Already in its 14th year, Bad Gastein becomes a hotspot for contemporary art during the summer months. The mission of the sommer.frische.kunst. festival is to make art an experience in a special place. For 14 years, dan pearlman has been supporting the festival and the spa town with communication.
In its 14th year, against the spectacular backdrop of the Austrian Alps and the unique architecture of Bad Gastein, guests at the sommer.frische.kunst. festival embarked on a journey through time from the past to the future. Under the motto “Heritage meets Future,” the festival in the summer of 2024 built a bridge from a historic meeting place for artists to a contemporary art festival. The motto alluded to the special history of the place as a longed-for destination for artists and the aristocracy over 100 years ago, as well as the more recent history with nearly 200 artists who have presented works or created new ones on-site as part of the summer.frische.kunst.
Art in public spaces, such as by the waterfall or at 2,000 meters altitude in Sportgastein, is a successful component of the festival. With the raising flags project by the museum in progress, 40 flags by national and international artists were installed at spectacular locations in and around Bad Gastein. Raising Flags is a long-term project by the museum in progress, curated by Alois Herrmann and Kaspar Mühlemann Hartl. In cooperation with STRAAT Museum & gallery, artist Hyland Mather presented a mural from materials collected and assembled on-site. At the power plant, works from the masterclasses of the art schools in Vienna and Munich by Paula Baader, Yaser Bashir, The BERG, Julian Shreddy Elbel, Meike Schulze Hobeling, Pascal Koertel, Joana Loewis, Sebastian Quast, Carlos Vergara, and Ruscha Voormann were displayed.
In the summer of 2024, the third edition of the art also took place. Unlike the major art fairs in metropolises, this fair concept aims to facilitate a special exchange between artists, collectors, and galleries – with peace and time. Participating galleries included Galerie Carolyn Heinz, Galerie Kai Erdmann, Galerie Holthoff, Galerie Sophia Vonier, KnustKunzGalleryEditions, PSM, Zeller van Almsick, as well as Verlag für moderne Kunst Wien, a museum in progress Wien, and Straat Museum & Gallery Amsterdam.
Guests once again experienced a diverse, international program with local and international artists. For the communication of the sommer.frische.kunst. festival, including press work, founder Andrea von Goetz and the Bad Gastein Tourism Association once again relied on dan pearlman.
Photos: Selector Marx Photo / Florian Kolmer
