ARTIST / DON QUIXOTE

An interdisciplinary and international exhibition series

Some 400 years after his birth in Spanish poet’s Miguel de Cervantes‘ most famous work, the character of “Don Quixote” seems to have lost nothing of his fascination and keeps on inspiring contemporary artists of all genres. The intricate tale of the literary anti-hero par excellence remains to be equally inviting and puzzling.

Along with the “Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance” the reader not only travels the “Mancha” (modern Castilia), the southern plains of Spain, but the inner landscape of its protagonist. A process is triggered, revealing the complexity of Don Quixote´s character, incorporating utter ignorance of the facts of life and a deep gentle wisdom on the basis of the author´s vast horizon of experience. All this makes him a perfect blueprint for reflections on contemporary art, hence providing the thematical focus for this exhibition.

For this multimedia-exhibition (incorporating works in plastic arts, photography and video art), numerous international artists have been invited to share their personal approach and interpretation of the figure of Don Quixote. Their works are observations and parables on the role and self-perception of the artist in contemporary culture and social conditions in general.

Together they enter into an interdisciplinary dialogue providing a basis and insight for even broader questions and discussions.