“Everything is interaction. Nothing stands alone; a common bond surrounds all organic nature.” The great naturalist Alexander von Humboldt wrote these lines at the beginning of the 19th century under the impression of his first major trip to America from 1799 to 1804. During his visit to Lake Valencia in Venezuela, Humboldt realised, among other things, that its continuous loss of water was a result of deforestation to create plantations. He identified the lack of wood and water, but also the risk of flooding due to dried-out soil, as a result of human intervention.
Even then, Humboldt’s understanding of interactions in nature can be applied far beyond the concept of nature. The plantations on Lake Valencia established by the Spanish colonial rulers are an expression of the exploitation of nature, but they also point to systemic structures of exploitation, to poverty on the one hand and limitless wealth on the other. The exploitation of resources still means destruction and prosperity, income and industrial action, food and species extinction, blessing and curse. The interactions in nature are inextricable, but are the mechanisms of exploitation just as inextricable?
The Begehungen art festival will take place in 2025 on the site of the decommissioned brown coal heating and power plant Nord in Chemnitz. The 22nd edition of the art festival will take a future-oriented look at burning issues such as resource consumption, species extinction and climate change. The aim of the festival is to raise awareness of the complexity of the issues, to show global interrelationships and to stimulate new discourses. The festival is intended to become a place of encounter, exchange and inspiration.
The Begehungen art festival is part of the official program of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025.
EXHIBITION
The exhibition will show 25 – 30 works by international contemporary artists, which will be complemented by a festival program with concerts, readings, lectures and performances. The exhibition will be created through works selected by the artistic director, an artist-in-residence program with the European partner festivals of the Begehungen and project ideas from the open call advertised worldwide. The artists who have already confirmed their participation include Hito Steyerl, Ursula Biemann, Gregor Schneider, Amparo Sard, Rikuo Ueda, Daniel Otero Torres, Daniel Canogar, Johanna M. Reich, Diana Lelonek, Nadja Kaabi-Linke and Günther and Loredana Selichar.
The artistic director of the exhibition is Dr. Claudia Tittel. Since 2009, she has worked as a freelance curator and cultural manager in Germany and abroad, including for the Berlin Academy of Arts, the Vilnius National Gallery, the Klinger Forum Leipzig, the Klassik Stiftung Weimar and the Gera Art Collection. In 2016, she was part of the founding team of the Häselburg Cultural Center – Center for New Perspectives and Creativity in Gera. Since 2004, she has taught at universities in Berlin, Leipzig, Jena and Weimar. Dr. Tittel has published widely on contemporary art, media art and architecture. She lives and works in Valencia and Gera.
VENUE
The Nord heating plant was built in 1957. As the city expanded and heat and energy demand increased, the Nord heating plant was expanded to its current size in the early 1980s. On January 18, 2024, the brown coal power plant was shut down and decommissioned by the operator eins energie in sachsen GmbH & Co. KG.
The chimney of the heating plant is known far beyond the city limits. At over 300 meters, it is the tallest building in Saxony. In 2013, the functional building became a widely visible work of art and one of Chemnitz’s most popular landmarks. The corresponding concept was developed by the French artist Daniel Buren under the title Seven Colors for a Chimney.
The Begehungen art festival uses an area of approx. 15,000 square meters for a wide range of opportunities for artistic discussions. In addition to the extensive, partially green outdoor area, the historically significant cooling tower 1, which dates back to the early 1960s, and various technical facilities, such as the huge metal deionized water tanks, are available as exhibition spaces. In addition, an exhibition area of more than 2000 square meters will be created in three large industrial halls.
OPEN CALL
The Begehungen art festival is looking for works of art that, with a view to the festival title EVERYTHING IS INTERACTION, make the complexity of the issues of resource consumption, species extinction and climate change visible on various level.
We are interested in creative reflections on the social, ecological and economic consequences of the climate crisis, on the debate on questions of justice and power, and on the social crises associated with it. Site-specific works that include the history, purpose or architecture of the festival location are possible.
The Open Call:
in 2025 is intended as a direct support for young artists and is therefore explicitly aimed at people who have not yet turned 30. The deadline is December 31, 2025 (so anyone born before January 1, 1995 cannot unfortunately take part in the Open Call).
For groups, this age limit applies in the sense of the average age of the people involved in the group.
The exhibition is open to all genres of visual art. Existing works can be submitted, as can conceptual works or performances.
Participation in the exhibition is remunerated with an exhibition fee of 800 EUR (gross). Costs for sending the works there and back are borne by the organiser. Conceptual and/or participatory works can be implemented with a material subsidy of a maximum of 1,000 EUR. If there is a need for coordinated assembly and dismantling by the artist or assistants, travel costs will be reimbursed and free accommodation will be provided (maximum 5 days).
The following applies to performances: If it is ensured that the performance can be performed at the festival venue on at least three consecutive days during the festival period, it will be remunerated with a total of 500 EUR (gross). In addition, travel and accommodation costs are borne by the organiser (please state the place of travel in the application).
It is also possible to apply as a group. The exhibition fee is paid per work, not per person.
After the application phase ends, the festival team, together with the artistic director, selects the works invited to the exhibition.
Deadline: 15.02.25, 23:59 (CEST)
Website link: https://www.begehungen-festival.de/en/open-call-22-kunstfestival-begehungen/
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