The International Association of the Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean (BJCEM) was born in Sarajevo in July 2001, during the X edition of the homonymous event, in order to reinforce the joint work and the relations among the different institutions and associations operating in the cultural field from the Euro-Mediterranean area: today the BJCEM Association is a network which gathers 71 members from 20 countries, local bodies, ministries, associations, cultural nstitutions, and is open to the membership of local and national bodies from Europe and the Mediterranean.

The main target of the Association Bjcem is to promote the young artist's creativity, to encourage international exchanges and the development of pacific relations across the Mediterranean area. The International Association BJCEM is a wide network, encouraging the intercultural exchanges through the political and geographical frontiers: the structure of the Association promotes cultural exchanges beyond the existing political and cultural borders, thus presenting a Europe and a Mediterranean willing to dialogue and joint work.

The Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean was founded in 1984, thanks to an idea by ARCI Kids, the office of ARCI focused on young people, aiming to allow young European and Mediterranean artists to meet periodically in the main cities around the 'mare nostrum'.

In those times young creation was regarded as a marginal sector in the world of art and in the cultural market. At the same time, the youngsters of Barcelona, Marseille, Turin, Zagreb, Alger began to share projects and languages, developing a common feeling welcomed and amplified by the Biennial.

After Tendencias (Barcelona, 1984), prologue of the manifestation, in 1985 the Catalan city hosted the first edition of the Biennial. In this first Biennial, the artists of six different countries (Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Yugoslavia) met together with some guests from Arab and Balkan countries. In this occasion was founded the International Committee of the Biennial, that has now become the BJCEM Association.

The following editions of the Biennial of the Young Artists took place in Thessalonica (1986), in Barcelona (1987), in Bologna (1988), in Marseille (1990), in Valencia (1992), n Lisbon (1994), in Turin (1997), in Rome (1999), in Sarajevo (2001), in Athens (2003), in Naples (2005) and in Bari (2008). It's very important remember others events realized in relation to BJCEM: Anteprima rock in Turin in 1990, Rotte Méditerranée in Algérie in 1990 e Six Workshop in Sarajevo in 1998.

During the 24 years of its history the Biennial has been considered as the main window over the creation in the Mediterranean, presenting the works of artists from 18 to 30 years, from different fields: architecture, comic strip, cinema, video, industrial and digital creations, photography, writing, gastronomy, music, theatre, dance, etc.