SHOW YOUR WOUND
The artspring festival is an invitation to enter into contact and dialog with one another. In times when fronts are hardening and pluralism is turning into anger and violence, we use the power of images to communicate on a personal level. As global citizens, we do not want to be driven apart. This year's festival theme SHOW YOUR WOUND goes back to the Beuys installation “Show Your Wound”, in which the artist not only addresses his own vulnerability, but also that of society.
ZEIGE DEINE W_NDE: In the German language, the words “Wunde”, “Wende” and “Wände” differ in only one letter. For us, the terms are good mirrors of the present. The vulnerability of individuals has become political collateral damage that is generally accepted. “Show your wound” is an invitation to make personal horror visible. What changes of direction and turning points, perhaps even revolutions, have shaped life “Show your turn”, your maneuver on the high seas. “Show your walls” describes the boundaries within which we move. Read together, it paints a picture of the circumstances in which we live.
SHOW YOUR WALLS means showing what is. How do artists deal with their “walls” and “wounds”? It's about the wall in the studio, the walls that surround us or are in our heads, wounds on the body and soul, boundaries and passages that need to be overcome or crossed, either personally or as part of society. At the same time, we see the title as a call to resist everyday crises and to break free from our own immobility and rigidity. It is very important to us to create opportunities for communication with the artspring festival and its program. In a world that threatens to break apart, in times when mental and real walls are being erected, art can only be helpful if it overcomes boundaries.
Freedom and human rights, democracy and the rule of law are our guiding principles and we actively oppose discriminatory, derogatory and exclusionary behavior. We resolutely oppose all forms of terror and hatred, extremism and racism and advocate a peaceful world based on solidarity. We are convinced that the global language of art can decisively counter the increasing violence.