Begehungen — Art Festival Chemnitz

Begehungen — when empty spaces become galleries

The Begehungen art festival is a Chemnitz invention: founded in 2003, with the concept of occupying a different vacant or unused building in the city each year and transforming it into a site-specific art exhibition for a weekend or a week. In over twenty editions, the festival has occupied industrial wastelands, former department stores, train stations, and administrative buildings — and has become one of Saxony's most renowned art events.

In 2026, the choice falls on the former Schauspielhaus at Zieschestraße 28, located in the Park der Opfer des Faschismus. The building has been vacant for a long time due to structural defects and is not used by the Chemnitz Theatre — a virtually prototypical Begehungen situation. An exhibition with contributions from visual arts, performance, installation, video, and sound will be created here over about two weeks.

Motto 2026: «In the Imagination»

The motto «In the Imagination» responds to a present where the boundaries between reality and simulation are increasingly blurred — AI-generated images, fake videos, parallel realities on social media. The festival asks about the «dangerous staging strategies of reality» and seeks artistic answers. In this way, Begehungen 2026 thematically aligns with the program line of Theater der Welt 2026 — the two festivals are explicitly collaborating.

Crowdfunding and Inclusion

The 23rd edition is partly financed by crowdfunding — Begehungen e.V. is thus setting a signal for independent cultural production. Inclusion is explicitly part of the concept: sign language interpretation, audio guides with descriptions, tactile models, accessible access, and cultural accompanying programs will be provided.

Chemnitz and the Art Scene of Eastern Saxony

Chemnitz, European Capital of Culture 2025, has its own, often underestimated art scene. Alongside the KOSMOS festival, the Chemnitz Theatre, and the Neue Sächsische Galerie, Begehungen is one of the defining institutions. Those who visit the festival should also check out the other 2026 programs of the Capital of Culture follow-up.