The visual arts scene in Luxembourg is home to a wide variety of actors and continues to grow in vibrancy. Its diversity makes it unique, reflecting the various places where the artists have trained, the mediums they have chosen to express themselves, the regions where they are active, and even the ways in which they have decided to show their work.
Looking outwards at other art scenes abroad— where they live, where they have studied, or where they have developed networks—Luxembourgish artists know how to ‘export’ themselves easily, helped by their multilingualism and the various connections they can rely on.
On the occasion of the Luxembourg Art Week (10-12/11), Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg is organising three days for visual arts professionals to promote exchanges and to make the Luxembourg art scene, its artists and actors, whether institutional or private, better known. By facilitating encounters between professionals during studio visits, portfolio reviews, exhibition visits and exchanges between professionals, Kultur | lx aims to stimulate dialogue between different art scenes in a convivial atmosphere, and create cross-border working habits.
For this fourth Focus on Visual Arts, Kultur | lx offers foreign professionals studio visits curated by Mirela Baciak, curator and director of Salzburger Kunstverein.
Finally, in addition to this curated programme, Kultur | lx is organising a round table on Friday 10 November from 2 to 3 p.m. on the site of the Luxembourg Art Week, about L’artiste chercheur, un pléonasme ou une figure dans l’air du temps ? by Sandra Delacourt (moderation by France Clarinval) as well as a Pitch Presentation from 4 to 7 p.m. at Casino Display (mandatory registration, limited capacity).
Note: admission to Luxembourg Art Week is charged (€15 for adults, free for children and students).
Ticketing on site and online on the Visit & Tickets Page.
This year the Frankfurt Book Fair celebrated its 75th edition. Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg organised again the national presence bringing together ten Luxembourg publishers (Black Fountain Press, capybarabooks, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Edition Schortgen, Ernster Editions, Hydre Editions, Kremart Editions, PassaParola Editions, PersPektiv Editions and Point Nemo Publishing) which presented their newest publications for the autumn season as well as their publishing programm. The Books From Luxembourg stand, designed by Studio Polenta and featuring work by illustrator Keong-A Song, also showcased the authors and their books awarded with a literary prize and recent translated Luxembourg writer.
Kultur | lx also organised two networking moments, one on 18th and one on 19th October, inviting international professionals to discover the Luxembourg scene and to exchange with Luxembourg publishers and authors, as well as planning new projects and collaborations. Kultur | lx has also produced in cooperation with the National Centre for Literature a Foreign Rights Catalogue presenting several awarded Luxembourg authors, some new releases “hot off the press”, as well as information about translation and publishing support for foreign publishers and professionals from the book sector who wish to contribute to the development and dissemination of Luxembourg’s authors and literary creation.
On Friday 20th October, the Luxembourg author Jeff Schinker, who was shortlisted for the European Union Prize for Literature 2023, participated in a panel, organised by Pro Helvetia, entitled “Accent: Slightly shifted similarities – Writing in small languages” featuring Swiss author Gianna Olinda Cadonau, who writes in Romansh and German, Slovenian author Cvetka Lipuš and moderated by Steven Wyss from the Translation House Looren. The discussion between the authors highlighted the specific context of a multilingual literary scene and what this means for the book market and cultural policy.
The Frankfurt Book Fair remains the most important meeting of the year for the international book sector. With a total of 215.000 visitors, 105,000 of them trade visitors from 130 different countires (in 2022: 93.000) and 110.000 private visitors (in 2022: 87.000), the Book Fair recorded a significant increase in visitors number.
From 18 – 22 October, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg invites you to explore Luxembourg’s creative literary scene at the Books from Luxembourg national stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany.
After welcoming 93,000 professionals in 2022, this 75th fair is set to be a festive event with a wide and varied programme for both professionals and the general public. The Books from Luxembourg stand (Hall 3.1/Stand F134) will showcase 10 publishers: Black Fountain Press, Capybarabooks, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Editions Schortgen, Ernster Editions, Hydre Éditions, Kremart Edition, PassaParola Editions, PersPektiv Editions, Point Nemo Publishing.
Designed by Studio Polenta and featuring work by illustrator Keong-A Song, the Books from Luxembourg stand will be a meeting place where Luxembourg’s publishers can make new contacts, talk to publishing professionals from across the world, present their lists and authors, and plan new projects. Two networking events will take place: Wednesday 18 October (5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.) and Thursday 19 October (5.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.), dates that every Luxembourg publishers and editors will have in their diaries.
In addition to new releases by Luxembourg publishers, the stand will also showcase literary prizes and Luxembourg writers recently published in translation. Since the start of 2022, Kultur | lx has supported the translation by foreign publishers of 22 novels from Luxembourg. These recent translations mean that Luxembourg’s literature can now be discovered by readers in countries like Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia. In cooperation with the National Centre for Literature, Kultur | lx has produced a brochure introducing several authors from Luxembourg along with information about new releases.
Shining a spotlight on the specific context of a multilingual literary scene, Pro Helvetia will hold a round table at its stand (Hall 3.1, Booth F122) on Friday 20 October from 1 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. entitled “Accent: Slightly shifted similarities – Writing in small languages”. The panel will feature Swiss author Gianna Olinda Cadonau who writes in Romansh and German, a Slovenian author, and Luxembourger Jeff Schinker, author of Sabotage, a project written in four languages which was shortlisted for the Servais Prize, the Lëtzebuerger Buchpräis, and the European Union Prize for Literature.
More information HERE.
Relive the 2022 edition of the Frankfurt Book Fair in our aftermovie below:
From 25 November to 3 December, the European Union will be guest of honour at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, the biggest literary event in the Spanish-speaking world. Nathalie Ronvaux and Jean Portante make up the Luxembourg delegation.
This will be a first for the Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL) in Guadalajara, which in its 36 previous editions has welcomed countries, cities or regions, but never a community beyond the confines of a nation-state.
The fair, which is aimed at both professionals and the general public, is also a cultural festival in which literature plays a major role, with a rich programme featuring authors from every continent and language, highlighting European cultural diversity and contemporary creative dynamics.
As guest of honour, the EU will have a prominent presence with a 1300 m² pavilion located in a central and visible position within the FIL premises. It is currently being designed by a Barcelona-based architecture studio with a multinational team of European and Latin American architects. The pavilion will reflect the principles of openness, inclusion, hospitality, sustainability, diversity and unity.
Luxembourg will be represented through the voices of authors Nathalie Ronvaux and Jean Portante, the latter being well known in Latin America not only for having lived there for a long time, but also for his translations into French of Latin American poets, himself being translated and published in Spanish, notably in Mexico.
Programme :
Wednesday 29 November from 6.00 pm to 7.20 pm
“Books and letters to provoke dialogue” with Pascal Quignard, Jurga Vilė , Nikos Bakounakis, Jean Portante
Moderation: Sylvia Georgina Estrada
Venue: Salón 1, ground floor, Expo Guadalajara
Thursday 30 November, 6.00 pm to 7.20 pm
“Stories of Exclusion. fight with words” with Elena Alexieva , Stejarel Olaru , Nathalie Ronvaux , Colm Tóibín
Venue: Salón 1, ground floor, Expo Guadalajara
After a long hiatus, the Leipzig Book Fair took place again from the 27th until 30th April. This year, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg organised the national presence bringing together six Luxembourg publishers (Black Fountain Press, Capybarabooks, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Hydre Editions, Kremart Editions and Point Nemo Publishing, which presented their newest publications. The Book Fair is the second largest one in Germany and the first large trade meeting of the year.
The award ceremony for the European Union Prize For Literature took also place on 28th April at the Leipzig Book Fair. The European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) recognises emerging fiction writers from the European Union and beyond. Luxembourg author Jeff Schinker was one of the nominees for “Ma vie sous les tentes“. This year’s prize was awarded to the Croatian writer Martina Vidaić.
In the context of Leipzig Liest, the largest European Reading Festival, two events with Luxembourgish authors took place. On 29th April, Maxime Weber, Claire Schmartz, Samuel Hamen and Nico Helminger (aka Tomas Bjørnstad) read from their latest publication at the naTo in Leipzig, and discussed with Thomas Hummitzsch, who moderated the event, about the topic “What if…? Between fiction and speculation”. The audience got to discover speculative and dystopic Fiction from Luxembourg. On Sunday, 30th April, Editions Guy Binsfeld co-organised with Kultur | lx a “Liesmatinée Crémant-Mélange: österreich trifft Luxemburg – Stadtgeflüster” with the Luxembourg author Nico Helminger (aka Tomas Bjørnstad) and the Austrian author Ferdinand Schmalz at the Leipzig Book Fair.
With 274.000 visitors, the Leipzig Book Fair provides an important platform to promote and boost the profile of Luxembourgish literature, the authors and publishing houses. Readings at Leipzig Liest allow the authors to present their work and for the audience to discover the diverse Luxembourgish literary creation. Furhtermore, the presence at the book fair allow Luxembourgish authors and editors also to meet and connect with other writers, publishers, and literary agents for new collaborations, as well as new opportunities for new projects
Committed to promote artists from Luxembourg, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg will be present for the second consecutive year at jazzahead! in Bremen, Germany.
A delegation of musicians, managers and programmers representing the Luxembourg jazz scene will be gathered on our national stand “Jazz From Luxembourg” (6B31) which will be an essential meeting point for all the actors of the Luxembourg jazz scene. They will have the opportunity to make contacts, exchange ideas, dialogue with international professionals and present their current and future projects.
In 2022, jazzahead! gathered 2700 participants from 55 different countries. A central platform for the jazz sector, taking place every year in Bremen, the event gives rise to formal and informal networking, as well as showcases and conferences. In 2022, first year during which Luxembourg presented a national booth at jazzahead, 14 people from Luxembourg’s jazz scene (artists, bookers and managers, promoters) came to Bremen and had the chance to meet all the professionals attending the event.
A brochure was also published to present all the Luxembourg actors.
We would be pleased to welcome you on our stand 6B31 during the fair and for networking reception on 28 April at 16:00!
From 29 March to 2 April, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg organised for the first time a national presence at the Brussels Book Fair, honouring Luxembourg’s literary creation, primarily in French. The “Livres du Luxembourg” stand brought together four Luxembourg publishers (Capybarabooks, Hydre Éditions, KIWI E.L.G. and PassaParola Éditions), which presented their French-language publications in literature and non-fiction.
This major event allowed the public to discover and meet the authors at book signings, including Antoine Pohu, Tullio Forgiarini and Nathalie Ronvaux, as well as the various Luxembourg publishing houses present.
In the margins of the fair, a networking event for Luxembourg and Quebec book actors was organised in collaboration with the Délégation Générale du Québec and the Luxembourg Embassy in Brussels at the Galerie Nosbaum Reding in Brussels to encourage and develop collaborations in the book sector. This event offered a unique networking opportunity to discuss possible new collaborations and projects with actors of the Quebec book sector.
« Osons l’imaginaire » (Let’s dare to imagine)
As part of the fair’s programme, a meeting/reading with Luxembourg authors Tullio Forgiarini and Nathalie Ronvaux (moderated by Valerija Berdi, journalist at Radio 100.7) was organised around the theme of “Transgressions and feminist perspectives”. On this occasion, Tullio Forgiarini read extracts from La ballade de Lucienne Jourdain (Hydre Éditions) and Nathalie Ronvaux from Moi, je suis Rosa! (Capybarabooks). The discussion gave the audience an insight into the authors’ writing practice and creative process.
The Brussels Book Fair was an opportunity to develop a new format to present Luxembourg publishers and authors on Instagram. Kultur | lx will continue this series of portraits over the course of the next few international fairs.
From 26 to 30 April, you can discover Luxembourg’s literary creation in german at the Leipzig Book Fair.
Committed to promote artists from Luxembourg, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg will be present for the second consecutive year at jazzahead! in Bremen, Germany.
This presence will be made possible through a booth which will give all the professionals involved in the Luxembourg jazz scene the opportunity to meet the foreign delegations attending this key trade fair for the jazz sector.
In 2022, jazzahead! gathered 2700 participants from 55 different countries. A central platform for the jazz sector, taking place every year in Bremen, the event gives rise to formal and informal networking, as well as showcases and conferences. In 2022, first year during which Luxembourg presented a national booth at jazzahead, 14 people from Luxembourg’s jazz scene (artists, bookers and managers, promoters) came to Bremen and had the chance to meet all the professionals attending the event.
In order to give artists and independent professionals the opportunity to attend the event and expand their network, Kultur | lx provides financial support.
We are looking forward to meeting you at the booth nr. 6B31! – more information to follow.
Taking advantage of the Luxembourg Art Week, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg organised from 9 to 11 November a focus on the Luxembourg art scene for contemporary art professionals.
During three days, about twenty professionals from 5 countries who had come to Luxembourg, visited art centres, museums and artists’ studios.
For this third Focus on the Visual Arts, Kultur | lx offered foreign professionals studio visits curated by Marianne Derrien, independent curator, art critic, teacher and vice-president of c|e|a, the French association of curators in France.
Five artists opened the doors of their studios to guide visitors into their unique worlds: Aline Bouvy, Hisae Ikenaga, Vera Kox, Letizia Romanini and Aïda Schweitzer. These were moments of intimate and profound exchange that allowed each of them to confront another view of their work and other horizons of expectation.
In addition to Marianne Derrien’s selection, Kultur | lx shares with professionals the conviviality and dynamism of the Luxembourg cultural scene by sharing the initiatives of artists and cultural institutions in Luxembourg.
Thus, during a privileged visit, the professionals were able to discover the exhibitions of Tacita Dean and Waters’ Witness by Tarek Atoui at Mudam, Anachronisms by Deimantas Narkevičius and New Minett curated by Sandy Flinto, Pierrick Grobéty and Daniel Marinangeli at the Konschthal Esch as well as Jours de lenteurs by Adrien Vescovi at the Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’Art Contemporain.
The Luxembourg artist Eric Mangen generously opened the doors of Monique Becker’s studios and Yann Annicchiarico, winner of the portfolio grant who, accompanied by Clément Minighetti, curator at Mudam, presented his publication Des papillons de nuit et de l’échelle de Muybridge.
Finally, on the fringes of this curated programme, Kultur | lx organised on Friday 11 November a round table on the professional support of artists. Luxembourg and international professionals and artists exchanged on these questions from a keynote speech by Nathalie Filser on the condition of the artist today, followed by two round tables on the importance of the critical entourage of artists and on the evolution of residency mechanisms.
Through the implementation of this system, Kultur | lx intends to stimulate circulation and exchanges between the national and foreign scenes. The next focus on visual arts by Kultur | lx will be held in 2023, the whole team is already looking forward to it and would like to thank the Luxembourg artists and professionals who have contributed to these days with their commitment and professionalism.
From 19 to 23 October, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg invites you to explore Luxembourg’s literary landscape at its national stand at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany.
The regular rendezvous is not only an excellent opportunity for publishing professionals from Luxembourg and the rest of the world to lay the foundations for future partnerships, but also the perfect place to promote authors from Luxembourg and their work.
After a scaled-down version with 73,500 visitors in 2021 due to the pandemic, Frankfurt Book Fair will once again offer a unique space for publishing professionals to meet. The Books from Luxembourg (stand G26/Hall 3.1) will host 10 publishers (Black Fountain Press, capybarabooks, Editions Guy Binsfeld, Editions Schortgen, Ernster Editions, Hydre Éditions, KIWI E.L.G., Kremart Edition, PassaParola Editions, PersPektiv Editions) and showcase 37 fiction, non-fiction and children’s titles in five languages: English, French, German, Italian and Luxemburgish.
In order to promote the publishers and their author, Kultur | lx published, in collaboration with Monogram and Marc Angel, 3 brochures : Fiction, Non Fiction
and Children and Young Adults.
These figures hint at the variety in Luxembourg’s dynamic, diverse and multilingual literary landscape. Luxembourg therefore clearly reflects the 2022 Frankfurt Book Fair’s theme perfectly: Translate. Transfer. Transform.
A networking side event on 20 October and the stand itself will offer Luxembourg publishers an unmissable opportunity to network, meet and talk to international publishing professionals and to showcase their authors. Before the fair, Kultur | lx will also organise a range of workshops for publishers to help them prepare for meetings and grow their network.
As part of this programme, the Embassy in Berlin will host Literatur de Lux(e)—a literary soirée with Elise Schmit and Nora Wagener, moderated by Jeff Thoss—on 13 October.