Press release – April 2010
Nord Art 2010
Largest annual art exhibition in northern Europe
When Nord Art opens on Saturday 12 June, the world is again invited to get together. Now with a dozen years behind it, the 12th summer exhibition brings together painting, graphics, photography, sculpture, and installations from 245 artists in 55 countries. Their works speak not only for themselves, but also and especially interacting with, and against the background of, the unique stage of the old Carlshütte foundry buildings in Büdelsdorf – developing new perspectives in their mutual association and disassociation.
The handful of artists referred to in the following represent the many globally active artists exhibiting their works this summer in the cavernous halls of the old foundry and in the extensive park: the sculptor Zeng Chenggang, director of Tsinghua University in Beijing; Richard Brixel from Sweden, famous for his large bronze sculptures decorating the port cities in his home country; the sculpture Peter Lundberg from the USA who began work on site on his two 15 metre high concrete sculptures in the middle of April. Anja Zholud from Russia will develop a new installation for her bunker, which created a great deal of excitement last year; Sara Shamma from Syria with realistic painting.
Getting involved in discussions, learning from one another, passing on know how and exchanging experience – this was the basic idea behind the original concept for the annual symposium at Kunst in der Carlshütte (KiC) that initially focussed solely on sculpture. Only in the last three years was the symposium concept expanded to include painting and installations. Around 20 artists will start work on their Nord Art exhibits at the Carlshütte in mid-May. Participants include the stone sculptor Ton Kalle from the Netherlands, and the Russian wood sculptor Valeriy Pchelin, the Chinese painter Huang Yng, and the Macedonian painter Vuk Mitesvki – who will be working on site on his impressive, 8-meter high pictures.
Nord Art, which has long been the largest art exhibition in northern Europe, is organised by KiC – Kunst in der Carlshütte, the non-profit initiative of the ACO Group and the cities of Büdelsdorf and Rendsburg. The exhibition area comprises the 22,000 m2 former Carlshütte iron foundry buildings, the ACO coach house, the garden house, and the 60,000 m2 park. Public spaces in the towns are also used as exhibition locations. Nord Art was conceived in 1999 by KiC managing director Wolfgang Gramm, who continues to organise the exhibition every year. 1400 artists from 81 countries applied to take part this year.
Nord Art 2010 opens on Saturday 12 June 2010 at 17:00. The exhibition is open 11:00 to 19:00 from Wednesday to Sunday until 3 October. An illustrated German/English exhibition catalogue introduces every artist and their work.
Nord Art 2010 attracts record number of entries
1,327 artists from all over the world apply to take part
Büdelsdorf/ Rendsburg, Germany, March 2010
Wolfgang Gramm, director of KiC – Kunst in der Carlshütte gGmbH and a co-founder and jury member of Nord Art, says he and his colleagues have been “overwhelmed” by the response to this year’s event. “We’ve had works submitted by 1,327 artists from 81 countries, with particularly large numbers from Poland, Russia, China, the United States and of course Germany. The quality of the work is outstanding.” The jury has already viewed all the submissions and selected those to be shown this year.
Nord Art is now northern Europe’s biggest art exhibition, organised by KiC – Kunst in der Carlshütte, the non-profit initiative of the ACO Group and the cities of Büdelsdorf and Rendsburg. This year’s exhibition, the twelfth of its kind, runs from 12 June to 3 October and features work by 220 artists from 57 countries, including painting, graphics, photography, video, sculpture, objets d’art and installations. One third of the entries came from Germany, and this is reflected in the makeup of the exhibition.
The display space includes a 22,000-square metre former foundry, 60,000 square metres of parkland, other buildings, and public squares in the town of Büdelsdorf.
Wolfgang Gramm, who conceived the event in 1999 and has organised it each year since, says: “Nord Art has become a veritable window on the art world, right in the heart of Schleswig-Holstein.”
Nord Art 2010 is open from 11 am to 7 pm on Wednesdays to Sundays from 12 June to 3 October. The catalogue, in German and English, introduces the artists in words and pictures.
