The Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony has once again acquired contemporary art totalling almost €170,000 in 2024 as part of its annual sponsorship purchases. From 29 January 2025, the Representation of the Free State of Saxony in Brüderstraße (Berlin-Mitte) will be presenting works by 20 of the 32 artists included in the 2024 purchases in the current exhibition, including paintings, prints, art objects and a media work.
Image above: Tobias Gellscheid, Cry Baby, 2014 Holzstich © VG Bildkunst Bonn 2025, Foto: Rene Schaeffer.
These art acquisitions are primarily aimed at promoting young generations of artists who are still at the beginning of their careers and who should be encouraged to continue on their path. Established artists, such as Tobias Stengel, Stefan Voigt and Barbara Wille, who are recognised for their many years of work and their contribution to a vibrant Saxon art world, are also always considered. Their works are now on display in Berlin alongside a selection of paintings by Noemi Durighello, Paul Glaw, Annika Greschke, Luna Haser, Claudia Kleiner, Klara Meinhardt, Ruben Müller, Johanna Seidel and Milena Wiedemer, graphic art by Tobias Gellscheid, Mandy Knospe and Hanne Lange, photography by Katharina Schreiter and object art by Eric Beier, Stefhany Yepes Lozano and Stefan Vogel.
Of the newly acquired media works, the video by Mahshid Mahboubifar will be presented. In her film, the Iranian-born artist not only reconstructs missing parts of an Iranian nomadic carpet from the State Ethnographic Collections of Saxony, but also masterfully ‘interweaves’ them with the European myth of Arachne and Athena and asks who ‘weaves’ which story for which purpose. It is a stroke of luck that this contemporary artistic work inspired by a collection item has now (re)found its way under the umbrella of the museum network of the Dresden State Art Collections via the funding acquisition programme.
Since 1992, the Free State of Saxony has been organising annual sponsored acquisitions of contemporary art, which are a public sign of encouragement and recognition of artistic creation. In this way, the Free State of Saxony supports artists who are active or resident in the Free State like no other federal state. The purchase recommendations are made by an independent advisory board made up of art experts, which selects the works on the basis of artistic quality before the originals, which are then acquired by the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony for the benefit of the Art Fund.
Over the course of more than 30 years, the Kunstfonds has amassed a collection of well over 1,000 works of contemporary visual art of all genres. Since 2011, the Kunstfonds and the Representation of the Free State of Saxony to the Federal Government have regularly presented a selection of current acquisitions in an exhibition in Berlin.
WHEN?
Exhibition presentation: from Wednesday, 29 January 2025, 7 pm
Exhibition dates: Monday, 6 January – Sunday, 13 April 2025
Opening hours: Sunday – Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm
WHERE?
Vertretung des Freistaates Sachsen beim Bund
Brüderstraße 11/12
10178 Berlin
COST?
Free admission
