ART COLOGNE 2004: One door closes as another opens

New input as ART COLOGNE readies for next year's move

Cologne (pts027/13.08.2004/14:39) 250 galleries from 20 countries - 45% from outside Germany

Supporting events in the city of Cologne and the Rhineland

This year the Cologne Trade Fair Centre's Rheinhallen will host ART COLOGNE for the last time (October 28 to November 1). Next year ART COLOGNE, also known as the International Fair for Modern and Contemporary Art, moves to a new venue, though this will still be in the Trade Fair grounds. Departure from the Rheinhallen signals a fresh start in a new era for ART COLOGNE. An array of new developments - with the familiar newly-clothed - will greet the 250 exhibitors from 20 countries and the 70,000 visitors (view the current list of exhibitors at www.artcologne.de).

ART COLOGNE's new advertising emphasises both change and tradition at the Fair. Retention of the classic red logo and the accompanying typography stand for continuity and tradition. 'New' signals change - the rebranding of ART COLOGNE but also changes in the art world. 'New' also stands for 'fresh to the market' and 'surprising'.

The organizers have made significant progress in internationalizing the list of exhibitors. Forty-five per cent of them come from countries outside Germany. Austria is strongly represented, followed by Spain, the United States, Holland and Switzerland. Thirty-eight of the exhibitors will be showing for the first time.

ART COLOGNE's palette ranges from classic 20th-century art to the very latest work by young artists. The new stand layout plan increases the focus on contemporary and new contemporary art, but classic 20th-century art and post-war art - one of the strengths of the Fair - continue to be strongly represented. Non-European art and vintage photographs provide attractive counterpoints. The number of stands showing vintage photography is on the increase.

rheinschau. art cologne projects
In line with the increased focus on new art, major trends in the use of new media will be strongly emphasized and video rooms introduced for the first time. They will be set up beside gallery stands, not centrally located, to encourage dialogue and promote sales. In an entirely new event - rheinschau. art cologne projects - thirty leading international galleries will be showing complete small-scale projects. The rheinschau will be organized by Neumann + Luz Projects and supported by an advisory committee working closely with ART COLOGNE. It will be housed in the Königliche Eisenbahndirektion building on the other side of the Rhine.

Two programmes - New Talents and New Contemporaries - are designed to encourage young artists. ART COLOGNE has been sponsoring young artists since 1980 by giving them free stand space. Eleven stands, each 25 square metres in size, will be located next to the galleries that represent them. In its New Contemporaries scheme, ART COLOGNE invites about 20 of young galleries to exhibit using funds provided by the SK Stiftung Kultur, Stadtsparkasse Köln's arts foundation. They are given special consideration in the stand layout plan.

Special programmes and special exhibitions
ART COLOGNE's attractions are enhanced by a large number of special events in the city and neighbouring towns. An exhibition titled New Museums shows architectural projects for new museum buildings. These include Tadao Ando's project for the Langen Foundation in Neuss, the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, Frank Gehry's MARTa in Herford and designs for the ARP MUSEUM Bahnhof Rolandseck. ZADIK, the Zentralarchiv des Internationalen Kunsthandels, is staging an exhibition titled Richter, Polke, Lueg, Kuttner. The Anne and Jürgen Wilde Foundation is planning a special exhibition in cooperation with the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum für Völkerkunde. This exhibition will be showing work by the photographer Karl Blossfeldt from his celebrated portfolio Urformen der Kunst in juxtaposition to African and Polynesian tribal art - recalling the legendary 1926 exhibition staged in the Galerie Nierendorf in Berlin. The Photographische Sammlung der SK Stiftung, Cologne, will be showing works by photographers Gabriele and Helmut Nothhelfer, Wilhelm Schürmann, Tata Ronkholz, Thomas Struth and Joachim Brohm. In a special show titled Expanded Arts the Kunsthochschule für Medien (the Cologne Academy of Media Arts) will be showing seminar work by students studying with Valie Export and Ursula Damm. The first SoundARTl will be launched in the nearby Großer Rheinsaal where a major presentation of sound art will be staged by cultural radio (WDR 3) and the Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten in Marl to mark the award of the German Sound Art Prize.

Parties and receptions hosted by ART COLOGNE and staged in the cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf, excursions to Neuss, Düsseldorf and the ARP MUSEUM Rolandseck take art to a wide audience and will alert art lovers to new developments. ART COLOGNE kicks off with an exclusive sneak preview at the invitation of Koelnmesse and the German art monthly art on October 26. The magazine celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year. This is followed on October 27 by the Professional Preview and Vernissage with a lavish reception in Hall 5. The reception will be co-staged by RIOT FASHION of Cologne and harks back to Hall 5's legendary heyday in the early 1990s. On the opening day of the Fair the ART COLOGNE Prize will be awarded to Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate Gallery in London, at 10am. Cologne galleries will be staying open for evening vernissages. On October 30 the Kulturamt Düsseldorf and galleries in the city will be organizing a party in the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen K 21. On October 31 there'll be a brunch in the Museum Ludwig, Cologne and a reception in the ARP MUSEUM Rolandseck. ART COLOGNE closes on November 1 with a Finissage from 5pm to 8pm.

ART COLOGNE's three VIP clubs: talking about art
A discussion group on the theme Kunst - Markt - Preis organized by Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on October 28 will focus on values and prices in the art market. Deutsche Bank will be organizing daily Kunstmarktgespräche on the interaction of art and the business world. The three ART COLOGNE VIP Clubs themselves - for art subscribers, ART COLOGNE VIP card holders and young collectors - offer further opportunities to talk about art.

ART COLOGNE profits from its remarkable location. The Rhineland and its neighbouring regions host both large numbers of art collectors and a dense network of top-ranking museums. The Düsseldorf Academy, the Münster Academy and the Cologne Academy of Media Arts continue to produce a stream of talented young artists. A number of important contemporary artists have chosen to live in the Rhineland. Cologne lies in the heart of Europe and is easily accessible by road, rail and air. In addition, Cologne-Bonn airport is a major hub for low cost carriers.

For further information and photos, please visit:
www.artcologne.de
Go to "English", select "Press", "Press Information" and "Photos" (end).

Aussender:	Koelnmesse GmbH
Ansprechpartner:	Dirk Mangold