openart Lausitz Biennale für zeitgenössische Kunst is being created as a new biennial format for contemporary art in rural areas. Under the motto “Kunst formt Räume – art shapes spaces,” it deliberately references architecture and building culture in order to draw an artistic and critical balance of the structural transformation taking place in the Brandenburg region of Lausitz.
Thirty-five years have now passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of the two German states. During this time, formerly functioning factories, farms, and production sites were closed, while the associated residential areas were left vacant and exposed to gradual decline. After the fall of the Wall, a young generation of artists from both East and West Germany began to redefine the concept of improvisation by working in abandoned buildings and unused spaces. Creatives from around the world, bringing their diverse cultural perspectives, further developed these approaches and shaped new forms of expression.
Spaces that were initially used only temporarily gradually came to be seen not merely as emergency solutions, but as a new fundamental principle that transformed creative and transformative ways of being. The daily production and shaping of new spaces became an integral part of artistic self-understanding. From this emerged a “technology of improvisation” as a defining artistic practice of the 21st century.
The exhibition venues form a colorful network across the Lausitz region and include:
- Atelierhof Werenzhain, Am Markt 20, and Rückersdorfer See in Doberlug-Kirchhain (Elbe-Elster district)
- Biotürme Lauchhammer and Kunstgussmuseum Lauchhammer, Heinrich-Zille-Straße 1, Lauchhammer (Oberspreewald-Lausitz district)
- Jamlitz / Lieberose (Dahme-Spreewald district)
- Forster Museum für Textil- und Industriegeschichte Lausitz (Spree-Neiße district)
- Kunsthalle Lausitz on the grounds of the former Großenhain railway station in Cottbus
The cultural diversity of the Lausitz region is further emphasized through the involvement of local initiatives and participants. Together, the participating venues symbolically form a colorful ribbon stretching across the entire Brandenburg Lausitz. The program is complemented by live events, workshops, and participatory community activities.
