HAPPY PLACE - Biennale for Freiburg 3

In its third edition, the Biennale für Freiburg 3 explores the symbolism of Freiburg as "the south of Germany" and questions tourism as a business with promises of happiness, the desire for escapism and the allure of the undiscovered. The exhibition examines the semiotics of the picturesque and the economy of wanderlust against the backdrop of geopolitical interdependencies and post-colonial structures.

The title of the Biennale refers to the concept of "cruel optimism": the illusion of an idealized idyll that is maintained in the midst of precarity and crisis. Images of picturesque landscapes, iconic buildings or performatively staged traditions characterize longings for "the South". But these images, often romanticizing or exoticizing, are changing the destinations themselves. Tourism influences the economy, the environment and politics, and becomes entangled in global power relations and colonial continuities.

The Biennale focuses on these interdependencies and examines how tourist fantasies are produced and communicated. In their works, international and local artists reflect on hegemonies, longings and resistance to constructions of foreignness. Their positions open up new perspectives on tourism as a political phenomenon.

With a city-wide exhibition, performances, city tours, a symposium and educational programs, the Biennale creates a platform to reflect on tourism in its ambivalence. Tourists are not only thought of as consumers, but also as political subjects who are part of global dynamics.

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Participating institutions are:
Kunstverein Freiburg (art society Freiburg), Museum für Neue Kunst (Museum of Contemporary Art), Delphi Space, Pförtnerhaus, Kaiserwache, Schopf2, Kulturaggregat, and other outdoor locations (including Schauinsland cable car.)

Opening hours of the locations:

Friday
Kunstverein, DELPI_space, Kulturaggregat: 4-8 p.m.
Pförtnerhaus, Kaiserwache, Schop2: on request

Saturday and Sunday
all locations: 2-8 p.m.

The MNK's Schau_Raum will also be open, with opening hours based on the museum's opening hours (Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, Thu 10am-7pm)