Frequently asked questions Limburg Biënnale

On this page we have gathered the frequently asked questions about the Limburg Biënnale and your participation. Navigate via the index below to the different subjects:

1. Background Limburg Biennale

From 28 June to 14 August 2022. You can find the exhibition page here.

The Limburg Biënnale is a two-yearly exhibition in the tradition of the Summer Exhibition of the Royal Academy in London. Via an open call, this exhibition brings together all sorts of artists, professionals, amateurs, hobbyists, in a festive celebration of the arts. Marres invites everybody in and around Limburg to send in their work.

With its wide range of artworks, the Limburg Biënnale shows the connection between professional and amateur arts. In addition to a small number of artists who are allowed to show their work in galleries and museums on a regular basis, there is a large number of makers who work in informal circuits. Some are organized in artist initiatives, show their work in the semi-public and have their own circle of collectors. Others are amateurs and show their work mainly in a home environment. Together, all these artists form the foundation in which the professional arts are rooted and which enables a broad public interest in art.

The Limburg Biënnale wants to give a strong cultural impulse to the region. Limburg is confronted with declining facilities for makers, a lack of private financing for projects and governments struggling with their cultural budgets. As a result, art lovers increasingly have to travel to see works by artists from their own region. The Limburg Biennale aims to counterbalance this.

The Limburg Biënnale is being held in Limburg every two years.

The Limburg Biënnale pays attention to artists from the province, but artists outside Limburg are also invited to participate.

The jury and curators team consists of members from Limburg and outside the province.

2. Open call

The open call for the second edition of the Limburg Biënnale is from 2 to 18 March 2022.

The open call is now closed.

No, application is only possible between 2 and 18 March via the online registration form. Applications that we receive outside of this period and that are sent in via other ways will not be accepted.

You can send in any type of artwork: painting, video, sculpture, audio, performance, etc.

Each artist can send a maximum of three works. It is possible that one work is chosen by the jury and curators team, but also two or all three.

You can include a hyperlink in the word document or PDF that links to the website where the video is located (via Vimeo, Youtube etc). Make sure the video is set to public, or make sure you include the password if it is protected.

In Microsoft Word you can insert images via the menu bar. Choose the options ‘Insert’, ‘Pictures’ and ‘Picture from this device’. A pop-up will appear for you to browse on your computer. Select the image you want to insert. Repeat this step until you have added all the images. See also this short instructional video. You can also add the text with additional info about the images in the file; make sure that it meets the criteria as described below.
Then, when you have all the images in the document, save the document. We prefer receiving your images in a PDF: you can do this by selecting ‘File’ in the menu bar, then ‘Export’ and ‘Create PDF or XPS’. (You can also do it via the ‘Save As’ button and select ‘pdf’ as the file type in the pop-up. See this short video for instruction.)

Make sure that your file meets the following criteria:
– Use no more than three photos per work
– Indicate the title, year of creation, size, weight and material of each artwork
– Do NOT state your name in order to assess entries anonymously.

When you have filled in the application form, you will receive a confirmation email on the email address that you provided with a copy of your details. Not received an email? Check your spambox first. If the confirmation is also not there, it is possible you made a typo in your email address. If so, please get in touch via limburgbiennale@marres.org.

In week 14 (3 to 9 April 2022) Marres contacts the artists that have been selected for the exhibition. After this, the names of the participating artists will be published on the website. If you haven’t received a message, you unfortunately did not make the selection.

When you send in your work(s) for the open call, you are aware that your works need to be available from 10 June tot 28 August. Works that cannot be at Marres for this entire period, can unfortunately not be part of the exhibition.

3. Assessment jury and curators team

The sent-in artworks will anonymously be assessed by 12 jury members / curators. Marres does not have a vote in the choice for artworks.

The jury members and curators for the Limburg Biënnale #2 are: Kymani Ceder, Paul Drissen, Afra Eisma, Gijs Frieling, Norbert Grunschel, Susanne Khalil Yusef, Femmy Otten, Derk Thijs, Roy Villevoye & Fransje Killaars, Niña Weijers and Mickey Yang.

The team of jury members consists of artists from Limburg and outside Limburg.

The jury members and curators are all visual artists. Each of them is assigned a room in Marres that they can curate with the by them selected artworks. In addition to this, they each will show maximum three artworks of their own. For the variation in perspective, in this edition there has been a member selected that is not a visual artist: with the addition of Niña Weijers there is also a writer in the jury.

No, the jury deliberation is confidential. This means we cannot share this.

No, the jury’s decision is final.

No. During the first edition the jury members had the opportunity to add an artist from their own network. They showed their work and assisted the jury in curating the rooms. They were called trump artists, because the artists that invited them were dealt a trump card. After the evaluation of the first Biënnale, we decided not to invite an extra group of artists.

4. Delivering work

When your work(s) are selected by the jury, Marres will get in touch with you mid-April about bringing your artworks to Marres and asking additional information about your works.

Yes, you are responsible to bring your works to and from Marres. This is at your own risk. The pick-up dates are Friday 10 or Saturday 11 June. When you are selected, you will receive a message with additional information.

All works are being installed by a professional installation team, so providing instructions to install your work is not necessary. If your work requires a specific way of installation, you can send in these instructions – after being selected – via email to limburgbiennale@marres.org.

Artworks are insured to a maximum amount of €500,- that solely serves as a compensation for production costs.

Marres does not offer climate control and UV-resistant glass.

5. Fee and entry

Yes, when you are selected, you get a fee of €100.

Selected artists receive a ticket that offers 10 free visits to the Limburg Biënnale. They can use this for themselves and their friends and family.

6. Selling your work

Yes you can, but this is not mandatory. A price list of the works for sale is available at the front desk of Marres.

For works connected to a gallery there are different agreements. Marres does this in consultation with the artist and gallerist.

When visitors are interested in a work, they can indicate this at the front desk of Marres. Marres then mediates between the seller and buyer.

Marres asks a commission of 20% of the selling price, to cover mediation and administration costs.

Marres contacts you when somebody is interested in your work. The price and conditions are checken one final time with both the seller and the buyer. When the purchase is definite, you will receive the instructions of financial settlement from Marres.

7. Other questions

Contact Marres via limburgbiennale@marres.org.