THE NEUEN SÄCHSISHEN GALLERIE´S GRAPIC ART BIENNAL: FIRE, FIRE

The Neue Sächsische Galerie's graphic art biennial is travelling during the Capital of Culture year of Chemnitz. Thanks to a cooperation with the German Cultural Centre and the municipal Laikku Galleria in Tampere, we are presenting our flagship project at a hotspot of the Finnish graphic art scene.

The theme of the biennial is FIRE, FIRE!

The fire is burning brightly and everyone is gradually realising how hot it is getting under their soles. We can no longer escape the conflicts of the world, we have to develop attitudes and gradually make serious adjustments to our actions. The challenges are lurking around every corner, even for us people who are used to peace. The good future can no longer be bought with money alone. Indifference is not yet punished, aeroplanes still fly and cars still drive at will. There are still living trees in our city centres. But those who can see can sense the impositions to come. They are likely to be painful. They will claim victims, always according to the thickness of their wallets. We are playing with fire.

This year's Graphic Arts Biennale also wants to draw attention to increasingly inflammatory and aggressively escalating processes in social interaction. Parallel to the fatal treatment of nature, social disputes in the present day are leading ever more quickly to increasingly harsh confrontations. Statements replace dialogues. The search for common ground is becoming more difficult. Culture is becoming more important as a space for discourse and thus solutions. As a non-verbal source of inspiration, art can help to overcome speechlessness and find common ground with its less worn-out visual language.

Professional artists in Saxony were asked to submit current works. As a result of the competition with a jury decision from 355 submitted works, the exhibition of 100 works was created. Award winners are: Kai Spade, Bettina Haller, Stephanie Marx, Stefan Knechtel, Juana Anzellini, Susanne Werdin

Even if printmaking leads a marginalised existence due to its relatively minor importance on the art market, this biennial impressively demonstrates the inventive character of this diverse world. Thanks to the great commitment of workshops and printers in all three major Saxon cities, traditional techniques are being realised to the highest quality and the joy of experimenting with the new, mixing techniques and completely new applications of the developing technological possibilities knows no bounds. This seems to be the future of printmaking. On the other hand, this exhibition is a fascinating demonstration of what can still be achieved by limiting oneself to simple techniques such as lino printing. Statistically speaking, a renaissance of classic techniques can be observed. Linocut became the most widely used printing technique for the first time this year. Its ease of use, even without a printing workshop, also points to the precarious situation of many artists. The support materials are becoming more diverse and image creation is increasingly based on photographic impulses. Digital techniques remain in the background. They are not yet developing the creative powers we are looking for.

Exhibition at Kulttuuritalo Laikku Galleria, Keskustori 4, Tampere.

Open Tue – Sat 10am – 6pm. Free admission.

For more information about the exhibitions at Kulttuuritalo Laikku:

Irma Puttonen

Leading coordinator

irma.puttonen@tampere.fi

+358 50 553 8673

City of Tampere, City Culture Unit