lebanon
He has been active on the Lebanese arts scene since 1982. He has staged several plays and has directed several documentaries and short films. Since 2001, in addition to his artistic activities in broadcasting and theatre, Abdo Nawar has founded ICARE dedicated to the visual arts and multimedia in Beirut. In addition, he directs the SHAMS association and he is a board member of the BJCEM. A lecturer in several Lebanese universities (ALBA, FBAA, NDU, etc.), he has been on the teaching staff at the Institute of Fine Arts of the Lebanese University since 2014. Since 2007, together with Claudine Dussollier, he co-directs RAMI, an experimentation and distribution platform that organizes international exchanges concerning contemporary art, digital tools and multimedia. He took the initiative for organizing the Averroès conferences in Lebanon, the Multaka Ibd Rushd, launched in 2012.
Rita Canarezza – San Marino
Since 1993, she is fostering the active participation of the Republic of San Marino within BJCEM network and has been Cultural Operator at the Cultural Institutes of the Republic of San Marino, Performing Arts section (relating to the Ministry of Education and Culture, Department of Culture and Tourism), where she currently works on the project to open the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art of the Republic of San Marino. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, she is part of the postgraduate research program CCA – Center for Contemporary Art of Kitakyusu in Japan for one year (1998 – 1999) as student of Marina Abramović.
Elena Christodoulidou – Cyprus
Since 2010, she is Senior Cultural Officer in the Cultural Services of the Ministry, responsible for the departments of Cinema, Fine arts, Music and the European Affaires. She respectively is Chairwoman of the Cinema Advisory Committee and the official representative of Cyprus at the EFAD and of the Committee of Works of Art Acquisition, at the Ministry of Education and Culture aiming at the enrichment of the State’s Collection of Contemporary Cypriot Art. She was a Jury Member of different International Film Festivals. She represents the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus to the Audiovisual Working Group of the Council of the European Union and she is a member of the European Film Academy. In 2013, she obtained a doctorate in History of Art concerning the contemporary art of Cyprus.
Magda Makri – Greece
In 2016, Magda was appointed as National Representative of the Ministry to the statutory Bodies of BJCEM. She has been working in the Cycladic Islands Ephorate of Antiquities of the Culture Ministry, before her transfer as detached staff to the Culture Department of Ministry of Education and Research.
Nina Mudrinić Milovanović – Serbia
She is Executive of StrategieArt – Contemporary Art Centre in Belgrade which deals with visual arts. She has been a member in editorship of THEORIA Serbian philosophy magazine published by Philosophical Society of Serbia, supported by Belgrade University. She is Member of Board of The Institute for the study of Culture and Christianity, Member of Serbian Philosophy Society. She is CEO of the Belgrade Art School for Design and New Media.
Karen Venturini – San Marino
She is an assistant professor at the Department of Economics and Technology of the University of the Republic of San Marino. She is teaching Economical evaluation of projects and products at the undergraduate degree course in Industrial Design, University of San Marino – IUAV University, Venice. She received a degree in Economics and Commerce at the University of Bologna and a PhD in Engineering Management at the University of San Marino. Her research interests are in the area of cultural economics, diffusion of technologies into various settings and applications, innovation management and R&D management, open innovation, academic spin-offs.
Eleni Tsevekidou – Thessaloniki
Since 2013, she is a member of the Board of Directors of BJCEM representing the Municipality of Thessaloniki. Since 1988, she has been working in the Municipality of Thessaloniki and she currently is Head of the Directorate of Culture and Tourism with experience in organising art exhibitions, international festivals, producing artistic performances and coordinating numerous projects at local and national level in the field of culture. She has represented the Municipality of Thessaloniki in international conferences and seminars on cultural management, participates in committees and working groups for the organization of multidisciplinary festivals. She is also the head of the operation of the two music ensembles of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and determines their collaborations with artists and soloists.
Carlo Testini – Italy
Since 1990, he has been working at the National Directorate of Arci in various capacities, including as Coordinator of partnerships with companies, Head of fundraising campaigns, Organizer of numerous national events. He is currently National Coordinator of the Cultural Sector of Arci. He promoted Arci Real project, a circuit dedicated to live music; Arci Teatro, a project to enhance the theatrical experiences of the association; Arci Book, a network of reading promotion experiences; La Ville Ouverte, a program of art actions in the public space.
Michelle Bowen – U.K.
She is a highly experienced cultural leader, who has led and managed major organisational and programme development projects, as well working with leading UK strategic cultural & funding agencies and creative individuals. Michelle has an established record of accomplishment in major fundraising and is committed to artistic excellence particularly across the contemporary visual arts. She builds trustful influential relationships bringing local, national and international contacts and networks to any role.
Selim Birsel – Turkey
Since 1999, he is a member of BJCEM. He is a professional visual artist working with divers’ medium such as drawing, painting, installation, photography, video, performance… Since 1990, he is exhibiting his works in national and international shows. He is also involved on curetting since 1991 in divers’ projects and institutions; Responsible for organizing and curetting Sabancı University KASA GALLERY from 1999 until now and continuing. He is teaching Art Studios in Visual Arts (undergraduate and master degree) classes in Sabancı University since 1999.
Chiara Bobbio – Italy
She is in Charge of Cultural Activities in the Department of Culture, Archives, Museums and Libraries of Comune di Torino.
Born in Bari in 1963, Carlo Testini graduated in Economics and Statistic, specialized in fund raising. From 2007 to 2010 he was the President of the consortium Fairtrade Italia. From 2008 to 2010 he was a member of the administrative council of ICEA, the most important Italian institution for the certification of the environment. From 2009 to 2011 he was the President of Valore Sociale, association that promotes standards of certifications of corporate social responsibility . Currently he is part of the international board of BJCEM, board member of the Italian branch of the European network SMart (Mutualistic society for artists), and coordinator of the culture area of ARCI Nazionale.
Nato a Bari nel 1963, Carlo Testini è laureato in Scienze Statistiche ed Economiche, specializzato in fund raising. Dal 2007 al 2010 è stato Presidente del consorzio Fairtrade Italia. Dal 2008 al 2010 è stato componente del consiglio di amministrazione di ICEA, il più importante ente di certificazione ambientale italiano. Dal 2009 al 2011 è stato Presidente di Valore Sociale, associazione che promuove standard di certificazione sulla responsabilità sociale d’impresa. Attualmente è componente del board internazionale di BJCEM, consigliere di amministrazione della sede italiana del network europeo SMart (Società Mutualistica per artisti) e Coordinatore Area Cultura nella Direzione Nazionale dell’Arci.
BJCEM Executive Office is located in Turin, Italy, inside “Cortile del Maglio”,
at the heart of the multicultural neighbour of Borgo Dora.
Emanuela Meduri – Administration
Emanuela got a Master’s degree in non-profit Economy: social enterprises and international cooperation. Fluent in French and Spanish, good English level, for BJCEM executive office she is in charge of: financial management and control; cost control, project budget management; budget setting and update, credit management.
Stefania Inverso – General Organisation
Stefania has an academic background in art, with a post-degree in International Cultural Management and a wide experience in events organisation and management. Fluent in French and English, her job at BJCEM includes: logistic managements, organisation of events, contacts with BJCEM members, reporting of institutional meetings.
Federica Candelaresi – Executive Director
Federica is a cultural manager, with an academic background in International and Diplomatic Sciences. Fluent in French and English, she is directing the Executive Office since 2014. Her duties include, among the others: liaison with BJCEM members and partners; design of activities together with Board and President, external relations.