contact : Stefaan van Biesen

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e-mail: stefaan@stefaanvanbiesen.com

P R I V A T E F O U N D A T I O N

Private Foundation [private stichting] van Biesen-Mestdagh, Estate & Archive.

the Milena principle

Annemie Mestdagh & Stefaan van Biesen
Kleine Boomgaardstraat 14

9120 Melsele Beveren Belgium.

Mobile : +32(0)472862542

The Private Foundation Van Biesen-Mestdagh (PFVBM) is a non-profit legal entity based in Beveren (Belgium). It serves as the legal and administrative structure for the Milena principle, an interdisciplinary artistic and cultural platform. This platform initiates and supports a wide range of artistic and cultural events centered around walking as an art form and art as a nomadic, site-responsive practice, with a strong focus on long-term and international initiatives in walking arts, ecological engagement, and place-based research.

The Milena principle is recognized for its interdisciplinary and embodied artistic practices, deeply rooted in locality and often developed through extensive international collaboration. Core themes include ecological awareness, poetic activism, slowness, sensory knowledge, and the commons. The platform regularly partners with universities, art institutions, and environmental organizations to coordinate complex, transnational cultural projects.

One of its flagship initiatives, Made of Walking, was launched under PFVBM and has grown into an international gathering that brings together artists, researchers, performers, writers, ecologists, and activists from around the world who explore walking as a form of embodied knowledge, creative expression, ecological engagement, and interdisciplinary research.
Through Made of Walking, PFVBM has played a key role in several previous and major collaborations with WALC partners:

It has been actively involved in the Walking Arts Encounters in Prespa since 2019, organized by the University of Western Macedonia (UOWM).
It was a co-initiator of The Walking Body encounters and co-founded Walk.Lab2PT at the University of Minho in Portugal (UMinho).
It collaborated with Nau Côclea on the biannual Walking Arts Conferences in Catalonia (2022 and 2024).
It has maintained a long-term relationship with walk listen create (WLC), an online community whose main annual activity, Sound Walk September, has its origins in the Made of Walking encounters.

Through these collaborations, PFVBM not only shares a strong conceptual affinity with the themes of WALC (Walking Arts and Local Communities) but also demonstrates a proven track record of active cooperation with four of the six remaining WALC partners.
Additionally, PFVBM coordinated the Grundtvig European project "A Knocking Bird", an urban e-culture initiative focused on walking as a means to explore the relationship between city inhabitants and birdlife.

Anna-Maria (Annemie) Mestdagh (B), Co-founder PFVBM, expert in wellbeing, production assistant for exhibitions and art projects in Belgium and Europe within the Milena principle. Assists and advises artists and art organisations with media design. Trained in digital techniques and web design. For various art organisations (WIT urban Team, the Milena principle) and individual artists, she realised attributes for performances and assistance during the preparation and production. During art projects or performances she works as a collaborator and photographer. Her role in WALC goes throughout all work packages as one of the project managers, and as well supervising web design, digital design, documentation, production and post production of the activities.

Stefaan van Biesen (B). Co-founder and president of PFVBM. Artist with a central role for walking in his practice, serving as tools for ecological and social engagement. He invests heavily in collaborations with artists, scientists, and multidisciplinary experts. He is managing archives for The Milena Principle. Co-founder of The Milena Principle (international art platform) and Made of Walking. Co-founder of Earth Connections, a traveling art archive. His works are held in private collections and museums across Europe, Brazil, and China, with projects in 15+ countries. His role in WALC goes throughout all work packages as one of the project managers, curatorial lead, and as well supervising web design, digital design, documentation, production and post production of the activities.

Resume activities:

• The CKV (Centrum Kunstarchieven Vlaanderen/ Center for Art Archives of Flanders) is a central hub for the distributed care of art archives and estates. It is an operationally autonomous organization within M HKA (Museum Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen/ Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp), focused on the preservation, sustainable public access and active fielding of visual art archives in public and private management.

The private Van Biesen-Mestdagh Foundation manages the archives of the Milena principle (independent international art platform), Wit Urban-Team and Stefaan van Biesen's own artistic legacy and is in consultation with the CVK.

• Member and co-founder|organizer of WALK [Walking Arts and Local Communities] a four-year international project, co-funded by the European Union through Creative Europe. The project aims to promote cooperation between communities in rural and natural settings by using walking as an artistic and participatory practice.

• Founding member of Art/NaturSci Movement [Mary Patricia Warming USA/Berlin] 2020.

• Member of the ArtScience Exhibits community Berlin [Humboldt University] 2018. Part of Earth Connections, a traveling art work archive. Manifest/o for the inaugural exhibit of the Art/NaturSci Movement. Curated by Mary Patricia Warming [USA/Berlin].

• Active as a member of a civic platform STOFF that seeks to repurpose special trees as urban as landscape memorials. This is in the context of asbestos victims, with hundreds more being diagnosed with lung cancer every year. The result of an ecological tragedy and concealed pollution for profit, which is an acute public health hazard. Together with his wife Annemie Mestdagh, they created an educational school program on the subject of pollution, ecology and nature awareness.

• Menber of the Grand Jury for the Sound Walk September Awards of walk · listen · create (WLC) 2024.

• Co-founder and president of VZW RASA [art education for youngsters] (1994-1999).

• Co-founder and member of the Milena principle [international independent art platform, since 2000]. Curator Artemis Potamianou (MOMA NY & Tate London UK), who is currently based in Athens, considers the Milena principle as one of the 49 most important independent art platforms from all over the world, distinguishing themselves by working on unconventional ways and by establishing unexpected and influential debates on art. [the Milena principle was selected by Artemis Potamianou for the Athens Art Fair, ART-ATHINA 2014/2015/2017, Platforms project 2018].

• Former member of China Blue, A Blue Supreme [2018] & WIT Urban Team [Warp Coup de Ville 2010].

• President of the Private Foundation van Biesen-Mestdagh [since 2005].

• Works in several private collections and museums in Europe, Brazil and China. Worked as an artist in Belgium • Netherlands • France • Germany • United Kingdom • Poland • Italy• Serbia • Greece • Cyprus •ortugal • Brazil • USA and China •

• Soundscapes and compositions for theater plays, choreograhphy, performances, art video and international sound art events.

• Wikipedia: research/publishing Wikipedia pages on deceased or still active artists who have made significant contributions to the world of the arts, both pedagogically and for their artistic legacy.