Foundation
Since 1991, the Ursula Blickle Stiftung has supported innovative contemporary art by
German and international artists. In Kraichtal, near Karlsruhe, the independently-funded
foundation holds four exhibitions every year. This year, foundation director Ursula
Blickle is planning contemporary art exhibitions together with Cristina Ricupero, Katja
Schroeder, Mario Kramer and Fabian Schöneich.
The foundation is highly respected in the international art scene and is recognized far
beyond the borders of Europe. The foundation often presents artists who are making their
public debut here.
The presentations and the discussions that accompany the exhibitions mean that the
foundation also acts as an interface between the art and the interested public, who
have free admission to all events.
Ursula Blickle Stiftung
Gerald Matt, Director of the Kunsthalle Wien:
”With four exhibitions per year, the Ursula Blickle Foundation offers more than
many of the exhibition halls found in mid-sized towns, not only in quantitative
terms, but above all through the contemporaneity of the themes and the quality
of the artistic works selected by international curators. A gallery run by the
owners themselves, with all the attributes of a private enterprise — which does
not necessarily make it non-representative — has an advantage over public
institutions in that it is generally less bureaucratic and both financially and
politically more autonomous, which seems to make up for the many smaller
infrastructure 'shortcomings.' The gallery offers a stimulating atmosphere to
all those involved artistically, a challenge too good to refuse.”
Exhibition View
Peter Weiermair, Director of the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Bologna:
”International, current art from the USA, South America, Europe, or Japan
presented here in rural Germany — in Kraichtal. Not only can we see the big
names of contemporary art in the metropolises of the world, but also here of
all places, in the provinces of Mühltal. The Ursula Blickle Foundation is what
it is thanks especially to the institution's benefactor herself, who is active
and involved on all levels, expresses both criticism und encouragement, urges
hesitant local citizens to join, but can also lash out at them without remorse
if she detects resistance or reluctance. She depends on the younger artists
and their position, but also expects their encouragement, aware all the while that
hers is an ambivalent und tenuous attitude. The Ursula Blickle Foundation holds
the balance in this fragile state, yet it is not afraid to take risks and is determined
to continue despite disappointments and certainly due to its successes.”
Udo Kittelmann, Director of the Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main:
”Private art spaces are generally the ones that offer the potential for
experimental exhibitions because they are not bound by institutional
terms and pressures. An excellent example of one such space is the
Ursula Blickle Foundation. Here in isolated Kraichtal, freedom for the
sake of art has always been a priority. During the exhibition Die großen
Gefühle I was invited to curate an exhibition entitled Joy. At first the real
positive connotation of the title seemed too insipid to be the orientation
of an exhibition. At the same time, I became more and more aware of
this concept's multiple meanings and of the many obscure contexts in
which this word appears. For instance, it occurs more and more in the
context of violence, for which the adequate aesthetic means of
expression continues to be the medium film. Thus, the desire to and
craving for torture, destruction, and killing as a form of satisfaction and
pleasure became the theme of the exhibition. The focus, however, was
not on the perpetrators, but on the fascination and irresistible excitement
that an act of violence instills in its audience. For through the desire for
cruelty manifested in the voyeurism of the audience, viewers mutate into
accomplices, and the representation of the violent act turns to banality.
The goal was to make the audience visually and physically aware of its
complicity.”
Exhibition View
Ursula Blickle
”What I appreciate most is the vivacious, energy-charged contact with
the artists and curators, and their ability to rediscover the spaces in the
old mill and to best take advantage of them for their ‘acts’. I find getting
to know new positions and producing certain works especially for the
given situation extremely exciting. In this sense you could say youth is
the Foundation's capital. The motivation and involvement of various
curators who have worked for me have given rise to artistic positions
here in Kraichtal, many of which have years later played a prominent
role in the international art scene. I'm always happy when I see works
in large exhibitions that were shown here at the Foundation many years
before, not that I see myself as a trend scout. If one takes a closer look
at the Foundation's program over the last ten years, one notices
consistency as well as an overall series of quite heterogeneous
exhibitions. This diversity is important to me.”
Ursula Blickle
”Unlike museums and other institutions, I act as a private person, which
has many advantages. The number of visitors is irrelevant to me, although,
of course, I always care about audience interest. Moreover, I don't have to
submit a balanced program, I can give free rein to the curators I have chosen.
Udo Kittelmann, for example, didn't include a single artist in his exhibition
Joy, but instead put his program together using films and video clips. In some
cases, however, the Foundation does complement the established art scene.
Yilmaz Dziewior, for instance, curated an exhibition with Cosima von Bonin,
which was developed further and shown later at the Kunstverein in Hamburg.
It is not at all uncommon for exhibitions that have been shown here to run at
other venues, to be shown at art societies and museums elsewhere.
Catalogues, which always accompany our exhibitions, are also often
published in cooperation with other institutions. Thus, I do not see my
Foundation as competing with other venues, but rather as a kind of
supplement that offers support in an area where funds are becoming
ever more scarce.”
Exhibition View
Ursula Blickle
”If people are really interested in an exhibition, they will not be put off
by having to travel a greater distance to reach the venue. Contemporary
art can't always be shown just in big cities. This is one of the greatest
changes that has come about in recent years. Allow me to quote
Dr. Margrit Brehm: ‘Questioning is no longer concerned merely with the
from whence art comes, that is to say with role models for young artists,
but also with the where art is going, i.e. the places where art is happening
and being perceived. The halfpipe of the suburbs has meanwhile become
just as valid a venue for presenting art as the high-tech museum in the
overcrowded urban center.’ This applies just as much to Japan as to
Brasilia. Since I' ve lived in São Paulo for an extended period of time,
I can say that while this metropolis has influenced me deeply — as has
my hometown Vienna — I am still convinced that I have also made a
considerable contribution here in rural Germany, and I, of course,
hope to achieve much more in the future.”
