iMAL.org

Name

iMAL.org

Legal name

asbl iMAL vzw

Website

https://imal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

iMAL is a Brussels-based non-profit art center and Fablab founded in 1999 that supports digital and new media artists through exhibitions, residencies, and digital fabrication access, funded by Belgian bi-communal and European public sources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Arts Center

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAGAA

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Personal Enrichment & Hobby Learning (Arts, Crafts, Music, Cooking)

SECONDARYEDAAAGAO

Arts & Culture Appreciation (Art History, Film Appreciation, Music Appreciation)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Personal Enrichment & Hobby Learning (Arts, Crafts, Music, Cooking)

Keywords

• Digital arts center
• Artist residency programs
• Digital fabrication Fablab
• Cultural venue rental
• Art technology workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fan Club Memberships: Annual memberships with tiered benefits: FAN (€50) includes exhibition access; SUPPORTER (€250) adds special events and catalogues; AMBASSADOR (€1000) includes exclusive visits and artist meetings.
2. Space Rentals: Rental of venue spaces including Foyer and Arena (128 sqm), Exhibition Hall (283 sqm), Polly (87 sqm), Suzanne (31 sqm), and Rhino (64 sqm) for events, workshops, conferences, and receptions.
3. Corporate Events and Training: Customized corporate packages including guided exhibition tours, Fablab workshops, conferences, and team-building activities for company employees.
4. Fablab Memberships: Monthly subscription (€65/month) or annual subscription (€200/year) for Fablab access, with discounted rate (€100/year) for Molenbeek residents and art school students.
5. Donations: Tax-deductible donations through Friends of iMAL Fund at King Baudouin Foundation (IBAN BE10 0000 0000 0404, structured communication 020/1070/00058).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

iMAL is a Brussels-based non-profit art center that supports artistic practices using computer and network technologies by running exhibitions, artist residencies, and a public Fablab for digital fabrication. It generates revenue through tiered memberships, Fablab access subscriptions, corporate events and training, and venue space rentals, while relying on public institutional funding and donations for its core programming.

Product overview

iMAL is an art center for digital cultures and technology in Brussels that operates as a unified offering combining exhibition programming, artist residencies, and digital fabrication access. The core portfolio includes the main Art Center (exhibitions, performances, lectures), Fablab.iMAL (digital fabrication workshop with 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines), iMAL Project Office and Fellowship Programme (residency programs), Space Rental and Corporate Events services, Membership Programs, Publications archive, and the Boîte à Outils pedagogical resource library. The organization positions its Fablab as a shared workshop that supports artistic practices while remaining accessible to the broader public, with membership tiers and residency programs forming key pillars of its service offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• iMAL Art Center An art center for digital cultures and technology in Brussels offering exhibitions, performances, lectures, screenings, and educational programs that explore the intersection of art, science, technology, and social innovation; open to the public.
• Fablab.iMAL A digital fabrication workshop equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC milling machines, electronics tools, and traditional hand tools, accessible to members, resident artists, and businesses for artistic and creative projects.
• iMAL Project Office (iPO) Annual open-call residency program supporting the creation and professionalization of the Belgian art scene, providing production residencies, funding, and expert support for artistic projects using digital technologies.
• Fellowship Programme A residency program supporting artistic creation through production residencies for international artists in collaboration with a Belgian art collection.
• Space Rental Rental of event spaces including The Foyer and Arena (183 sqm combined), Exhibition Hall (283 sqm), Polly (87 sqm), Suzanne (31 sqm), and Rhino (64 sqm) for workshops, conferences, receptions, and private events.
• Corporate Events & Training Corporate event hosting and customized training including guided exhibition tours, Fablab workshops, conferences, and tailored programs on digital skills for company employees.
• Membership Programs (Fan Club) Three-tier annual membership offering access to exhibitions, artist talks, lectures, guided tours, special member events, free exhibition catalogues, and exclusive visits and artist meetings (iMAL-FAN €50, iMAL-SUPPORTER €250, iMAL-AMBASSADOR €1,000 per year).
• Fablab Memberships Monthly (€65/month) and annual (€200/year, or €100/year reduced rate for Molenbeek residents and art-school students) subscriptions granting access to Fablab machines during public hours with reservation.
• Publications Catalogues, books, and DVDs documenting past exhibitions and projects including Numeristique, Fractal Flowers, GEO GOO, Holy Fire, and Infiltrations Digitales.
• Boîte à Outils (Toolbox) A pedagogical resource library providing activity sheets and tutorials for fablab workshops, developed during the CASTII social-inclusion project and made available under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25+ years of continuous operation supporting digital art in Belgium
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and supporting.

• EASTN (European Arts-Sciences-Technology Network)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017European network including FACT, Lieu Unique, CCCB Barcelona, and CERN for collaborative art-science-technology projects.
• Fédération Wallonie-BruxellescoreOthersPrimary public funder supporting iMAL's structural operations through the Digital Arts cell and General Directorate for Culture. Core institutional support for the organization's programming and activities.
• Vlaanderen (Flemish Government)coreOthersPublic funding from the Flemish Government and Flemish Brussels Fund (Vlaams Brusselfonds) and Flemish Community Commission (VGC). Reflects iMAL's bi-communal approach serving both French and Flemish communities.
• InnoviriscoreOthersBrussels Institute for Research and Innovation funding, supporting research and innovation projects at iMAL.
• European Commission (ERDF)coreOthersEuropean Regional Development Fund supporting CASTII project that doubled iMAL's infrastructure along the canal in Brussels (2014-2020 programming period).
• Fondation OrangesupportingOthersPrivate partner providing support for Fablab activities and programming.
• SelligentsupportingOthersPrivate sector partner supporting iMAL's activities.
• International Art Partners (LINK, LABoral, LIMA, V2, MU, FACT, Ars Electronica, CIANT, Public Art Lab, m-cult, Medialab Prado, Waag Society, Seconde Nature, Gaieté Lyrique, BEK, Elektra, Mutek, Rhizome)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of digital art and media art institutions for artist exchanges, residencies, and collaborative programming across Europe and beyond.
• R&D Labs (CICM, LIMSI, LaBRI, bwFLA, LabArts/ISIB, LISA/ULB, SMIT/VUB, Goldsmiths University London)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and development partnerships with academic institutions for technology development and artistic research projects.
• Fablab Network (Belgium: Budalab, Timelab, Fablab Leuven, Fablab Erasmus, TRAKK, Re-Lab; Europe: MediaLab Prado, LABoral, IaaC Barcelona)supportingTechnology or IntegrationNetwork of Fablabs in Belgium and Europe for knowledge sharing, collaborative projects, and maker community connections.
• King Baudouin FoundationsupportingOthersHosts the Friends of iMAL Fund for tax-deductible donations with structured communication reference 020/1070/00058.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe: German museum and production center for media arts combining exhibitions, research, and production across digital culture. Comparable in scope to iMAL's hybrid exhibition-and-production model.
• MU Hybrid Art House: Eindhoven-based hybrid art center focused on the intersection of technology, design, and contemporary culture through exhibitions, workshops, and residencies. Listed as an international art partner of iMAL.
• Medialab Prado: Madrid-based public laboratory for digital culture, citizen production, and open-source fabrication. Listed as both an international art partner and Fablab network partner of iMAL.
• HEK (House of Electronic Arts): Basel-based Swiss institution for media art operating exhibitions and programs around digital/electronic art. Comparable scale and curatorial focus on technology-driven contemporary art.
• Le Fresnoy – Studio National des Arts Contemporains: Tourcoing (France)-based national art center offering residencies, exhibitions, and a production studio for digital and contemporary art. Comparable mission and residency-driven model to iMAL.
• Waag Society: Amsterdam-based research institute for technology and society operating a Fablab and artist residencies at the intersection of art, technology, and social innovation. Strongly comparable mission and Fablab orientation to iMAL.
• V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media: Rotterdam-based center for art and technology offering exhibitions, residencies, and workshops at the intersection of art and unstable/digital media. Listed as a strategic international art partner of iMAL.
• FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology): Liverpool-based art center dedicated to film, art, and creative technology, offering exhibitions, residencies, and learning programs. Listed as a strategic international art partner of iMAL and member of the EASTN network.
• Ars Electronica: Long-established Linz-based art, technology, and society institute that operates the Prix Ars Electronica awards (which iMAL-affiliated projects have won). Compares as a pioneer art-tech center with exhibitions, residencies, and a Fablab-style production environment.
• Laboral Centro de Arte: Gijón-based Spanish art and industrial creation center combining exhibitions, residencies, and a Fablab/Laboratorio de Fabricación. Listed as a strategic international art partner of iMAL.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/imalorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/imagicy
• Facebookfacebook.com/50564320935
• Instagraminstagram.com/imal_brussels
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/interactive-media-art-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about iMAL.org