Cultural Offensive: ‘Burgenland-based artists’ push for internationalization of local art scene

The new office occupied by Max Biskup, L.H. Doskozil: “Expert in international exchange and aspiring artist”

It has been exactly a year since Cultural Prefect Hans-Peter Doskozil presented a comprehensive funding package to secure and develop the local arts and culture scene on 12 December 2022. The development of this list of measures, which range from scholarships, an emergency fund and the opening of cultural centres, was preceded by personal discussions with regional artists and staff. In the field of culture. “Through these dialogues we have been able to create a precise and efficient funding environment. In fact, we are implementing the ideas of those affected,” says Doskozil. One of the highlights of the attack is the Office of Resident Artists in the Projects, which was recently established in Burgenland. A person with proven experience has been appointed And a rich network in the international art scene to head this office: Max Biskup from the state cultural department helps coordinate the initiative, or “airBurgenland” for short. The aim is to further promote the internationalization of the Burgenland scene through programs with artists from all over the world. “The works of the artists must be Regionalism is visible beyond our state and national borders. “The ‘air Burgenland’ program aims to facilitate the entry of local artists into new markets and help them present and position themselves abroad,” says Doskozil. The entire local cultural scene should benefit from this exchange. Conversely, artists – in the fields of visual and performing arts, music and literature – from a wide range of countries will live, work and communicate in Burgenland and contribute their artistic influences. “Through Air Burgenland, a long-term perspective of Burgenland’s involvement in the global contemporary art scene is developed,” says Biskup.

“With Max Biskup, we were able to acquire an ambitious artist for ‘air Burgenland’ who also has experience in international cultural exchange,” says Doskozil. Biskup is the organizer of Burgenland Dance Days, has headed the Burgenland Dance Center for more than ten years and has supervised more than 400 residencies during this time. He has been working on preparations for “Air Burgenland” for several months. In this context, 43 artists from abroad worked in Burgenland this year. Specifically, an exchange took place with 27 female and 16 male artists from the fields of dance, performance, music, visual arts, literature, cinema and drama.

From 2024 onwards, around 40 to 50 artists will come to Burgenland every year. The usual length of stay is about a month. A series of group presentations or exhibitions of international works will be held once a year. This framework provides regional artists with the opportunity to showcase their work in an international context. The activities of “air Burgenland” are digitally accompanied and documented. This content will be distributed on social media, on specialized platforms and, if necessary, in editorial form, and will therefore also be accessible to an international audience.

During the course of the project, different locations in Burgenland will become residency sites: the Artists’ Village Neumarkt an der Raab, the Eisenstadt Cultural Congress Centre, the Kupersdorf Synagogue and Schlining Fredensburg.

Past successes and future prospects
The primary goal is to support artists who have already achieved their first national or international recognition but whose achievements are still imminent. Two former resident artists, Stephanie Cumming and Alessandro Ciarone, have been honored with the Golden Lion, the main prize of the Venice Biennale. “We have developed and implemented our international residency projects in collaboration with partners such as the Louvre Museum in Paris, the National Gallery in London, and the Museum Boegmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam. Our projects have been recognized as part of Creative Europe as best practice and the results have been showcased at the Monumenta in the Grand Palais Paris, at Arte Sella and at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, among other places,” says Biskup, explaining previous successes.

In the future, Air Burgenland will increase Burgenland’s visibility as a site for the development of relevant contemporary art. The programs enhance the status of Burgenland artists and initiate regional, national and transnational exchange. The associated knowledge transfer is already having a noticeable positive impact at the regional level. “The positive effects of engaging with contemporary art for young people have been proven through numerous studies. This initiative creates high-quality displays specifically for young people and is therefore an investment in the future,” says Biskup.

Image for download: Artists_in_Residence Burgenland

Caption: (From left) State Governor Hans-Peter Doskozil with the Head of the Office for Artists in Residence Projects, Max Biskup and Maga-Claudia Breber, Head of the Department for Culture 7.

Image source: Burgenland State Information Service

Eisenstadt, December 21, 2023

Burgenland State Information Service
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Tel: 02682/6002941
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