Color instead of black and white thinking - Ostrale 2025 in Dresden

This year's Ostrale international exhibition of contemporary art in Dresden, entitled "Never Grey", is a statement against black-and-white thinking, for openness and colorful diversity. Color as a means of activating, strengthening perception and promoting discourse is the "colorful" thread in the dramaturgy of the show, said Ostrale Director Andrea Hilger. "We must allow change, perceive better, understand nuances, preserve, keep and give time for each other and around each other for all life."

Around 300 works from Germany and abroad

From Saturday and until October 5, around 300 works by 106 artists from 32 nations will be gathered in the robotron canteen, a still unrenovated and only temporarily used pavilion of Eastern Modernism in the city center. Thematically, the focus is on the examination of current social issues such as war, identity, consumer behavior and dealing with nature, as the curators explained. The focus is on the idea of colors as a material, as a symbol, as a dialogue, they are an expression of identity, a cultural and political space.

"The range of shades of grey also serves as a metaphor for the spectrum between extremes," said curator Drorit Gur Arie from Israel. "With the works, I propose a color palette in which even juxtaposed colors can coexist harmoniously with their purity and raw radiance." The same applies to human existence.

This is the 15th edition of the art festival, which is largely supported by the private sector and artists. Since 2017, it has only been held every two years, with a growing response - in 2023, the number of visitors was 29,000.