NordArt

NordArt 2024 at Kunstwerk Carlshütte

The 25th international art exhibition NordArt will be open to the public from 1 June to 6 October 2024 on the grounds of the historic iron foundry in Schleswig-Holstein. NordArt, one of the largest annual contemporary art exhibitions in Europe, is celebrating its quarter-century anniversary with special projects, and by honouring the outstanding performances of the past – the NordArt award winners.

Every autumn, NordArt receives over 3000 participation applications from artists all over. After meticulous consideration, out of the thousands, the works of 200 artists are selected to tell a shared story of our time.

„Like an invisible seismograph, art records the tremors of society with honest precision,” says the Principal Curator of NordArt, Wolfgang Gramm. “It reflects the truth and the intuitive yearnings of humanity through the curious minds of artists. They gather from across the world to piece together a dream of the future from past experiences, visualising paradise against hopelessness. What is remarkable here is that, through paradox, dialogue and empathy, the artists from very diverse backgrounds form a shared vision that pervades every piece of art.”

This notion has been discernable in the art of awardees of the NordArt Prize and Public Choice Award. There have been 57 award winners since 2010 whose works will be shown in and around the Carlshütte during 2024 and form the Focus of the Anniversary Edition of the exhibition.

The most recent NordArt awardee, Lubo Mikle from Slovakia, created a moving memorial from common shipping containers. Elements of reclamation, industrial art, destructive fury and transformation in a monumental scale combine in his work, prompting Hans-Julius Ahlmann (the host at Kunstwerk Carlshütte) to name the humble container “a symbol of an era.” Indeed, globalisation, based on the division of labour, is largely dependent on containers. Even the Covid pandemic was characterised by the sudden chaos of containers, as Lubo Mikle himself commented.

Among the NordArt awardees are eleven artists from China. The long-standing contacts have repeatedly brought acclaimed Chinese artists to the exhibition and, over the years, the presentation of the contemporary Chinese art scene has become a hallmark of NordArt.

The very first NordArt Prize was awarded to ZENG Chenggang in 2010. His remarkable stainless steel lotus sculpture, symbolising never-ending rebirth, has fittingly found a home in NordArt’s permanent display - witnessing the rebirth of the exhibition every year!

NordArt 2024 will proudly present the most recent artwork from 26 Chinese artists.

Mongolian contemporary art was first introduced as the Country in Focus in 2015. Ever since, the bold mix of traditional Mongolian values and modernity has earned accolades and kept NordArt visitors captivated. The curators of the Mongolian Special Project in the Wagenremise, OYUNTUYA Oyunjargal and SOLONGO Tseekhuu, will bring a remarkable, distinctive collection of artworks from 20 Mongolian artists. The exhibition will celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and Germany.

A fascinating project From Cradle to Grave by renowned German artist Willi Reiche will present kinetic interpretations of 12 aspects of human existence.

Another solo project, A Sense of Place, by British painter Paul Critchley, is a life-size panoramic installation depicting the contents of a home and its inhabitants.

The Carlshütte atmospheric exhibition halls offer a unique viewing experience that invites close contact with art and fosters dialogue between the works of art themselves. Visitors can be certain to make unforgettable discoveries at NordArt 2024, but how the special messages find their recipients, remains the secret of art.

List of all artists at NordArt 2024

The catalogue of NordArt 2024 will be released on the first day of the exhibition.

The Kunstwerk Carlshütte is a non-profit cultural initiative of the internationally active ACO Group and the towns of Büdelsdorf and Rendsburg. It provides an exceptional venue for exhibitions, concerts, readings and other events. Since 1999, the centerpiece of this cultural enterprise has been NordArt, taking place annually during the summer months. In addition to the foundry halls with 22,000 square meters of exhibition space, the premises include an 80,000 square meter sculpture park and the ACO Wagenremise.

NordArt is led by Wolfgang Gramm (Principal Curator) and Inga Aru (Senior Curator).

The hosts and Principal Sponsors at the Kunstwerk Carlshütte are the entrepreneurial couple Hans-Julius and Johanna Ahlmann.

NordArt 2024: 1 June – 6 October

Opening hours: Tue – Sun (11 am – 7 pm), closed on Mondays

Address: Vorwerksallee, 24782 Büdelsdorf, Germany

Contact: +49 4331 354 695 • info@nordart.de