how it all began...

The idea to organize an art festival during the summer in Bad Gastein was born ten years ago. The Hamburg curator Andrea von Goetz and Schwanenfliess developed the concept of Artists in Residence together with Bad Gastein’s creative minds Olaf Krohne, Ike Ikrath as well as the Berlin art director Jork-André Dieter and the art office Ulli Sturm. Every year, aspiring young artists are invited to the art residence in Bad Gastein, where they are given the space to give free rein to their creativity and to be inspired by Bad Gastein. Through Andrea von Goetz and Schwanenfliess’ network, more than 60 artists from Austria and abroad have already worked in the historic building at the waterfall. The result: a potpourri of contemporary art – from performance, sculpture, photography, painting and drawing to collage and installations. And despite the fundamentally different outcomes, there is one thing in common: the site-specific context.