And This is Us 2021: Young Art from Frankfurt
June 2–September 5, 2021
Steinernes Haus am Römerberg
Markt 44
60311 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 11am–7pm,
Thursday 11am–9pm
T +49 69 2193140
F +49 69 21931411
post@fkv.de
And This is Us 2021: Young Art from Frankfurt is the third edition of the biennial exhibition that the Frankfurter Kunstverein dedicates to emerging artists from the Rhine-Main region.
The underlying concept of the exhibition is to accompany the participants in the development of large-scale presentations on an institutional stage in order to make their work visible beyond the region. The Frankfurter Kunstverein is actively engaged in supporting the young generation in the realisation of their new ideas and productions, especially now that artists are facing massive challenges through COVID-19. This year, nine participants were invited.
Franziska Nori, director of the Frankfurter Kunstverein and curator of the exhibition, is in constant exchange with the local art academies. The city of Frankfurt am Main is a starting point for the careers of many international artists who came here to study and work. Professors from the Städelschule and the University of Art and Design in Offenbach accompanied Franziska Nori in the process of selecting artists with their suggestions. 90 portfolios were submitted and reviewed; many artists got the chance to present themselves and their work in interviews and studio visits. All artistic genres and media expressions were considered in order to show the diversity of current practices drawing a multifaceted picture of art production.
Within the exhibition, each artist will have his or her own showroom. The new productions are exclusively developed and realised as site-specific installations for the show and will take over the whole exhibition space of the Frankfurter Kunstverein. And This is Us 2021 is deliberately not a thematic exhibition, so that the participating artists are fully given the opportunity to present their unique artistic approach.
Parallel to the main exhibition, the entire foyer of the Frankfurter Kunstverein will be transformed into an extended presentation area for the creative scene in Frankfurt. Three initiatives by young artists will move in at the same time.
The collective Magma Maria has been invited by the Frankfurter Kunstverein to present the sales exhibition Frankfurter Kunst Vertrieb parallel to And This is Us 2021. Along the window facade of the ground floor, artworks in two-dimensional format will be presented in alternating cycles and offered for sale over the summer. 170 artists under the age of 30 submitted their artworks through an open call. Those can be purchased during the opening hours of the Frankfurter Kunstverein or on the eBay website of the project. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the artworks will go to the artists.
The non-profit action is based on a solidarity effort as a response to the pandemic times and the resulting reduced opportunities for young artists to present their work. Jakob Francisco, Malte Möller and Lena Stewens as part of the Magma Maria collective organise the project on a voluntary basis.
The young designer duo Bea&Pierre has expanded the existing FKV collection with hoodies, T-shirts and new, unique up-cycling Sacoche bags.
Over the duration of the exhibition, international young musicians will present their live sets with electronic, experimental music. The series of listening sessions is curated by Erika Lowin, Luzi Gehrisch and Louis Baca.
The Frankfurter Kunstverein sees itself as a committed cultural actor that, despite the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, remains an open space and public platform for audience and artists to discuss together current social issues. Since over two hundred years, the Frankfurter Kunstverein is known for representing the importance of contemporary art in social and political discourse.
Enabled by Dr. Marschner Stiftung.
Kindly supported by Stiftung Kunstfonds and Neustart Kultur.