Do you want to expand your professional network? Addressing contemporary art professionals is a key element in this process.

Dates: October 18, 2022
Timing: 09h00 – 13h30 | 14h00-18h00
Venue: Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain

The objective of this workshop will be to prepare you to present your work in different situations and through different media in order to better communicate with professional audiences. You will focus on three types of communication situations: the portfolio, social networks and real or virtual studio visits.

Kultur | lx is pleased to welcome Margret Wibmer to lead this workshop dedicated to visual arts.

This hands-on workshop is for professional visual artists working in all types of media. You will have time to discuss your specific project with an experienced instructor/mentor and other participants, refine your approach and present it to other professionals.

Who is eligible to participate?

Participation conditions:

More information and application here.

Romain Urhausen, pioneer in Luxembourg in the 1950s and 1960s, has established himself on the international photographic scene with his singular style and experimental approach. Passionate, facetious and prolific, he is recognised as one of the most innovative photographers in Luxembourg, and has embraced subjects as varied as daily life, people at work, urban landscapes, nudes and self-portraits. His curiosity has led him to experiment constantly, both in the subjects he photographs and in the techniques he uses.

Chosen to embody the Luxembourg presence at the Rencontres d’Arles, the exhibition “Romain Urhausen, en son temps” is held at the Espace Van Gogh. This central and unavoidable place offers the necessary conditions to present numerous original photographs dating from the 1950s to the 1970s.

The opening was held on 6 July in the presence of H.R.H Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister and Minister of State, Sam Tanson, Minister of Culture, Martine Schommer, Ambassador of Luxembourg in France, as well as Patrick de Carolis, Mayor of Arles, Christoph Wiesner, Director of the Rencontres d’Arles and numerous Luxembourg partners and international guests. The opening ended in a very festive atmosphere with the acclaimed show by Faux Real.

As a result of an exceptional collaboration with Lët’z Arles and the CNA, a book dedicated to Romain Urhausen (published by delpire & co) was presented at the Librairie du Palais by the curator Paul di Felice and the publisher. The publication was supported by Kultur | lx.

18,585 professionals and enthusiasts have already gathered to discuss the artists and the variety of photographic practices during the first week of the Rencontres d’Arles.

“Romain Urhausen, en son temps” at the Rencontres d’Arles
Curator: Paul di Felice
Until 25 September 2022 at the Espace Van Gogh, Arles (France)

 

The Rencontres d’Arles is the most important photo festival in Europe. Thanks to the initiative of Lët’z Arles, artists from the Luxembourg scene have been able to present a project there since 2017.

Following a slightly different format from past editions and in order to give a specific opportunity to an artist already registered in the history of Luxembourg photography to exhibit in Arles, the nominators of Lët’z Arles submitted to an international jury composed of experts in photography, proposals of names of photographers likely to be shown during this 5th edition.

The jury, which met in April 2020 (at that time there was still a question of choosing the artist for the 2021 edition, which was finally postponed to 2022), unanimously chose the photographer Romain Urhausen to embody the Luxembourg presence at this edition. When his selection to exhibit in Arles was announced, the artist was deeply moved and delighted by this opportunity. He quickly began fruitful exchanges with the curator Paul di Felice, in order to build the exhibition’s itinerary together. Following the artist’s death in July 2021, the preparatory work for the project continued without his complicit gaze, but with respect for his mischievous spirit, thanks to the collaboration of his relatives and the lenders of his works.

Prolific, but little known in France, the photographic work of the Luxembourger Romain Urhausen is distinguished by his singular style between the French humanist school and the German subjective school of the 1950s and 1960s, to which he actively contributed. Often a pretext for formal and poetic exploration, his photographic subjects, also tinged with humour, go beyond a classical representation of reality. The themes that punctuate the exhibition show how everyday life, people at work, the urban landscape, the nude or the self-portrait are approached through a plastic and experimental approach. The subjective aesthetic, learned from Otto Steinert, has left its mark on Romain Urhausen’s formal language, his way of dealing with contrasts and framing, but also his way of looking at the world differently. This vision is highlighted in the exhibition, which puts the author’s photographs in dialogue with those of his peers, creating new “elective affinities”.

“Romain Urhausen en son temps”
Curator: Paul di Felice
From 4 July to 25 September 2022 at the Rencontres photographiques d’Arles – Espace Van Gogh

An exceptional collaboration with delpire & co*
As a result of an exceptional collaboration with Lët’z Arles and the NAC, a book dedicated to Romain Urhausen will be published by the French publishing house specialising in photography, delpire & co. The bilingual book (French/English) presents a selection of 48 photographs by Romain Urhausen, accompanied by a text by Paul di Felice and a contribution by critic and author Carolin Förster on Subjektive Fotografie. The exhibition includes graphic works, often captured using experimental techniques, as well as his famous photographs of Les Halles, taken before the Pavillon Baltard was demolished in 1971.

* With the support of Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg 

On 3 March 2022, Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg invited the Visual arts sector for a convivial moment of exchange at the Konschthal in Esch-sur-Alzette. This sectoral meeting was an opportunity to review the various support offered by Kultur | lx, as well as to present the actions planned for 2022. The event ended with a visit of the exhibition Instant Comedy by Filip Markiewicz (presented until 22 May 2022).

More than 35 professionals gathered in the Konschthal to discover or rediscover the support offered by Kultur | lx to the Visual arts sector.

Kultur | lx offered support to encourage mobility (mobility aid for career development; tour support; support for participation in fairs) and increase renown (Luxembourg Focus programme; promotion support) of Luxembourgish creation.

In order to raise awareness of an artist’s work within the sector and among the public, and to foster knowledge of different artistic practices, Kultur | lx supports the production of an artistic portfolio with the porfolio grant.

Finally, four residency programmes are open to Luxembourgish artists in partnership with Kultur | lx, two are exclusively dedicated to the Visual arts sector:
– Research and creation residency for Visual artists at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin;
– Research and creation residency at the Darling Foundry in Montreal, Canada;
And two multidisciplinary residencies, open to artists from all sectors:
– Multidisciplinary research and creation residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris;
– Research and creative residency for architects, architectural researchers, illustrators and authors at Academia Belgica in Rome.

These support will also be reinforced by actions. In the first half of 2022, Kultur | lx will set up operations to strengthen the sector’s skills and its international connections.

On 6 April 2022, a workshop will be offered to visual artists, design and craft professionals entitled: Present your approach to the international art professionals.

In addition, on an international level, scouting visits will be organised during major international events in order to discover a part of the international scene. Curated studio visits will be set up in Luxembourg to create new opportunities and connexion for the Luxembourg Visual arts scene.

The networking event that followed the presentations highlighted the needs of the sector and reinforced Kultur | lx in its role of supporting the career development of professional artists.

You want to launch your career internationally? Addressing contemporary art professionals is a key element in this process.

Dates: on April 06, 2022
Time: 10:00 – 13:30 | 14:00-18:00
Venue: Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain
41, rue Notre-Dame, L-2240 Luxembourg

The objective of this workshop will be to prepare you to present your work in different situations and through different media in order to better communicate with professional audiences. You will focus on three types of communication situations: portfolio, social networks and studio visits.

Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg is pleased to welcome Sophie Lanoë to lead this first workshop dedicated to visual arts.

This hands-on workshop is for professional visual artists working in all types of mediums. You will have the time to discuss your specific project with an experienced trainer and the other participants, refine your approach and present it to other professionals.

I am eligible to participate?

of Luxembourg nationality or resident in Luxembourg.

Participation conditions:

More information and registration HERE

Kultur | lx – Arts Council Luxembourg, continuing the commitment of the Fonds culturel national to its partners, has taken over the Künstlerhaus Bethanien residency in Berlin and offers to visual artists a six-month research and creation residency, based on a call for applications open in December 2021.

The residency program is a platform for artists from all over the world. The winner will have the opportunity to work on and realize a project for a defined period of time and to immerse themselves in the Berlin art scene. The residency at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien will provide an opportunity to network with the local art scene, contributing
to the development of the recipient’s professional career.

The committee, made up Claudine Hemmer (ministère de la Culture), Clément Minighetti (MUDAM), and Mike Bourscheid (artist, residency laureate 2021), examined the 8 applications received and made recommendations to the Künstlerhaus Bethanien, which then took the final decision. Following this selection process, the residency was
awarded to Lisa Kohl for her project SHUTDOWN DREAMS | ANGELS IN FALL.

Statement of the jury
The jury recognize the coherence of Lisa Kohl’s proposal, which is in line with her overall artistic vocabulary and purpose, but also with a residency in Berlin that offers many possibilities for exploration. Lisa Kohl has integrated all the issues of this residency, wishing to take advantage, in the writing of her own work, of the Berlin socio-political context, along with her artistic history. The jury considered that Lisa Kohl’s project, both precise and floating, playing on anchoring and dis-anchoring in space, allows for free interpretation, particularly in her ability to go beyond the photographic medium and its issues. The artist intends to mix her work with the Berlin art scene in order to give it more body, to deepen his research by confronting it with another view. It is this openness in a project that has been constructed that the jury wanted to encourage. Moreover, the residency seems to come at a good time in the career of Lisa Kohl who has benefited from a good international and national visibility in recent months (Rencontres d’Arles, Prix Steichen). This residency could open up other possibilities in terms of networking and dissemination of her work, perhaps with the Kunstvereine.

Statement of Künstlerhaus Bethanien
We are delighted to declare Lisa Kohl as the next Luxembourg scholarship holder at Künstlerhaus Bethanien. The artist has a very individual, clear, expressive and yet subtle visual language. We are particularly convinced by Lisa Kohl’s photo series Shelter in its combination of performance and photographic representation. The series Passage, which she presents similarly in light boxes on concrete pedestals, also combines an outstanding photographic aesthetic with important subject matter. The artist confidently and coherently chooses a wide variety of media, including video and sound, to convey her respective themes.

About Lisa Kohl
Lisa Kohl was born in 1988 in Luxembourg. She lives and works between Luxembourg and Germany. Her work takes various forms, such as collaborations with performing arts, photo series, sculptural and audiovisual installations. Lisa Kohl holds a Bachelor’s degree in plastic, visual and spatial Arts from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels La Cambre, in Brussels, and graduated with honours (2017) from the Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule in Halle, Germany. In 2021, she was laureate of the Aide à la création et diffusion en photographie grant from the Centre national de l’audiovisuel (LU) and is nominated for the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff grant, Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (D). She was chosen by the jury of Lët’z Arles to participate in the Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles in 2020-2021. She was nominated for the Edward Steichen Prize in 2019 and has already completed a residency in Los Angeles in 2018 at Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V. She describes her artistic position as follows: “I am interested in the relationship between artistic creation and social reality. I create images for subjects that touch me closely, making the big gap between socio-political commitment and personal visual language. To do this, I go directly to the field and seek to get closer to the margins and precarious living conditions. […] My artistic research [is marked] by the strong points of flight and exile, presence and absence, place and non-place. […] Originating from a real context, a space of experience is opened up, which gives voice to the people I meet and to the theme to be problematised. The interventions, sculptures and images related to different contexts refer to our
collective memory, which is poetically questioned in my works in a dialogical mode.”

The Rencontres d’Arles is Europe’s most important photography festival. Thanks to the Lët’z Arles initiative, Luxembourg artists can present their projects at the festival’s Chapelle de la Charité venue. For the 2021 festival, this opportunity falls to Daniel Reuter and Lisa Kohl.

Daniel Reuter (b. 1976) is working with curator Michèle Walerich to present Providencia at the festival.

As for Lisa Kohl (b. 1988), she is working with curator Danielle Igniti on an exhibition entitled Erre. She has a completely different focus, as she is interested in the relationship between artistic creation and social reality, focusing on outsiders and people living in precarious conditions.

The Rencontres d’Arles

from 4 July to 26 September

Chapelle de la Charité, Arles

Homepage – Les Rencontres d’Arles (rencontres-arles.com/en)

Lët’z Arles (letzarles.lu)

Daniel Reuter

lisa-kohl.com

Every two years, Urbi & Orbi invites photographers, artists and videographers from all over the world to compare how they see town and city life. Since it was first held in 2001, Urbi & Orbi has invited photographers such as Pentti Sammallahti (2015), Bernard Plossu (2006) and Bogdan Konopka (2001) to exhibit their work in Sedan, France.

Cité de l’Image de Clervaux is a Luxembourg non-profit that organises a range of events relating to the medium of photography. This year, for its 20th anniversary, Urbi & Orbi has given Cité de l’Image de Clervaux free rein in the creation of a guest exhibition.

As part of this partnership, in spring 2012, Luxembourg photographer Raoul Ries undertook an artist’s retreat in Sedan. The series of photos produced were directly guided by Sedan’s 2013 town-planning project (PADD). Raoul chose each district’s unique flavours as one of the central themes of his work and urban density as the other.

Adopting a realist approach, photographer Christian Aschman is depicting the rapid changes to the physical geography of the town of Clervaux (Luxembourg). He observed this change for over a year, from late 2018 to March 2020. His photos depict scenes with town life at their core. Strong contrasts, daring additions, functional and rustic buildings: Christian Aschman paints a portrait of a community devoid of humans, yet very individual and full of character.

Urbi & Orbi

Festival of photography and the city

12.06.2021-29.08.2021

Sedan, Ardennes, Grand-Est, France

www.urbiorbi.photo