International, intercultural, interactive art project is looking for 15 artists
Press release of the city of Bocholt on the launch of open spaces 800:
OPEN SPACES 800 anticipates the 800th anniversary of the town of Bocholt, which will be celebrated in 2022. 15 national and international artists will deal with the term SPACE on two levels: SPACE CITY (BOCHOLT) and SPACE in all its facets and meanings. The application forms for this international, intercultural and interactive art project can now be downloaded from the website.
OPEN SPACES 800 is composed of three different actions: There will be a public FORUM OF IDEAS in May, a participatory action MY SPACES 008 in September and an OPEN SPACES 800 artist workshop from 17 – 27 September 2021 in Bocholt.
SPACE BOCHOLT – home, place of living, place of learning, place of work.
All interested artists worldwide are invited to apply for the cross-border art project OPEN SPACES 800. A total of 15 artists from Germany and abroad can apply for the open call for OPEN SPACES 800. At the beginning of February 2021, an independent jury of experts will select 15 artists from the submitted project ideas who will be invited to participate. During the project period from 17 September 2021, the selected artists will work on their artworks on site in Bocholt. The two workshops/exhibition venues in-SPACE KUNSTHAUS and out-SPACE KUBAAI will be available for this purpose.
City anniversary is the content of the art project
OPEN SPACES 800 will deal with the 800th anniversary of the city of Bocholt, which will be celebrated in 2022. The theme CITY is to be considered artistically in all its facets, with the border and European city of BOCHOLT at the centre. The CITY as an active place of coexistence, as a core and environment, in the past, today and tomorrow, as well as a space for culture, economy, life between work and recreation will be the focus. The aspects of home town and place of refuge can also be included in the world of ideas of the artists.
SPACE in the Corona Pandemic
The Corona pandemic has made SPACE a vital issue for everyone. All communities – whether town, village or country – have been and are being put to the test by the pandemic. This also applies to the city of Bocholt, its surroundings and the border area to the Netherlands. That is why the term SPACE is dedicated to the ideas of closeness and distance, respecting the space of the other, the basic right to health as well as new solutions for the preservation of community in town, village and country.
Home-place Bocholt in the future
In their brainstorming, the artists should also address the question: What could the hometown of Bocholt look like in the future? STADT can stand for the border place, the European place, the welcome place, the living place and the future place. The Department of Culture and Education of the City of Bocholt would like to invite artists from all over the world – especially from the friendly and twin cities – to apply for the project. The OPEN SPACES 800 WORD CUBE is designed to serve as inspiration and as an artistic “travel guide”. It presents at a glance the individual themes that are inseparably linked to SPACE STADT BOCHOLT. From these impulses, project ideas and work concepts are to be developed and realised: Paintings, drawings, prints, photography, collage, object art, installation, digital art.
Organisers and supporters of OPEN SPACES 800
The international art project is curated by Verena Winter. OPEN SPACES 800 is organised by the City of Bocholt, Department of Culture and Education in cooperation with the LWL-TextilWerk, Euregio-Kunstkreis im Kunsthaus Bocholt, Europe Direct Information Centre Bocholt, Stadtsparkasse Bocholt and the Grenzhoppers. OPEN SPACES 800 is funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia from the “Heimat-Werkstatt” programme.
Photos:
On Thursday, 26 November 2020, the first press call and launch of OPEN SPACES 800 took place near the Wirtschaftsförderungs- und Stadtmarketing Gesellschaft Bocholt on the Liebfrauen place.
- The photo shows (from left): Claudia Hasenkox (City Marketing), Petra Taubach (City of Bocholt), Jule Wanders (Head of Culture), Verena Winter (Curator), Ludger Dieckhues (Head of City Marketing), Anja Elsermann (City Marketing) and Thomas Waschki (First City Councillor).
- Verena Winter and Thomas Waschki with the OPEN SPACES 800 WORD CUBE
