18 July 2025 until 17 August 2025
Opening: 18 July, 7 pm
Opening hours: daily 12-20 h (closed on 14 August)
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The exhibition is based on the works selected by the artistic director, an artist-in-residence programme with European partner institutions of the exhibitions and project ideas from the worldwide Open Call. The Open Call was reserved for artists under the age of 30, which means that almost a third of the exhibition is characterised by young perspectives. Dr Claudia Tittel is the artistic director of the exhibition.
Some of the artists in the exhibition are among the most influential voices in the art world today, including Venice Biennale participants Lara Almarcegui, Olaf Nicolai, Uriel Orlow, Ursula Biemann, Gregor Schneider, Paulo Tavares, Daniel Otero Torres, Günther and Loredana Selichar and Hito Steyerl. Works by these and other artists in the exhibition can be found in the collections of major museums, institutions and private individuals.
In addition to these high-calibre artists, a younger generation of artists is represented in the exhibition, whose works have already attracted international attention. Diana Lelonek, Anne Duk Hee Jordan, Nadia Kaabi-Linke and the artist couples Böhler/Orendt and Abie Franklin/Daniel Hölzl are just a few examples.
Names such as Katharina Sauermann, Borek Brindák, Elza Gubanova, Anna Weberberger and the AWOL Collective were included in the exhibition via the international Open Call. Eight works were selected by the jury from over 300 applications.
A special tradition of the Begehungen art festival is the artist-in-residence programme, which is implemented together with friendly festivals and institutions in Europe. These institutions, this year from Finland, the Czech Republic and Italy, receive a "wild card", i.e. they each propose an artist to the Begehungen art festival for a residency lasting several weeks.
Rikuo Ueda, a world-class artist, will also create a site-specific work. The 75-year-old Japanese artist himself will integrate one of his famous wind installations into the HKW site.
The exhibition will include expansive installations, photographs, drawings, sculptures as well as video and sound artworks. A good quarter of the artworks will be created specifically for the festival, including works created with the participation of employees and residents of the Heizkraftwerk Nord.
Artists:
Ana Alenso (VE)
Lara Almarcegui (NL/ES)
AWOL Collective (VE/ES/RS)
Tina Bara (DE)
Ursula Biemann & Paulo Tavares (CH/BR)
Böhler & Orendt (DE/RO)
Borek Brindák (SK)
Daniel Canogar (ES/US)
Jan Fabian (CZ)
Abie Franklin & Daniel Hölzl (GB/AT)
Tim Gassauer (DE)
Elza Gubanova (UA)
Sarah Damai Hoogman (NL)
Clemens Hornemann (DE)
Anne Duk Hee Jordan (KR/DE)
Nadia Kaabi-Linke (DE/TN/UA)
Diana Lelonek (PL)
Tea Mäkipää (FI)
Gisle Nataas (NO)
Olaf Nicolai (DE)
Uriel Orlow (CH)
Johanna M. Reich (DE)
Amparo Sard (ES)
Katharina Sauermann (AT)
Günther & Loredana Selichar (AT/IT)
Hito Steyerl (DE)
Gregor Schneider (DE)
Daniel Otero Torres (CO)
Rikuo Ueda (JP)
Anna Weberberger (AT)
Valeria Zane & Victor Nebbiolo di Castri (IT/FR)
Partner institutions of the festival:
4+4 Days in Motion Festival Praha (CZ)
Mänttä Art Festival Mänttä/Tampere (FI)
PASE Platform Venezia (IT)
Theme and festival title:
"Everything is interaction. Nothing stands alone, a common bond embraces the whole of organic nature." The great naturalist Alexander von Humboldt wrote these lines at the beginning of the 19th century under the impression of his first great journey to America from 1799 to 1804. During his visit to Lake Valencia in Venezuela, Humboldt realised that its continuous loss of water was a consequence of deforestation for the establishment of plantations. He recognised the lack of wood and water, as well as the danger of flooding due to dried-out soil, as a consequence of human intervention.
Even then, Humboldt's realisation of the interactions in nature could be applied far beyond the concept of nature. The plantations established by the Spanish colonial rulers on Lake Valencia are an expression of the exploitation of nature, but they also point to systemic structures of exploitation, to poverty on the one hand and boundless wealth on the other. To this day, the exploitation of resources means destruction and prosperity, income and labour disputes, food and species extinction, curse and blessing.
The title EVERYTHING IS INTERACTION refers to the fact that there are no simple answers to the major ecological and economic questions of our time. The exhibition is complemented by a festival programme with concerts, readings, lectures and performances. The works in the exhibition and site-specific circumstances will become starting points for more in-depth discussions.
Renowned partners such as the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, the Heinrich Böll Foundation Saxony and the renowned music label raster media will be involved in the programme.
The northern combined heat and power plant was built in 1957. The expansion of the HKW Nord to its current size began in the early 1980s. On 18 January 2024, the lignite-fired power plant was shut down by the operator eins energie in Sachsen GmbH & Co.
The CHP plant's chimney is known far beyond the city limits. At a good 300 metres, it is the tallest structure in Saxony. In 2013, the functional building was transformed into a widely visible work of art and one of Chemnitz's most popular landmarks. The corresponding concept was developed by French artist Daniel Buren under the title Seven Colours for a Chimney.
The Begehungen art festival utilises an area of around one hectare, including the historically significant cooling tower 1 and various technical installations such as the huge metal deionised tanks. An exhibition area of more than 2,000 square metres will be created in three large halls.
The company eins energie in sachsen GmbH und Co KG is the owner of the festival site and a cooperation partner of the Begehungen 2025 art festival.
The Begehungen art festival was founded in Chemnitz in 2003. It is one of the most renowned art events in Saxony and attracts thousands of visitors every year. Since 2010, the art festival has changed its venue every year. Since then, a former prison, empty cultural centres, abandoned allotment gardens, an old brewery, disused department stores and schools, a drained swimming pool, an orphaned museum and an overgrown railway station have been the festival's venues.
The Begehungen art festival sees itself as an inclusive and accessible festival. Access to all programme items and the exhibition is free of charge. The festival is largely organised by the voluntary work of the members of Begehungen e. V. and many helpers.
The exhibition is open daily from 12 noon to 8 pm. The exhibition will only be closed to the public on Thursday 14 August.
