Biennale for International Light Art

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Jan-Peter ER Sunday, gamma verde, 2005. Photo: Matthias Wagner K
Michel Verjux, untitled, 2005. Photo: Matthias Wagner K

The Biennale for International Light Art is an exhibition of contemporary art held for the first time as part of the RUHR.2010 Capital of Culture , in which the focus is on the use of light as a material .

Biennial in general

The first Biennale for International Light Art bears the motto "open light in private spaces" and took place in the eastern Ruhr area . The exhibition venues were in the cities that are already involved in the Hellweg - ein Lichtweg cultural project: Bergkamen , Bönen , Fröndenberg , Hamm , Lünen and Unna . During the event from March 28 to May 27, 2010, 60 private apartments, houses and rooms were turned into public exhibition venues for 60 international artistic positions. The focus was on the precise reference of the artists and / or their works to the respective rooms and locations, and last but not least to the people who live in or work in this (their) room. Existing works that were able to find a new contextualization in the inhabited and thus individually shaped space and new works that were still to be developed at the time were equally taken into account - after all, a shift in the terms light art , public and private was the focus of artistic and curatorial interest . The artistic director of the first Biennale for International Light Art is Matthias Wagner K.

Exhibition venues and hosts

The private rooms selected for the Biennale ranged from the garden house to the miners' housing estates, which are common in the region, to multi-family, terraced and detached single-family houses, from Wilhelminian style villas to ambitious modern architecture. Centrally located granny flats alternated with rural properties. Thus, the scope for artistic interventions and the presentation of existing works extended from the barn to the vaulted cellar and attic to the entire living space, from the children's room to the party room, the storage room or the funeral home and doctor's office adjoining the private apartment.

The hosts' origin, age, number of family members and the occupation of the residents or owners were correspondingly heterogeneous: fled during the war, traveled from other regions or countries, aged 8 and 81, small and large families, Single, single with children or retired couple, housewife, doctor, musician, architect, podiatrist, fitter, politician, therapist, upholsterer, teacher, antique dealer, saleswoman and freelancer, already familiar with or first encountered art.

Concept and artist

The aim of this first biennial was to create a visible and negotiable interdisciplinary interface between art and society. By locating artistic positions in private spaces, this first biennale was also very consciously based on the concept of the “Chambres d'amis” exhibition directed by Jan Hoet in Ghent in 1986 , since the 'private public' allows art to engage in direct dialogue urban life and vice versa. Among the artists selected for the artistic interventions and the presentation of already existing works were typical representatives of light art, as well as artists who use the material “light” as a component and meaning carrier for artistic issues relating to past and present, social and individual processes and use phenomena.

List of exhibiting artists (selection)

Financial and cooperation partner

The first biennale was financed by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia , the state's own art foundation and the cultural foundation of the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL). Cooperation partners were the Center for International Light Art in Unna and the participating cities. Ruhr.2010 GmbH (as a company for the organization of the Capital of Culture), “Licht RUHR.2010” (as operator of the corresponding internet portal) and “Monopol” (a monthly newspaper for art throughout Germany) acted as partners.

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literature

  • Book two , overall program of the European Capital of Culture Ruhr.2010
  • Matthias Wagner K: 1st Biennale for International Light Art - open light in private spaces . Revolver Publishing by VVV, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86895-102-8 .

Web links