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Responsibilities of the Goethe-Institut
Visual Arts

The Fourth Wall, Installation Paço das Artes 2012 Photo: Clemens von Wedemeyer/Art: Clemens von Wedemeyer
German visual arts are highly regarded throughout the world. Through its varied programme of activities, the Goethe-Institut helps people all over the globe to come into contact and engage with art from Germany. The focus is on contemporary art.

The Visual Arts Division acts as consultant and motivator for diverse projects carried out or promoted by the Goethe-Instituts abroad in the fields of visual arts, design and architecture. A continuous dialogue generates programmes that convey insights into the current art scene in Germany that stimulate artistic discourses and facilitate personal encounters between artists at home and abroad.

The division is given support with regards to content by a voluntary advisory board made up of renowned figures from the German art scene.

Activities of the Visual Arts Division

The primary task of the Visual Arts Division is individual, professional consulting for the numerous art, design and architecture projects that are initiated, supported or conducted by the Goethe-Instituts abroad. Furthermore, the division promotes intercultural exchange by means of diverse centrally-coordinated programmes.

In cooperation with local partner organizations, we initiate and support group and solo exhibitions in all the various branches of the visual arts: painting, sculpture, the graphic arts, architecture, photography, media art, design and fashion.

The Goethe-Institut produces touring exhibitions that document cultural themes or recent historical developments. We also place touring exhibitions produced by the Institute for Foreign Relations (ifa) in Stuttgart with cultural institutes abroad.

Conferences and panel discussions focus on important trends in contemporary German art. Workshops, artist- and curator-in-residence programmes and curator research journeys and talks with artists from Germany are also organized.

The spectrum of the approximately 1,000 events held each year includes group and solo exhibitions, lectures, symposiums, workshops and artist-in-residency programmes.
A dancer performing a leap © Pexels/Yogendra Singh

Arts Funding

The Goethe-Institut promotes culture and the arts in every discipline. We provide funding to enable professional as well as newcomer and amateur artists, whether in groups or individually, to carry out projects in Germany or abroad. In addition to grants for projects and translations, we award scholarships, prizes and fellowships. The funding criteria, application periods and types of funding vary according to the terms of the call for proposals.

Please note

The Visual Arts Division at the head office is not in a position to place exhibitions by German artists with galleries or institutions abroad.

Contact

Julika Meyer
Tel. +49 89 15921319
julika.meyer@goethe.de

For all questions you may have concerning projects with a Goethe-Institut abroad please contact that institute directly.They decide whether specific project ideas will suit their respective programmes based on their focal points and goals.

For all other questions, the Visual Arts Division at the head office of the Goethe-Institut is happy to be of service.

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