Gegenwarten | Presences

Public art can influence entire cities and encourage dialogue about art between residents and visitors alike. The new exhibition “Gegenwarten | Presences”, comparable to the “Sculpture Projects Münster”, will present a selection of artistic pieces which has the potential to attract national and even international attention.
Chemnitz has a long tradition of presenting socially relevant art in public space. Even today numerous artworks are still permanently displayed in public areas, many of which were created during the years of communist East Germany. Numerous smaller-sized projects and exhibitions in recent years have demonstrated the city’s unflagging interest in visible public artwork.
Individual artists and collectives, such as the atelier le balto and the Observatorium Rotterdam, which intensively study prospective sites and work closely with the local inhabitants, are invited to create new works for public display in the city of Chemnitz. The artworks are primarily intended for areas in downtown Chemnitz and the surrounding quarters where the city’s industrial history, as well as infrastructural and socio-economic changes have made their mark over the 30 years since the end of the GDR. The exhibition route will be open between June and September 2020 and include more than 20 sites and stations. Many of the sculptures, installations, performances and participative projects will forge connections between visual and performing arts, literature, fashion and design.

Artistic director: Florian Matzner
Curator: Sarah Sigmund
Artists: atelier le balto, Nadja Buttendorf, Anetta Mona Chişa & Lucia Tkáčová, Else Gabriel, Shilpa Gupta, Patricia Kaersenhout, Klub Solitaer e. V., Mischa Kuball, Philip Metz, Henrike Naumann, Olaf Nicolai, Observatorium, Ooze Architects & Marjetica Potrč, Lydia Ourahmane, Peng! Collective, Roman Signer, Weltecho, Anna Witt, Tobias Zielony, ZONA D (Eliza Goldox & Sandy Becker, with: Tita Salina & Irwan Ahmett, Franziska Gerth, Rodrigo Andreolli, Trakal, Gian Spina, Samuel Georgy, Areej Huniti, Anna Zett, Ki Hyun Park, Noor Abed, Felipe Steinberg, Beatrice Schuett Moumdjian, Jafar Al Jabi, Julia Kiehlmann, Yvonne Buchheim, Omnia Sabry)