Freigeister

Conceived to mark the 15th anniversary of the museum, Freigeister is intended as a subjective portrait of the contemporary art scene in Luxembourg. The exhibition brings together the work of 14 artists born in the 1970s and 1980s. Presenting painting, photography, installation and sculpture, as well as film and virtual reality, the artists are connected by the links they have forged between Luxembourg and other countries and through their backgrounds or personal journeys that are a reflection of Luxembourg’s openness to the world beyond its borders. The exhibition includes recent work and new commissions made in response to the context of the exhibition. 

A distinctive aspect of Freigeister is the process of its development as a collaborative platform combining moments of collective thinking with talks by invited speakers (researchers, writers, heads of institutions and cultural thinkers) on themes that resonate strongly with Luxembourg today: migration, language, living together, the notion of a commons and territory.

Within the framework of Freigeister, Mudam’s public engagement team has collaborated with the artist Daniel Wagener to build a working bread oven that is installed outside of the museum. Ket Baker will operate throughout the time of the exhibition.

A programme of performances extends the principle of a collective platform. Contributions from Marco Godinho, Sophie Jung, Catherine Lorent, Karolina Markiewicz & Pascal Piron, and Filip Markiewicz constitute a special programme for the Luxembourg Art Week, on 13th and 14th November 2021. Finally, 27 people from different backgrounds were each invited to consider a key word, (from ‘ailleurs’ [elsewhere] to ‘zesummen’ [together]) for a new video project, the Abécédaire Freigeister.

Freigeister is accompanied by an exhibition catalogue with contributions from Magali Nachtergael, Jean Portante, Nathalie Roelens, Carole Schmit and François Thiry.

Artists Yann Annicchiarico (b. 1983, Luxembourg), Laurianne Bixhain (b. 1987, Wiltz, Luxembourg), Aline Bouvy (b. 1974, Watermael-Boitsfort, Belgium), Marco Godinho (b. 1978, Salvaterra de Magos, Portugal), Sophie Jung (b. 1982, Luxembourg), Catherine Lorent (b. 1977, Munich), Filip Markiewicz (b. 1980, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg), Karolina Markiewicz (b. 1976, Luxembourg) and Pascal Piron (b. 1981, Luxembourg), Claudia Passeri (b. 1977, Esch-sur-Alzette), Daniel Reuter (b. 1976, Trier, Germany), Nina Tomàs (b. 1989, Béziers, France), Daniel Wagener (b. 1988, Luxembourg), Jeff Weber (b. 1980, works in Berlin)

Curators Sarah Beaumont, Marie-Noëlle Farcy, Christophe Gallois, Clément Minighetti, Valérie Tholl

With the support of Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte, Fondation Indépendance and Ministère de la Culture du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

Also on view 
Post-Capital: Art and the Economics of the Digital Age through January 16, 2022
mirror mirror: cultural reflections in fashion through April 18, 2022
Nedko Solakov. A Cornered Solo Show #1 through April 18, 2022
25 years of the Mudam Collection through April 18, 2022

Our ambition is to be a reference museum for contemporary art and a model institution in Luxembourg in terms of artistic and cultural excellence. Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean promotes creativity, visionary thinking, openness and cultural participation for all. Like Luxembourg, Mudam is situated in Europe with a vision to the world. Mudam is committed to a more inclusive, tolerant and environmentally and socially responsible world in which museums play a leading role in the transmission of our contemporary cultural heritage for future generations.

Our mission is to collect, conserve and present the most relevant contemporary art of our time and to make it accessible to a diverse public. Through its exhibitions, publications, and artistic and educational programmes, Mudam fosters research and dialogue while giving special attention to the changing nature of art and its production in the world.