A European Capital of Culture would be unthinkable without its exhibitions. Every day, there were dozens of venues just waiting to be visited. They showcase stories and history, art from today and past eras, craftsmanship and tradition, everyday culture and contemporary history. Below you will find just a small selection of the major exhibitions planned for Chemnitz 2025.
PURPLE PATH Art and Sculpture Trail
The PURPLE PATH art and sculpture trail showcases works by renowned international, national and Saxon artists. The result is an exhibition in the public space that tells stories of people, craftsmanship and industry, and invites visitors to discover these stories.
Silberglanz & Kumpeltod
The Mining Exhibition
Mining has been carried out in the Ore Mountains for three and a half millennia. Silberglanz & Kumpeltod tells of power and wealth, of groundbreaking technical innovations, but also of the exploitation of people and nature.
Art Festival Begehungen
Contemporary Art at the Heating Plant
The colourful chimney, visible throughout Chemnitz, is part of a decommissioned lignite-fired power station. Set against the backdrop of this impressive industrial architecture, the Begehungen arts festival explores themes such as resource consumption, biodiversity and climate change – with an exhibition featuring international artists, concerts, readings, films, talks and debates.
European Realities
Realist movements in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s
‘European Realities’ is the first exhibition to bring together the realism movements of the 1920s and 1930s as a pan-European movement. At that time, a world in turmoil found its artistic expression in art that emphasised reality.
Sun-seekers!
Art, Mining, Uranium
During the GDR era, ‘Wismut’ mined weapons-grade uranium for the Soviet Union – and collected fine art on a grand scale. In Zwickau, at an authentic site of Wismut’s history, ‘Sonnensucher!’ showcases the most extensive art collection of any GDR company.
Edvard Munch. Fear
Munch in dialogue with contemporary perspectives
Edvard Munch. Fear traces a path from the historical perspective on the emotion of fear in Edvard Munch’s art to contemporary artistic works. Even today, Munch’s works remain highly relevant due to their themes and are therefore particularly accessible.
ibug
Urban art in a derelict industrial site
Ibug ( short for ‘Industriebrachenumgestaltung’, or ‘Industrial Brownfield Regeneration’) is one of Europe’s leading urban art festivals. International artists transform the empty halls of an abandoned building into a positive utopia of possibilities.
Hallenkunst
Contemporary art across 5,000 m²
Hallenkunst showcases works by international artists who began their careers as graffiti or street artists but have since turned to other techniques. Murals are also being created on various surfaces in public spaces. These events are accompanied by artist talks and performances.
Tales of Transformation
Industry and Change
*Tales of Transformation* explores the rise, fall and reinvention of European industrial centres. Chemnitz was once the heart of Saxony’s industrialisation and faced upheavals and radical change.
#3000Garages – The Exhibition
The #3000Garages exhibition presents the essence of garages and the cultural value of these unassuming little structures – distilled and transformed into works of art, records, documents and found objects.
Open trial
Documentation Centre on the NSU Complex in Saxony
Taking the NSU complex as its starting point, *Open Trial* explores stories of migration and the everyday racism to which people are still exposed today. But it also highlights their resistance to it. It depicts the ongoing right-wing violence and the vocal voices that have stood up against it.
