The winner of the 2025 dm-Award connecting worlds has been announced: Media and digital artist Benjamin Sandro Jantzen will present his project le taxi pour l’avenir heureux at the Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival Karlsruhe 2025, taking place from August 14 to September 14. The internationally announced prize, endowed with €10,000, has been awarded since 2024 to honor an outstanding project that bridges digital and analog worlds.
A Project Merging Digital Art and Social Responsibility
Jantzen’s multi-part artwork le taxi pour l’avenir heureux artistically explores the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Using AI-generated imagery, Jantzen visually interprets the SDGs as symbolic, dreamlike scenes projected onto the façade of Karlsruhe Palace.
Dr. Dominika Szope, Head of Karlsruhe’s Department of Cultural Affairs, emphasizes the importance of the project: “Benjamin Sandro Jantzen’s project impressed us with its direct engagement with the United Nations’ sustainability goals. le taxi pour l’avenir heureux opens up an artistic discourse that shows how digital art can create not only aesthetic experiences but also new perspectives on societal challenges.”
Cooperation with dm as a Sustainable Partner
The collaboration between the City of Karlsruhe and dm-drogerie markt, which sponsors the award, underscores Karlsruhe’s commitment to sustainability as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The fusion of art and social responsibility is a core principle of the connecting worlds award.
“Benjamin Sandro Jantzen’s artistic interpretation of the UN’s sustainability goals inspires us to see the familiar in new ways. Questioning what has become with a view toward what could be, and continuously sharpening our perception of the present, is something we at dm see as essential for long-term viability. That’s why we are proud to give a stage to an artist who invites the public to challenge perspectives, recognize potential, and use it for the future,” says Christoph Werner, CEO of dm-drogerie markt.
Media Art Throughout the City
In addition to the main projection on the palace façade, several “satellites” of the project will be installed throughout the city. These installations will allow people to experience Jantzen’s work during the day, independent of the nighttime projection mappings. The imaginative and surreal visuals will be accompanied by background information on each of the 17 goals. Passersby can immerse themselves in these symbolic worlds and learn more about the significance of each goal and the measures being taken to achieve them. These stations will complement the media artworks presented across the city as part of the Media art is here program.
About the Artist: Benjamin Sandro Jantzen
Born in 1979, Benjamin Sandro Jantzen is a media and digital artist based in Mannheim. His work spans glitch aesthetics, projections, and interactive visual environments. He combines digital and analog techniques, playing with the tension between control and randomness. Since 2002, he has been deeply exploring the possibilities of image-generating AI and its creative potential. Jantzen is also the founder and artistic director of the B-Seite Festival, a festival for visual art and contemporary culture, and of the LAB in Mannheim, a venue for contemporary dance and digital art.
Karlsruhe: Germany’s Only “Creative City of Media Arts”
In 2019, Karlsruhe was designated by UNESCO as Germany’s first and only “Creative City of Media Arts”, becoming a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Established in 2004, this global network fosters collaboration among cities that see creativity and culture as key drivers for sustainable urban development.