- Participation statistics cited at the Chemnitz Art Event "Stroll"
The annual Chemnitz event, titled "Begehungen" Art Festival, has outdone itself with an unprecedented number of attendees. Around 8,000 individuals visited the festivities in Chemnitz, except for the 2022 Thalheim event, which managed to draw in a larger crowd due to its extended duration over a weekend.
Festival representative Lars Neuenfeld shared that they were taken aback by the unexpected turnout after the initial 5,000 visitors on the opening weekend. Surprisingly, hundreds more joined the event each weekday following initial success.
Kicking off this year, the festival commemorated the 35th anniversary of the peaceful revolution. A collection of 22 contemporary artworks, each representing various forms of resistance and critique towards society, was showcased. These pieces brought together local, Latin American, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern perspectives, spiraled into installations, paintings, graphics, sculptures, performances, videos, and sound art.
Exciting plans for the future
Since its inception in 2003, "Begehungen" has revitalized abandoned structures into short-term galleries for contemporary art. This year, a once-protested old school building was chosen as the setting. In the spirit of 1989/90's peaceful revolution, this very same school became a venue for the Chemnitz school model, offering an alternative to the Communist DDR school system.
If Chemnitz yields the title of European Capital of Culture next year, organizers of "Begehungen" are strategizing a mammoth festival event spanning multiple weeks. Revealing the location is not yet possible; however, it's probable that we'll get an update within the upcoming weeks, as assured by the festival representative.
The festival representatives are currently reviewing the visitor records from the 2022 Thalheim event, as it saw a higher attendance than any previous year. Visitors to the "Begehungen" Art Festival have the opportunity to view detailed visitor records, providing insights into the festival's growing popularity over the years.
