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Weimar, 13th September 2023
Kunstfest Weimar 2023 became history last weekend: in 19 days this year, some 160 events took place at 30 venues in Weimar and 15 others across the whole of Thuringia. Out of these 45 projects, 20 were either world or German premieres. According to the presenters’ preliminary results, a total audience of 41.000 attended this year’s Kunstfest between 23rd August and 10th September with its motto »Remembrance Creates the Future«. The installations and actions in the public space »Steinmal« and »Kriegsweihe«, which ran for a total of ten days, attracted a total of 23.000 visitors. 9.900 people took advantage of other free offers such as exhibitions, VR installations, films, readings and discussions. Ticket sales increased by 22% to 8.115 tickets sold, equalling best results from the years before the pandemic.
The festival had a massive impact in the media, staring with its two opening productions: the five performances of the German premiere of Robert Wilson’s version of »UBU« were completely sold out. The festival was launched outdoors on the Theaterplatz by the internationally acclaimed Düsseldorf sculptor Günther Uecker with his »Steinmal« which was greeted by considerable enthusiasm in the city, but also some rejection. For one week small heaps of stones were seen in the Theaterplatz resembling those placed upon graves in keeping with to Jewish tradition. Some of these stone symbols – placed there by citizens of Weimar – were symbolically linked by Uecker, with the names of Buchenwald victims written on the ground beside them in chalk. This project alone brought 20.500 visitors to the Theaterplatz, which represents the highest total audience figure in the festival’s recent history. Other extremely popular highlights of the programme included the concert by Chilly Gonzales, the visiting South African dance performance »Zo Mute« by the Vuyani Dance Company from Johannesburg and the world premiere of »Dantons Tod Reloaded« by Amir Reza Koohestani in co-production with the Thalia Theater Hamburg. Considerable media attention was also paid to the world premiere of the opera »Missing in cantu« by Johannes Maria Staud with a libretto by Thomas Köck, who was represented at Kunstfest for the fourth time.
Press reactions to Kunstfest Weimar 2023 ranged from Thuringia across the whole of Europe and varied widely, with the majority positive to euphoric. In view of the festival’s tight budget, Egbert Tholl summarised in the Süddeutsche Zeitung on 12th September: “Rolf Hemke, Kunstfest’s Director, is a virtuoso of co-operation, otherwise he would not get very far with the festival’s budget – 900.000 Euro from public funds. With tenacity and thanks to his many good contacts he has succeeded in stretching a fabric of often politically enlightened events over the city and its surroundings while also establishing great art in Thuringia.” Jacob Hayner applauded in Die Welt on 7thSeptember: “Despite its low budget, Director Rolf C. Hemke (…) succeeds in making a mark both politically and artistically with Kunstfest. The veteran theatre star Robert Wilson has directed a vivid, almost fairy-tale like opening night in ‘UBU’ that references the avantgarde of the early 20th century.” In his report for BBC Radio 4, Jim Naughtie spoke of the “acclaimed Kunstfest“ and Catalonia’s largest daily La Vanguardia from Barcelona confirmed that the festival “set the artistic standard for East Germany and for Europe.”
Festival Director Rolf C. Hemke said: “We are exhausted, but happy. The festival has generated a strong artistic appeal, which is also reflected in the huge response from the public. We have once again succeeded in presenting classical Weimar as a living venue for contemporary art and live discourse. The festival is a significant event within both the international and the local cultural landscapes.”
Next year Kunstfest will take place from 21st August to 8th September, a period that includes the tensely-awaited elections to the Thuringian regional parliament on 01.09.2024. Rolf C. Hemke commented that: “We will not change our political stance and certainly position ourselves in thematic terms towards these elections. However, we will of course continue to do so in a non-partisan way, as we have consistently done in recent years. Kunstfest represents the values of a democratic Germany: representing plurality, inclusion and dialogue with all forces.”
Contact:
KUNSTFEST WEIMAR
Rathenauplatz 6 | 99423 Weimar
Tel | 03643 – 755 292