ALL TOGETHER NOW
with artists from Armenia, Iceland and Germany
in Kuenstlerforum Bonn
01-27 November 2015
1. Description of the Project
The exhibition "ALL TOGETHER NOW" presents works by 11 contemporary artists from Armenia, Iceland and Germany: Painting, photography, graphic art, video art, sculpture and installation. The project is conceived as an intercultural dialogue (“Artdialog”) between artists of the respective countries. It continues the series of art exhibitions of ArtDialog e.V. (see Section 3) to promote European integration through art. An exhibition catalogue will be published in German and English.
Armenia and Iceland are situated at the extreme edges of Europe and their cultural traditions and contemporary forms of artistic expression are largely unknown in Germany. Compared to Germany, the population of both countries is low: Although Iceland is Europe 's second largest island after Great Britain, but with about 320,000 people, it has only about as many inhabitants as the city of Bonn. In Armenia live approximately 3.3 million people, ten times more inhabitants than in Iceland; but their number is about the population of Berlin.
Armenia and Iceland were under foreign rule for many years. However both countries could preserve their cultural identities despite many influences from outside. At the same time a diverse and innovative scene of art and culture has evolved in both countries since their political independence, Iceland since 1944, Armenia since 1991. The works of the designated artists of these countries being far away from each other - Armenia in the extreme southeast of Europe, Iceland in the extreme northwest of Europe - mark selected positions of the current artistic productions in the respective countries.
It is the intention of the exhibition to make visible current aspects of art in these countries and present them together with actual artistic productions by German artists.
The innovative exhibition concept ALL TOGETHER NOW, initiated by ArtDialog e.V., shall promote an intercultural meeting that is sustainably fruitful for all participants involved. The Rhineland - located in the center of Germany and Europe - thus fulfills as a link an important mediating role between the different regions of Europe and gains itself new artistic impulses from the outside, which will strengthen the cultural capacity of the Rhineland.
The theme of the exhibition, "All Together Now" will be deepened by corresponding cultural events in collaboration with partner organizations. In this framework program musical and literary contributions from Armenia and Iceland as well as a workshop with students of a high school in Bonn are planned. In addition guided tours and exhibition talks will take place.
The venue of the exhibition will be the "Kuenstlerforum Bonn" (http://www.kuenstlerforum-bonn.de/). The exhibition period will be in November 2015.
The project (exhibition and supporting programs) will be planned and carried out jointly by the German (Rhenish), Armenian and Icelandic partners. The exhibition curator is Dr. Uta Friederike Miksche, co-curator Marianne Horling.
2. Objectives of the project
The project pursues the following goals:
- It shall open the possibility for the creation of networks between the participating artists and promote the intercultural dialogue between the participating artists on the one hand and the public on the other.
- It shall strengthenthe cultural diversity of the Rhineland by new artistic impulses from outside.
- The audience shall witness the individual diversity of artistic creation of the participating artists with their different cultural backgrounds and socialization and their specific life experiences.
- In a multi-day workshop students from Bonnshall be made familiar with the exhibition project and be encouraged to own independent cultural actions.
- By including music and literary contributions from Armenia and Iceland, the spectrum of intercultural experience shall be expanded.
The project ALL TOGETHER NOW wants to expand the cultural communication between European countries. The knowledge of countries like Armenia and Iceland which are at the edges of Europe is often limited in Germany as in the rest of Central Europe, and it is sometimes characterized by prejudices. Through the media only few aspects of the reality of life in these countries are perceived.
In an era of global change the exhibition title “ALL TOGETHER NOW” points out programmatically the chance to meet artists from far-distant countries of Europe and their works and to establish new possibilities for interactions between people who define and feel themselves as Europeans. The focus is on the modernity of these countries with their vibrant scenes of contemporary art as well as on the common background of cultural traditions within Europe. The exhibition project shall contribute to develop communicative openness and to overcome entrenched views.
3. Qualification of ArtDialog
In the last ten years ArtDialog has successfully conducted several exhibitions with works of contemporary art by artists from different countries, as well as additional cultural framework programs, including:
- 2003/2004: Exhibition "Young Art from the Republic of Moldova" with ten artists in Bonn, Dresden and Magdeburg.
- 2006/2007: Exhibition "KONTRAPUNKT - KONTRAPUNKTY" with five contemporary artists from Poland and Germany in Bonn; jazz concert and panel discussion about literature and art in Poland.
- 2008: Exhibition "TRIPLE JUMP - TRIPLU SALT - TROSKOK" with 12 artists from Romania, Slovenia and Germany in Bonn; lecture on "Art and Identity" and on "Poetry from Romania and Slovenia"; jazz concerts.
- 2009: Exhibition "ORIENTATION" with 11 artists from Egypt, Lebanon, Poland and Germany as art-dialogue between the Orient and Europe at Bonn; lecture on "Egyptian Modern Art: Women Artists"; artistic and educational workshop with children; jazz concert; dance performance; Chopin concert.
- 2011: Exhibition “ZEITGENOSSEN (CONTEMPORARIES)" with 11 artists who found their center of life and work at Bonn and other German cities, but having their cultural roots in nine different European countries: Bulgaria, Germany, England, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Ukraine and Hungary.
- 2012: Exhibition "AMICALEMENT" with 13 artists from France, Poland and Germany as a contribution to the 50th anniversary of the “Treaty of Elysée” and as cultural revival of the “Weimar Triangle”; jazz concert with musicians from the three countrie