About the Festival

beschreibung
The Day the Clouds Vanished, Sofia Dona, CURRENT – Kunst und urbaner Raum, 2025 © Luzie Marquardt
Zwei Performer*innen knien sich gegenüber auf dem Dach eines Autos und schauen sich intensiv an. Um sie herum beobachten viele Menschen das Geschehen.
BONUS, Göksu Kunak, CURRENT – Kunst und urbaner Raum, 2025 © Dominique Brewing
Eine Person hält ein Tablet vor einen alten Brunnen, auf dem Bildschirm wird durch Augmented Reality eine Szene mit zwei virtuellen Figuren über dem realen Brunnen dargestellt.
allapopp, HYPERLOVE, Installation, CURRENT, 2023 © Frank Kleinbach
Das Bild zeigt zwei Personen vor einem künstlichen, grauen Felsen in einem Park. Einer putzt mit einem Tuch den Felsen, während der andere in einer kleinen, futuristischen Reinigungsmaschine mit blauen Bürsten sitzt. Die Szene spielt in einer grünen Umgebung mit Bäumen und Wiesen.
SONDER, Urban Cosmetics – Municipal Conflict Care, CURRENT, 2023 © Frank Kleinbach

CURRENT – ART AND URBAN SPACE is a transdisciplinary festival in Stuttgart, conceived as a biennial, that closely links artistic practice with processes of urban transformation.

Thus far, three festival editions with changing thematic focuses have taken place in Stuttgart. Each edition explored and questioned urban space from an artistic perspective, with its own distinct conceptual focus:

2021: Porosity – The first edition explored the "porous" nature of the city. In doing so, the artistic positions examined the potential of urban spaces, myths, and co-existences, as well as the promises of large-scale construction projects, the facades of our illusory worlds, and the unpredictable effects of the built environment on our perception.

2023: Unruhe bewahren! (Stay agitated!) – In the face of global crises and social tensions, the second edition focused on restlessness as a collective phenomenon. The festival questioned how this energy could be used productively to create spaces for creative expression and to shape solidary, future-oriented realities amidst societal turbulence.

2025: Luft – As an invisible yet essential element, air shapes our environment. The third edition was dedicated to the theme of air. Artists examined how air flows through the city of Stuttgart and made it tangible in a wide variety of locations through installations, interventions, performances, and walks. Across three main focuses, the festival explored air as a common good, its material qualities, and the impact of the automobile on the city.

Each festival edition featured a multi-layered program consisting of performative and installation-based interventions in public spaces, an accompanying symposium, and a magazine. Depending on the edition, the festival period spanned two to four weeks, during which up to 90 events took place across approximately 30 locations.

Both individual artists and collectives were invited to develop new, site-specific works. Collaborations with local as well as international institutions and initiatives have consistently been an important part of the festival.