OSTEN

Over the course of two weeks and in numerous artistic events, the Osten Festival wants to make “the East” visible. Based on “Eastern” attributes and identity, as a foil of both pride and prejudice, the festival will investigate what the “East” means to us today. A particular focus will be the history of work and its indelible imprint on the landscape. These traces are especially visible on the festival grounds in Bitterfeld-Wolfen. With visual art exhibitions, projects of encounter, performances and plays, the festival shall present a narrative of work, change, upheaval and the future.

The festival will begin with a premiere in the Kulturpalast in Bitterfeld-Wolfen by the opera and theatre director Sebastian Baumgarten, coproduced by the Staatsschauspiel Dresden. A number of guest performances will also take place in the Kulturpalast, supplemented by readings, discussions and smaller events. On the grounds of the adjacent Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemiepark with its ultra-modern facilities, the festival will use several vacant halls and buildings nearby – remnants of 150 years of industrial history – as additional exhibition and performance venues. There, visitors can discover the installations and works by such artists as Tobias Zielony, Regina José Galindo, Franziska Klose, Armin Petras and Ant Hampton. A longer-term, participation-based focus will anchor the project in the region. Joint collaborations with the Bauhaus Dessau und universities in Leipzig and Halle aim to expand the programme to attract and integrate young artistic talent.

Artistic director: Aljoscha Begrich, Ludwigk Haugk, Christine Leyerle

Artists: Sebastian Baumgarten, Cecile Belmont, Regina José Galindo, Franziska Klose, Ant Hampton, Sven Johne, Armin Petras, Julia Schmidt, Akira Takayama, Tobias Zielony

Partners: Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, Berlin Academy of the Arts, Industrie- und Filmmuseum Wolfen, Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig (HGB), Bauhaus Dessau, International Theatre Festival KONTAKT Torun, Theatre Ljubljana and others