MISSION
Founded in 1989 in Brussels, ARGOS is an institution and resource for the presentation, production, and study of critical audiovisual arts, as well as for its distribution, conservation and restoration.

ARGOS considers the audiovisual as a primary means of looking at and understanding the world in more open and integrated ways. Supporting a multiplicity of voices in society, it fosters dialogue with a broad range of institutional and non-institutional partners, both in Brussels and beyond, and seeks new ways to engage diverse audiences.

ARGOS makes exhibitions and programmes, distributes moving image works, and builds, preserves, and discloses a prominent collection of artist films and videos. It also houses a unique media library containing a broad selection of publications, as well as the audiovisual works of the collection, which is open to both professionals and the general public. Additionally, it develops original research projects relating to significant gaps in art history and its relationship to culture and society.

Through these various activities, ARGOS aims to more fully understand the past and present of audiovisual arts, as well as provide tools to collectively imagine and shape its futures.

Collection / Media library
More than 15,000 tapes and 4,000 publications.
ARGOS houses the richest collection of artist films and videos in Belgium, being a reference for audiovisual arts internationally. With more than 5000 titles covering more than fifty years of production, the expertise and care we bring to building and maintaining our collection is unconditional.

Unlike traditional museum collections, ours isn't based upon the exclusive ownership of art objects. Instead, we hold specific rights with regards to the works in our collection. These include archiving and preservation rights, non-exclusive distribution rights, user's rights for education and scientific research, and screening rights within our institution's walls.

In return, we commit ourselves to archiving and preserving the audiovisual works in our collection in the best conditions. To accommodate this, we develop and implement long-term preservation strategies and pursue proactive archiving policies. This involves the remaining informed about internationally applicable standards, as well as the continuous evaluation of, and adjustment to the latest technical developments.

We further hold unique expertise concerning the degradation of analogue carriers, the obsolescence of playback devices, the digitisation and restauration of analogue audiovisual artworks, and the handling, quality control, and storage of digitised or digital born materials.

Collection in-the-making
ARGOS considers its collection far from complete, but as continuously-in-the-making. It merely presents one specific way of looking at developments in artist film and video, one which is closely linked to the history of our institution. We continuously seek to enrich, adapt, and introduce new perspectives to the collection. For this reason, we invite visiting curators of distribution and accommodate and initiate a broad range of research projects.

We give visibility to the works from our collection through public programming, through the media library, and through small presentations.

Browse our online collection catalogue
This catalogue collects all info about the works in our collection.
https://2019.argosarts.org/page.jsp?id=804&lang=en

VISIT US

PRACTICAL INFO:

Thursday - Sunday 12-19:00
Monday - Wednesday Closed

We're exceptionally closed on Thursday 11 November.

VENUE
ARGOS centre for audiovisual arts
Werfstraat 13 Rue du Chantier
1000 Brussels, Belgium
+32 (0)2 229 00 03

VAT
BE 0431.119.765

ENTRANCE:
- ARGOS Exhibitions (Repeated entry to all exhibitions on view throughout a particular exhibition period.)

We have three levels of entry, please contribute how you can:
- 10 € Friends
- 7 € Supporters
- 4 € Fans

Other:
- 2 € Paspartoe
- 1,25 € Article 27
- 0 € Children (-18), teachers, people with disabilities and their personal assistants, ICOM card holders, Museum Pass holders, press, IKT members, SUBBACULTCHA members

ARGOS Events (Nocturnes, lectures, screenings, performances, concerts, workshops…)
- 2€

ARGOS Neighbour Pass
- 1€ for inhabitants of the Kaaien-wijk (valid for life)
- Entrance to all ARGOS exhibitions and events with the entire family

Since 1994, ARGOS has been primarily subsidised by the Flemish Community. In 1999, after several relocations across town, we found our current home in a former storage facility in the historic ‘Les Quais' district of downtown Brussels. This industrial building has been gradually turned into a multifunctional platform containing two exhibition spaces, a projection room, a media library, a climate-controlled archive, studios, offices, a café, and a bookshop.

In late 2018, Niels Van Tomme became the director of ARGOS. He was preceded by Rolf Quaghebeur (2011-2018), Paul Willemsen (1996-2012), Katerina Gregos (2006-2007), and founding directors Frie Depraetere (1989-2013) and Koen Van Daele (1989-1993).

Source:
www.argosarts.org/our-mission

_________

NL

Onze missie

ARGOS werd opgericht in 1989 in Brussel en is een instituut, en bron, voor de studie, productie en vooruitgang van kritische audiovisuele kunsten, evenals de distributie, het behoud en de restauratie ervan.

ARGOS beschouwt het audiovisuele als een belangrijk middel om op meer open en geïntegreerde manieren de wereld te bekijken en te begrijpen. We ondersteunen een veelheid aan stemmen in de samenleving en gaan in dialoog met een breed scala aan institutionele en niet-institutionele partners, zowel in Brussel als daarbuiten. Zo willen we een steeds ruimer en ​​meer divers publiek bij onze activiteiten betrekken.

ARGOS maakt tentoonstellingen en programma's, distribueert audiovisuele werken en bouwt, beheert en ontsluit een prominente collectie van kunstenaarfilms en -video's. We hebben ook een unieke mediatheek met een ruime selectie van publicaties en de audiovisuele werken van de collectie, die zowel voor professionals als het algemene publiek toegankelijk is. Daarnaast ontwikkelen we originele onderzoeksprojecten met betrekking tot vooraanstaande hiaten in de kunstgeschiedenis en de relatie ervan tot cultuur en maatschappij.

Via deze verschillende activiteiten wil ARGOS het verleden en het heden van de audiovisuele kunsten beter doorgronden, en ook instrumenten bieden om collectief hun toekomst in te beelden en opnieuw vorm te geven.

Source:
www.argosarts.org/nl/onze-missie