The new edition of Luxembourg Art Week 2021 was presented at the Casino Luxembourg, in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Sam Tanson. (Photo: Paperjam)

The new edition of Luxembourg Art Week 2021 was presented at the Casino Luxembourg, in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Sam Tanson. (Photo: Paperjam)

The contemporary art fair Luxembourg Art Week will be held from 12 to 14 November, no longer in the Halle Victor Hugo, but under a large tent on the Glacis car park.

For its seventh edition, Luxembourg Art Week is moving. The Halle Victor Hugo has been occupied by the covid-19 vaccination centre until an unspecified date, which did not allow the organisers to plan an opening of the fair in this location. So, Alex Reding and his team looked for alternatives, "including unusual locations, such as the ghost train station in Findel or the former Heintz van Landewyck factory in Hollerich. But none of these locations met all the criteria for the fair," said its founder.

Inspired by venues created for this type of event internationally, the solution of a tent was finally chosen. Measuring 90m x 50m, it will be installed on the Glacis and will offer 4,500m2 of exhibition space, i.e. about 30% more than the Halle Victor Hugo and the Lycée de Garçons combined. "This increase in surface area also gives other galleries the opportunity to participate, since we can install 12 additional stands.” It’s a solution that Reding hopes to maintain in the future.

Majority of exhibitors from outside Lux

A total of 80 exhibitors will participate in this 2021 edition, 78% of whom will be galleries from outside the country, the selection being based on that of 2020, since the fair could only take place in a virtual version last year. The usual “main section" for established galleries, “take off" for the emerging scene, and the “focus" section, which again this year is reserved for Brussels galleries, will be present.

Those who prefer to explore the fair digitally will still be able to do so. This option, which was put in place due to the pandemic restrictions in 2020, was a great success, which has encouraged the organisers to continue making this way of visiting the fair available.

But Luxembourg Art Week is also a platform with a cultural programme that complements the fair. A symposium entitled "Art Today. Institutions and Professions" is being organised with the University of Luxembourg. A series of lectures is being held in collaboration with the LAFA, and Mudam is presenting a several performances as part of the "Freigeister" exhibition. As for the Casino, it will host the opening night and a whole programme around the exhibition by Karolina Markiewicz and Pascal Piron. 

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.