The exhibits have been selected

 It is a unique art and nature experience that appeals to all the senses: artists from all over the world come to Northern Hesse for the international exhibition "bewegter wind" to show their wind art works at unique venues in nature. The starting signal has now been given for the 11th edition of the popular art festival: It will take place from 13 to 27 August 2023 in two extraordinary landscape settings near Wolfhagen near Kassel.

 51 wind art works from 15 countries

"Our association bewegter wind e. V. has been busy planning for months and has been in contact with artists who have submitted their proposals for wind art objects, installations, performances and actions as well as videos and audio works," reports curator Reta Reinl. "Now the jury meeting has taken place. The result: 51 wind art works have been selected from 110 submissions. A total of 50 artists from 15 countries are taking part, including India, Brazil, Japan and New Zealand." After only a few international artists* were involved in moving wind 2021 because of Corona, this year's wind art exhibition is once again globally positioned as usual.

The selection jury is made up of three experienced artists: the renowned designer and artist Ines Braun ( https://ines-braun.jimdofree.com/ ) and the freelance artist and graphic designer Joachim Römer (http://www.unterblicken.de). Both are based in Cologne. The team of jurors is completed by Reta Reinl: the artist from Lichtenfels initiated the moving wind in 2004 and has been the curator of the wind art exhibition ever since.

A motto that raises hopes 

Those familiar with the bewegten wind know that every exhibition has a guiding motto. This year it is "beyond ... beyond". Reta Reinl explains: "The English word 'beyond' describes going beyond borders and limitations. Just as the wind blows across landscape boundaries, the artworks also overcome spatial boundaries and constantly change through the movement of the wind. For the viewer, this results in unfamiliar, diverse perspectives. 'Beyond' thus points beyond the concrete and can be interpreted in terms of content and landscape at the same time."

This central idea struck a nerve with many artists: "It is a promising theme that seems boundless," was the spontaneous reaction of artist Constanze Schüttoff. And the Austrian artist Lea Anders says: "The title of the exhibition is a real bearer of hope. A promising door opener that already shows a path without yet knowing exactly where to go ... that feels good!"

From the trunk creature to the wind nomad 

What can art and nature enthusiasts expect this August? Reta Reinl already gives a small foretaste of the anticipated works: "The range is really impressive," she says. "For example, we have a "wind harvester" made of bamboo fibres by the Polish artist trio Piotr Wesolowski, Alexander Bryk and Karolina Konieczny, which moves gently in the landscape like an elephant with three trunks. At the Performance Day on 20 August, the Japanese artist Tomo Sone will dance in a costume similar to a pink cloud - an experience further enhanced by augmented reality and entitled "Cassandra's Field of Flowers".

The artist Anuar Portugal from Mexico makes half a circle of chairs rise from the earth. German artist Heidi Etzbach also works with seating - though in a completely different way: Two long rows of chairs wind through the landscape and disappear on the horizon. They face each other in different positions. In this way, visitors can take a seat on them and start a conversation about their respective "points of view". The beautiful wind objects by the Indian artist Vagaram Choudhary, which are placed in old hute trees, also change the perspective.

War or peace?

The war in Ukraine is also a theme: artist Masa Paunovic forms a 1.5-metre hand out of earth holding a 5-metre peace flag. During the exhibition, the hand decays, but does peace remain? Ria Gerth from Germany also interprets the guiding theme "beyond" politically and contrasts war and peace in a drastic way: She has filmed a peaceful country idyll that comes to an abrupt end when war suddenly breaks out.

To where does the wind lead us? Visitors can pursue this question together with the wind nomad Harald Ganswindt: He determines the wind direction with a soap bubble sword and literally follows the wind over hill and dale.

Ralf Witthaus will again provide temporary traces in the landscape with his impressive lawnmower drawings - together with helpers he will implement "per petuum".

Another object that arouses curiosity even when viewed from a distance is called "Terror Eyes" and is the work of Leonie Mühlen. She places huge balloons with eyes painted on them in the landscape and traces the contour lines with them. You can see from a distance how the landscape changes. Originally, the idea comes from agriculture and serves - similar to scarecrows - to deter animals.

Last but not least, Anne Heilmann translates historical weather maps into knotted patterns made of sailing ropes, which come alive with quotes from historical sailors. "These are just a few of the many breathtaking works of wind art that visitors can discover in nature this summer," says Reta Reinl.

Meagre grassland and hute beech trees

The location of the wind art works has also been decided: it is a mountain range near Wolfhagen-Nothfelden. The second exhibition site is a hill formation near Wolfhagen-Philippinenburg. "They are very different landscape situations, but they are so close together that you can hike them," explains Reta Reinl. "The dry limestone grassland, ancient hute beech trees and the double hill with many impressive contour lines make for unique combination possibilities of art and nature."

It is precisely this proximity that artist Constanze Schütthoff takes as the occasion for her art action "May I ...?", in which she sets out as a question-inspiring companion with visitors on the connecting path between the two exhibition areas.

Free of charge - thanks to committed actors

Art needs funding. That is why bewegte wind 2023 is only possible thanks to strong support. This year's sponsors include the district of Kassel, the town of Wolfhagen, Kasseler Sparkasse, the Hessian Ministry of Science and the Arts, Stadtwerke Wolfhagen, BürgerEnergieGenossenschaft Wolfhagen eG as well as Culturwerkstatt Frankenberg, AgiL and Autohaus Ostmann. Together they ensure that admission fees can be avoided and that attractive prizes can be awarded for outstanding works of art at the end of the exhibition. After all, the moving wind makes it possible for everyone to experience art free of charge and at the same time strengthens Wolfhagen as a location.

 And there is also active support beyond that, for example from local helpers, farmers and landowners as well as the local population, which provides accommodation for the artists.

 "Wolfhagen is exemplary in the field of renewable energies, including wind power. There are some interesting intersections with wind art here: we don't look at wind from an energy perspective, but from a cultural one," says Reta Reinl, adding: "We already exhibited wind art in Wolfhagen, Kassel and Volkmarsen in 2012." So the moving wind is successfully returning to Wolfhagen.