International Village Show

There are far more villages than cities on earth. Half of the world’s population lives in rural areas. However, these areas are rarely regarded as culturally significant because most traditional cultural producers reside in cities. In the project “International Village Show”, the artist trio myvillages.org turned its attention to cultural productions in village-like contexts. The three artists invited people from ten villages worldwide to participate in the project. In a three-year-long tour, the participants developed new collective production spaces and formats at various locations. The goal was to produce films and objects together with groups and communities, amateurs and experts, which addressed locally specific themes. The participants came from villages in Hesse, central Russia, Friesland, Colorado, Ghana, northern England, Andalusia, Szechuan, northern Romania and Northern Ireland. The results have been presented in urban exhibition venues in London, Birmingham, Paris, Chongqing, Seville and Leeuwarden.

The status of the project has been presented throughout the funding period in a village kiosk at the Museum of Contemporary Art (GfZK) in Leipzig. The processes and results of the project have been documented in an “International Village Show Book”.

Artistic director: myvillages.org

Artists: Kathrin Böhm, Wapke Feenstra (NL), Antje Schiffers