Rik Reinking’s latest curatorial project looks to be his biggest yet. He is going the FAME Festival route and just about taking over a city. Leuphana, Germany will be the site of the ARTotale – Urban Art Project from October 5th to 9th.
Here’s the press release:
More than 35 internationally renowned streetartists have been invited to install their work at various locations throughout the city centre and university campus. They are encountering broad support among the city‘s population. Numerous house owners have agreed to their buildings‘ walls being used for graffitis and other artworks. As part of Leuphana’s 2009 Welcome Week, the Urban Art Project will be recorded by 1.200 first-year students who will document the event by shooting videoclips that will be presented through an online media platform. The renowned urban art curator from Hamburg, Rik Reinking, will be leading the creative direction of the event. Expanding the potential spectatorship of this event well beyond the city‘s physical boundaries, public television stations will also document the interaction between artists, students and the population of Lueneburg during this rare presentation of contemporary art within the context of the city‘s medieval centre.
The artists invited to participate on this project come from a diverse mixture of nationalities and contemporary art backgrounds. They will reshape the appearance of Lueneburg’s historic township using: murals, classic graffiti writing, cut-outs, sculptures, installation art and performance art. The incorporation of this wide selection of urban art forms as well as their unique technical and contextual application in the historical center of Lueneburg have already begun to make it clear that this project will be a landmark event in the development and presentation of contemporary urban art. The artists participating in this event are leaders of their genre, a new generation of emerging creative producers. Their highly refined and precisely contextualized work is an indication of the future aesthetics of contemporary public art. Without loosing their deep connection to urban culture and the public sphere, these artists have already begun to assume representation in leading museums and galleries worldwide.
And who are the artists involved? Well it’s a long list:
Adam & Akay, Akim, Alex Diamond, Almut Linde, Ash, Ben Eine, Brad Downey, Boris Hoppek, Boxi, Bronco, Daniel Man, Dave the Chimp, D*face, DTAGNO, Faith47, Flying Förtress, Herakut, Herbert Baglione, Jay-One, Loomit, Mirko Reisser (DAIM), Moki & 1010, Mode2, Pius Portmann, SKKI, Swoon, Tilt, Trica, Tryone, Vitché & Jana, Word2mother, Zevs, Zezao, 56K
Highlights from that list for me are Brad Downey, Herakut, D*face, Faith47, Zezao, Swoon and Vitche. I might just have to try and visit the festival myself for the chance to see Zezao’s work in person. If only I weren’t already going to both Nuart and FAME (not that those won’t be awesome as well).