BfF #1

Studio Program
May–August 2021

Exhibition Parcours
September 10–October 3, 2021

Biennale für Freiburg (BfF) is a new platform for the presentation, development and mediation of contemporary art in Freiburg, Germany. It dedicates itself to artistically approaching urgent sociopolitical matters through means of varying thematic and conceptual frameworks. The aim is to establish a continuous connection to the city of Freiburg and to provide a lasting contribution to the cultural and artistic life of the city. 

The curatorial concept of BfF #1—the inaugural edition—explores the various modes of artistic production, and how they manifest both inside and outside of the studio space. BfF #1 understands the studio as a non-fixed place—the absence of classical studio spaces serves as the key starting point for the curatorial framework. During BfF #1’s runtime, artistic processes and activities are transferred from the traditional setting of an artist’s studio towards a number of collective contexts and situations. The public space is thereby converted into a place of production and becomes a subject of debate.

The merging of studio and urban space will consequently reflect and shape the content of the program. The focus is on Freiburg in particular and on the city in general; taking a look at methods through which the urban can be perceived, developed and utilized for the creation of a cityscape. There will be a chance to ruminate on the role of the surrounding Black Forest as a healing, moisture-retaining cabinet. Or to learn more about the dual nature of the public space, which can manifest in both the prominent representation of historical events or in the erasure of lesser-known stories from the collective consciousness. The program will make way for voices that skillfully and openly report on private matters, simultaneously understanding that this precious information is best protected through the obfuscation of fiction.

The first iteration of Biennale für Freiburg is conceived and organized by Artistic Director Leon Hösl together with a Curatorial Advisory Board consisting of Christoph Chwatal, Aziza Harmel, Fanny Hauser, Magdalena Stöger and Fritz Laszlo Weber. Project assistance is provided by Catherin Schöberl.

Studio Program and Exhibition Parcours
BfF #1 will unfold in two phases: a Studio Program that started in early May, lasting until the end of August and a resulting Exhibition Parcours that will be on view in Freiburg from September 10 to October 3, 2021.

Conceived as a four-month-long phase for production, discourse and mediation, the Studio Program lays the groundwork for the subsequent Exhibition Parcours. Between May and August, the contributing artists will visit Freiburg extensively, providing insights into their production processes, organize workshops, and develop new works during their stay, many of them in collaboration with other artists and local participants. The majority of events during the Studio Program will take place at changing locations throughout Freiburg’s environs. A marble statue with missing body parts, for example, becomes the catalyst for a conversation. Or the audience is invited to participate in two distinct walks, exploring diary writing and the sound of key locks, respectively. The concept of the public sphere itself will be examined in a symposion that is equal parts artistic interpretation and scientific precision. Titled “'A Commonplace is not a Cliché': Perspectives on Public Spheres, Asynchronous Commonplaces, and Infrastructural Intimacies,” the symposion and its accompanying workshops will take place on July 9 and 10, 2021. All program points converge in an intermediate area, where intimate situations of production and public moments of presentation meet. An overview of all public events of the Studio Program can be found here.

In September, the Exhibition Parcours will unfold throughout Freiburg, with a rich program of installations, video works, painting, photography and performance. Allocated at art institutions, off spaces and other venues, the parcours guides the visitors through the themes and various artistic approaches of the Studio Program and refers these ephemeral processes back to the realm of the exhibition. More than a mere presentation of final results, the exhibition functions as an insight into networks of artistic collaboration, multilayered sets of thematic reference points and offers potential points of departure for future editions of the Biennale für Freiburg. 

Participating artists and contributors 
Michel Auder with Michael Stickrod in collaboration with Julius Martin-Humpert, Maristella Witt, Ilja Zaharov and Franziska Rist; Patrizia Bach; Patricia Esquivias; Rahima Gambo and collaborators; Thomas Geiger in collaboration with Birgit Heidtke, Sévérine Kpoti, Oliver Matthes and Dietrich Roeschmann; Niklas Goldbach; Philipp Gufler; Markus Hanakam & Roswitha Schuller; Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński; Vika Kirchenbauer; Sarah Lehnerer with Jackie Grassmann and Inka Meißner and with guest lecturers Keren Cytter and Johanna Hedva; Luiza Margan; Kriz Olbricht; Liesl Raff; Andreas von Ow; Young Boy Dancing Group; and more...

Symposion contributors: Ronja Andersen & Marius Schwarz, Mirela Baciak, Claudia Barth & Hanne König, Christoph Chwatal, Elke Krasny, Sven Lütticken, Viktor Neumann, Karina Nimmerfall, Lisa Stuckey, Simon Strick, Karen van den Berg, Daniel Vollmer & Lou von der Heyde. Convened by Christoph Chwatal & Lisa Stuckey.

Graphic design: Ronja Andersen and Marius Schwarz.

Scenography: Diane Hillebrand.

The Biennale für Freiburg is organized by Perspektiven für Kunst in Freiburg e.V.
Association Committee: Heinrich Dietz, Julia Galandi-Pascual, Ben Hübsch, Yvonne Ziegler.

Biennale für Freiburg is cooperating with the following partner institutions: Dear White People Festival, DELPHI_space, Deutsches Tagebucharchiv, Feministische Geschichtswerkstatt, Here & Black, Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, Kunstverein Freiburg, Kunstkommission der Stadt Freiburg, Literaturhaus Freiburg, Macromedia Hochschule Freiburg, Museum für Neue Kunst, Pförtnerhaus, Stadtbibliothek Freiburg, Strassenzeitung FREIeBÜRGER.

Press inquiries
For press inquiries please write to the Biennale's communications advisor Arash Shahali: press@biennalefuerfreiburg.de

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*Images used: [1] Till Peter Otto, Illumina, 2000. [2] Michel Auder, May ‘68 in ‘78 (still), 1978.  [3] Rahima Gambo, Nest-works and wander-lines (still), 2021. [4] Diane Hillebrand, Modell for scenography for Biennale für Freiburg, 2021. [5] Hanakam & Schuller, The Moist Cabinet (production photo), 2021. [6] Fritz Laszlo Weber, Cracking Dis/Parities, 2021. [7] Niklas Goldbach, Constellation Freiburg (production title), 2021 [8] Sarah Lehnerer, A Day‘s Work, 2021. [9] Andreas von Ow, Zwischen dem Pflaster liegt der Strand! A slow walk for a green (Freiburg), 2021.