urban matters

The Festival of Regions is one of the most distinguished festivals of contemporary art and culture in Austria. It has been taking place every two years since 1993 in locations outside of the urban centers and cultural hubs in Upper Austria.The Festival of Regions has been approaching questions that are both timely and topical but also timeless, such as: homeland, labor, asylum, hatred, migration, exclusion. Through its approach to confronting social issues and everyday living conditions with contemporary art, the Festival aims to establish a dialog between the local populations and local, regional, and international artists. Participation is thus strongly emphasized. The Festival aims to leave behind traces, to take on and stimulate discursive processes, to strengthen or initiate desires for change, to take the needs of different populations seriously, and to develop visions for the future together.

Past Festivals (since 1993):

2019 “Social Warmth”
2017 “Uninvited Guests”
2015 “Schichtwechsel – Hackeln in Ebensee / Shift Change – Slogging away in Ebensee”
2013 “Umgraben / Digging Up“
2011 “Umsteigen / Change Over“
2009 “Normalzustand / Normality
2007 “Fluchtwege und Sackgassen / Exits and Dead Ends”
2005 “Geordnete Verhältnisse / Ordered States”
2003 “Die Kunst der Feindschaft” (on the art of enmity)
2001 “Das Ende der Gemütlichkeit” (the end of congeniality)
1999 “Randzonen” (marginal zones)
1997 “Kunst.Über.Leben – Entdeckungsreisen zu Alltagswundern” (a journey to everyday wonders)
1995 “Heisse Heimat” (hot home / native country / hometown)
1993 “Das Fremde” (the other / the stranger / the unfamiliar)