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“MIR WËLLE BLEIWEN, WAT MIR GINN” – Presentation of the cultural component of Luxembourg at Expo 2020 Dubai (21.09.2021)

Date of the event 

  • Start: 21.09.2021 14:40
  • End: 09.2021 15:30

On September 21, 2021, the Minister of Culture, Sam Tanson, and the General Commissioner for the Luxembourg Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Maggy Nagel, welcomed the press to the Hôtel des Terres Rouges for the presentation of the artistic and cultural project, elaborated by the collective of eight artists in the context of the Luxembourg participation in the World Expo 2020 in Dubai, which will start on October 1, 2021.

Curators Bernard Baumgarten and Kevin Muhlen presented the work of the Kënschtlerkollektiv, which will take over the Luxembourg Pavilion from January 15 to 31, 2022, with its joint project entitled Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir ginn, which is divided into six transdisciplinary and collaborative artistic proposals, in resonance with the theme of the exhibition Connecting minds, creating the future.

The artists’ collective consists of Julie Conrad (design), Adolf El Assal (film), Guy Helminger (literature), Karolina Markiewicz and Pascal Piron (visual arts), Simone Mousset (dance), Patrick Muller (music) and Renelde Pierlot (theater). Focuna president Jo Kox said that the selection of these artists by the artistic committee in 2017, is based on the excellence of the artists in their specific field, as well as their experience in creating transdisciplinary projects.

Maggy Nagel recalled that the GIE Luxembourg @ Expo 2020 Dubai has from the beginning been firmly convinced of the importance of involving culture in the Luxembourg presence at EXPO 2020 DUBAI. After the choice of the architect and the scenographer, Culture was the first partner to be contacted. The Commissioner was particularly pleased to be able to show the collective’s creations to an audience from all over the world.

Sam Tanson praised the fact that the collective has adopted this collaborative approach, while at the same time building on the sustainability of their project through cooperation with local institutions. “Interpersonal and intercultural exchange is a catalyst for development on both an individual and societal level.”

The presence of contemporary art in the Luxembourg pavilions dates back to a tradition that began in 1925 when works by Auguste Trémont, Lucien Wercollier, Harry Rabinger, and Joseph Kutter adorned the national pavilion at the World Fair in Paris.

The history of Luxembourg’s participation in World Fairs can be found in the book Un petit parmi les Grands. Le Luxembourg aux Expositions universelles de Londres à Shanghai (1851-2010), by Jean-Luc Mousset and Ulrike Degen, published by the National Museum of History and Art in 2010.

Press release by

Ministry of Culture / GIE Luxembourg @ Expo 2020 Dubai

Presskit: view here