FoThe 19th edition of the Begehungen art festival will take place in the small town of Thalheim, about 15 kilometers away from Chemnitz. The exhibition venue will be the Erzgebirgsbad, which has been unused since 2014.
The town of Thalheim is connected with a deep experience of loss for the Thalheim population. The reason: swimming pools are, especially in small-town structures, important social reference points. When it opened, the Erzgebirgsbad was the first of its kind in the region and was well attended for many years. Later, however, other pools with a similar profile were built in the immediate vicinity. As a result, the number of visitors dropped, and moreover, the town of Thalheim, once a glorious location of the textile industry and secret "stocking capital" of the GDR, lost almost half of its population. Considering the place, "PLANSCH" was chosen as the theme of the 2022 festival.
Nearly all of the town's industrial factories closed down in the years following. The financial situation of the city itself deteriorated, but the cost of maintaining the baths increased. The bath, once built with pride, threatened to drag the community into the abyss financially. Amid protests, the bath was closed in 2014 and has stood empty ever since. For a short time, it was used as accommodation for refugees, also accompanied by protests.
The festival organisers are looking for artists of all genres and forms of expression who feel inspired by the location and this year's theme. Artists can participate by a residence or with submitted works. To apply for a residency of up to four weeks, a coherent concept must be submitted that describes both the work that will be created and how it will be realized. The organisers are especially interested in participation processes with local people (including artists, of course). Ideas that take this into account are very welcome, but not a requirement. Aplications can be submitted until 20 March. The festival will take place from 11 to 21 August. More information about the Open Call can be found here.
The art festival Begehungen has been taking place in Chemnitz since 2003 - as the largest off-culture event in the city. The trademark is an unconventional and low-threshold approach to art. For this reason, the Begehungen are not just a temporary art exhibition, they are a social meeting point for people of different backgrounds.
