art meets city
July 15–September 4, 2022
Baden-Baden, July 7, 2022
Friday, July 15–Sunday, September 4, 2022
Kurgarten Baden-Baden
Light turns the city into a stage
kunst findet stadt in Baden-Baden presents the largest “luminarie” in Germany to date by the internationally celebrated Italian artist Marinella Senatore, who will still attract attention this year by major exhibitions in Paris and London.
Baden-Baden—Baden-Baden’s Kurgarten will once again become an open-air art gallery this summer. kunst findet stadt will be showing three works by the Italian artist Marinella Senatore from July 15—an exhibition open to all and with free admission. Two of the works were especially created for the urban space in Baden-Baden. After Jeppe Hein (2021), Marinella Senatore is the second artist selected for kunst findet stadt by the artistic advisory board led by Dr. Thomas Köhler, director of the Berlinische Galerie, and Prof. Dr. Florian Matzner, art historian at the Academy of Fine Arts. In addition to the exhibition in Baden-Baden, Marinella Senatore will be present at internationally renowned art venues this year, including Palais de Tokyo (Paris) and Hayward Gallery (London).
The centerpiece of the exhibition in Baden-Baden is a so-called “luminarie” installed on the façade of the Kurhaus, the largest work of art by Marinella Senatore exhibited in Germany to date. It was produced and specifically designed for the Kurhaus’ façade in Baden-Baden. Marinella Senatore draws inspiration for this type of artwork from the traditional luminarie, which light up entire towns in Southern Italy during public traditional festivities and celebrations. Colourful LED bulbs are attached to arches and geometric shapes made of wood, resulting in portals reminiscent of Baroque architecture. By adding quotes relating to empowerment and identity to her “luminarie,” Marinella Senatore creates a system that makes the public space politically active.
Using the light, she creates a space that becomes a “universal square” for communities. Her artworks generate energy that spreads in the form of light beams inside or outside a space, changing it, modifying its structures and the people present in it.
Marinella Senatore’s “luminarie” have been installed at the High Line in New York (2018), in Piazza Duomo in Lecce as the visual frame for a highly acclaimed fashion show by Dior (2020) and in the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi in Florence (2020), among several other venues. The artwork that will be on display on the Kurhaus’ façade during kunst findet stadt has been developed by students of a Baden-Baden high school in close cooperation with the artist.
Involving the public is also a central theme to Marinella Senatore’s other two artworks. In the middle of the Kurhaus Kolonnaden, she prepares a stage for the people. According to the quote “Dance First, Think Later,” a creative space for citizens and visitors of Baden-Baden is created as part of kunst findet stadt. Besides the worldwide exhibited “luminarie,” Marinella Senatore is also known for her “School of Narrative Dance” (SOND), an itinerant, free, and non-hierarchical participatory project. With SOND, Marinella Senatore proposes an alternative educational system based on emancipation, empowerment, and self-education. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the School, which counts a network of about 7 million participants across 23 countries. On June 9th the celebrations started with a performance at Battersea Power Station in London on the occasion of her show Afterglow, presented by Mazzoleni, London—Torino.
kunst findet stadt is the perfect occasion to celebrate the founding of this school for and with people on the opening weekend of the exhibition. For the entire duration of the exhibition (running until September 4), Marinella Senatore will hand over the stage to the community, providing associations, music groups, individuals, and dance groups with great creative freedom to build new collective outlets.
Finally, the artwork Bodies in Alliance will be set up in the middle of the Kurgarten. The quote by philosopher Judith Butler invites visitors to start a dialogue with the artwork and become part of it.
Marinella Senatore (born 1977) currently lives in Rome. She is a multidisciplinary artist trained in fine arts, music and cinema. Her work is characterized by a strong involvement and collaboration with local communities. Marinella Senatore incorporates the surrounding environment in her works, creating fluid and heterogeneous spaces. Her artworks, performances and dance projects have been on display at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, as well as in New York, Berlin, Miami and Tel Aviv, among others. Marinella Senatore has also participated in several Biennals, such as Venice, Sâo Paulo, and Havana, as well as the Manifesta12 in Palermo.
kunst findet stadt celebrated its premiere in summer 2021 with artworks by Danish artist Jeppe Hein. The project is conceived as an annual series by Baden-Baden Events GmbH. kunst findet stadt is intended to provide a service for the citizens and tourists of Baden-Baden, showing the popular Kurgarten under a new light for several weeks—this summer in the truest sense of the word.
More information: info [at] badenbadenevents.de / T +49 7221275275
