The Chemnitz art festival "Begehungen" is delighted to announce a record number of visitors. For the first time, more than 8,000 people came to the festival in Chemnitz. Only at the 2022 edition in Thalheim were more people counted, but the spectacle ran a whole weekend longer back then.
"With around 5,000 visitors, the crowds at the festival weekend were already overwhelming. But the fact that hundreds of people also found their way to our exhibition on each of the following weekdays was completely unexpected," explained festival spokesperson Lars Neuenfeld.
This time, the starting point was the peaceful revolution 35 years ago. The exhibition brought together 22 works of contemporary art that dealt with various forms of protest and resistance or took a critical stance towards society themselves. Very local perspectives met with views from Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, as was reported. The show included installations, paintings and graphics, sculptures, performances, video and sound art.
Big plans for next year
The festival has been transforming empty buildings into temporary galleries for contemporary art since 2003. This year, a former school building was chosen that references protest history. The Chemnitz school model was initiated here during the peaceful revolution of 1989/90 as an alternative to the GDR school system.
When Chemnitz becomes European Capital of Culture next year, the organizers of "Begehungen" are planning a top-class festival lasting several weeks. "Unfortunately, we can't reveal the location yet, but we will be able to say something about it in the next few weeks," emphasized the festival spokesperson.
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