ONBOARDS – ONboards

The ONBOARDS Biennale is an exhibition of artworks displayed on the city’s street billboards.
The exhibition presents artworks from national and international established and upcoming artists and works from art students.
With the ONBOARDS biennale, we aim to bring art closer to society, address the general public in their daily environment, and offer a possibility of participation for both artists, stakeholders of the art world, and the audience.
A billboard as street furniture can facilitate art and disseminate ideas. In this project, a billboard becomes a meeting point of dialogue, culture, and education within the public space. By doing so, we provide to both established and upcoming artists new, multiple audiences and open up a new arena for an encounter of competing perceptions and ideas. Together with recognised artists and key players of the art world, we aim to promote both students and upcoming artists from around the globe.
We believe that art is a communicative practice that contributes to the flourishing of the community members as a whole. By bringing art into shared public spaces, the ONBOARDS Biennale aims to create a possibility of social interaction, provoke public dialogue and offer new social and cultural experiences, promoting communication, reflection, self-awareness and humanity.

ONBOARDS BIENNALE Show Up/Show Off

2021

From June 28 till July 25 2021, the public can discover 200 art prints on Antwerp city’s billboards. The exhibition presents art prints from (inter) national established and emerging artists, artists from Antwerp Art Galleries, ToBe Antwerp and from art students of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Sint Lucas Antwerp.

Additional in this sixth edition is a public award, free performances and a symposium in the public space on 3, 10 and 24 July. An audio tour is also available through the website.

THE QUARANTINE EDITION

2020

The world is currently facing an extraordinary situation. How do artists experience and view the Corona crisis? Artists responded promptly by activating the empty billboards in the empty streets. We are all facing the same crisis, confronted with others and with ourselves. Art can depict those feelings and give hope.

We are present and this is our contribution.

INSIDE THE BILLBOARD PROJECT

2018

Inside the Billboard Project was an exhibition of a collection of artworks, documentation and research of the Billboard Project Antwerp from 2007 to 2017.

This exhibition took place in the Lange Zaal of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and was curated by Natali Sarkisyan, Els De Vos and Tine Poot

Works of art, placed in public space, are seen daily and are therefore interpreted by the general public. Art stimulates communication between different social groups. Art can be socially involved and often shows a surprising view of society.

When Art Seeks Understanding: The Billboard as a Meeting Point

2016

In 2016, the Billboard Project became The Meeting Point, where artists, art students, architecture students and the public could meet and give their opinion about their perception of art. This edition of the Billboard Project Antwerp investigated whether the artistic meaning of a work can influence our daily lives by displaying and interpreting an artwork in public space.

This project was made in collaboration with artist Natali Sarkisyan and Sanja Tomic, Pr.dr.Els De Vos and her students from the University of Antwerp, PhD Tine Poot and students from The Fine Art Academy in Antwerp.

BILLBOARD PROJECT III

2011

The 3’rd edition of the Billboard Project Antwerp went further than ‘just being an open air-exhibition ‘. We became interested in the way the general public perceived the artworks: the billboards were constantly changing during the course of the project, depending on the time of day, the light and of course the viewer.

We have noticed the interest of the general public and came up with the idea of visual research.

ARTIST STATEMENT AND COMMUNICATION

2009

Two years after the first edition the Billboard Project Antwerp was relaunched, this time under the title: Artist Statement and Communication. AC Billboards offered the artists 9 double-sided billboards on one of the most prominent streets in Antwerp: the Schoenmarkt. While placing the works of art in the billboards, passers-by showed great interest in what was going on.

INSIGHT

2007

The Billboard Project Antwerp was established in October 2007. Fifty original works of art by various Belgian and international artists were exhibited in the city center. These artworks were placed in Agrafa and AC Billboards. The exhibition lasted one week. The project was titled: Insight. A guided walkthrough was organized on opening night.

This project was made in collaboration with Peter Bosteels, Liesbeth De Haes, Kanako Murakami, Koenraad Claes en Sanja Tomic.