On Wednesday morning, cultural non-profit artcontemporain.lu held a press conference at Casino Luxembourg to present the programme for this year's Luxembourg Art Week.
Speakers focused mainly on the Art Week's off-site programme, which aims to bring art out to the public and allow the city to flourish culturally throughout the month of November.
As Maurice Bauer of the City of Luxembourg underlined, initiatives such as the sculpture trail and the so-called capsules are designed to make the city just a little more beautiful in November.
Another aim is to bring art directly to residents, giving even those who might otherwise feel out of place walking into a gallery the chance to take in works by local and international artists.
Public spaces are thus transformed into a vast gallery, with nine capsules dotted around shop windows across the Upper and Lower Town, as well as a trail of 11 sculptures. On top of that, many galleries and museums are offering a special programme for the Luxembourg Art Week weekend.
This year, around 600 applications from all over the world were submitted to artcontemporain.lu for the capsules alone, a sign of how far Luxembourg Art Week has grown internationally over the years.
It is no longer limited to an art fair for Luxembourg, but has become a major meeting point for dealers and collectors from across the globe.
As is customary, Luxembourg Art Week returns to the Glacis from 20 to 22 November, housed within a large tent.
A total of 78 exhibitors are taking part, including 17 from Luxembourg, 21 in the Take-Off category, 26 dedicated to the event’s specific focus theme, and, of course, a broad range of international galleries from 15 different countries.
The Luxembourg Art Week shines a light on either a specific city or a particular artistic practice each time. Last time, the focus was on Montreal; this year, photography takes centre stage.
According to Mélanie de Jamblinne, director of Luxembourg Art Week, the choice was made because it chimed with current events, such as the Edward Steichen exhibition in Arles and the photography prize recently awarded in Clervaux, making it fitting to reflect those developments within the Art Week programme.
Both outside the venue and within the fair itself, artcontemporain.lu continues to see itself as a cultural platform for everyone. On that basis, for its 12th edition, the event has held on to its "Collecting 101" concept.
All artworks priced below €4,000 are marked with a Collecting 101 sticker, making it easier for newcomers to start building their first art collection.
The Artflo app, which features a map showing the locations of the various galleries within the tent, along with further information on events and artworks, will be available again this year.
While the primary focus of Luxembourg Art Week is commercial, the event has grown over the years into something much broader, now including an art prize of its own.
For this year’s Contemporary Art Prize, 10 finalists have been selected: Joren Van Acker, Estelle Chrétien, Julien-Arnaud Corongui, Folkert de Jong, Vera Kox, Lucas Leffler, JKB Fletcher, Arthur Van de Velde, Antoine de Winter, and the artist duo Martine Feipel & Jean Bechameil.
The award ceremony will take place on 19 November in the large tent at the Glacis.
The 12th edition of Luxembourg Art Week runs from 20 to 22 November. Early-bird tickets are on sale until 31 October.
A late-night session, called Nacture, during which the fair stays open until 9pm, is scheduled for 21 November.
The capsules and the sculpture trail are accessible daily, around the clock.
Further information about the fair and Luxembourg Art Week's off-site programme is available online.
