The UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts Karlsruhe once again invites you to the media art exhibition in the urban space Media art is here. From August 15 to September 15, 2024, public squares, facades and shop windows in the city will be transformed into a digital stage on which 13 visionary works by local and international artists will be presented. This free and public exhibition offers an inclusive art experience that shows the city in a new light and makes art accessible to everyone.
Dr Dominika Szope, Head of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Karlsruhe, emphasises: “The works on show impressively demonstrate how media art is transforming and enriching Karlsruhe’s urban landscape as an interface between technology and creativity. The annual exhibition is an example of how art can be made accessible in public spaces while addressing central and socially relevant topics.”
Media art is here highlights a variety of perspectives and artistic approaches that emphasise the social relevance of media art. Works that address queerness and the relationship between humans and nature through digital tours and hybrid installations are an important part of this. These works encourage viewers to engage with the fluidity of identities and the symbiosis of natural and digital worlds.
Another aim of the exhibition is to visualise history and social structures. Feminist perspectives on the naming of streets and squares expand the understanding of the city as a social and emotional space. At the same time, the works integrate ecological and technological issues by thematising the connection between architecture and nature and reflecting on the environment and identity through artistic representations.
Dr Frank Mentrup, Lord Mayor of the City of Karlsruhe, also underlines the importance of this exhibition: “The presentation of media art works in the public space, which takes place parallel to the firmly established programme of the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE, establishes Karlsruhe as an important location for media art and highlights its social relevance. It symbolises our commitment to promoting art as a driving force for cultural dynamism and social change.”
The performative sound exhibition Radio-Choreography: Acts of Transmission has been on display at the Badischer Kunstverein since June 16. As a preview, three further media art works can be experienced from August 3, just in time for KAMUNA: Tides of Memories – The Other Time I Drowned on the museum balcony at the ZKM | Center for Art and Media as well as Natural Flow and AGISTRILOGY in the outdoor area and foyer of the Kinemathek Karlsruhe.
Free guided tours will also be offered again, providing visitors with in-depth insights into the background and techniques of media art. The dates will be announced in August.
On show are the works of Alex Besta, Stéphane Bottéro, Paris Díaz, Vera Gärtner, Anna-Lina Helsen, Mira Hirtz, Jihye Jang, Desiree Kabis, Barbara Kiolbassa, Mio Kojima, Kilian Kretschmer, Hanna Müller, Gerardo Nolasco-Rózsás, Overlapping Studio, Tibor Pilz, Karolina Sobel, SurrealLabor (Andreas Hölldorfer, Julia Ihls and Marius Probst), Arie Syarifuddin, Marc Teuscher, Helin Ulas, Hendrik Vogel and Netta Weiser.
Further information on the artworks and artists as well as the exact locations can be found here.
In 2019, Karlsruhe was the first and so far only city in Germany to be awarded the title “Creative City of Media Arts” by UNESCO and was included in the international UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Against this backdrop, a network of over 40 organisations from the arts, culture, science, creative industries, the digital scene, municipal companies and departments in Karlsruhe has committed itself to building a sustainable urban society with a special focus on creativity and culture.
