International Performance Art Brings Kufstein’s Downtown to Life in August
Kufstein - With the “SPURWECHSEL 2.0” festival, Kufstein’s downtown will once again become a stage for contemporary art from August 1 through 29. International artists from six countries will transform public spaces with performances, installations, and interactive formats, inviting locals and visitors alike to experience art firsthand.
Following last year’s successful premiere, the “SPURWECHSEL” performance festival is returning for its second edition this year. Organized by Plattform Bildende Kunst in collaboration with the dia:log Association, the festival deliberately brings international contemporary art out of the gallery and into the city. Squares, streets, and public spaces become venues for artistic encounters, opening up new perspectives on urban space and themes such as society, sustainability, identity, perception, and coexistence.
Throughout the month of August, visitors can look forward to a diverse program featuring street performances, dance and music performances, installations, shadow theater, film screenings, workshops, and artist-in-residence projects. Artistic creations take shape right on the spot and actively involve the audience in the process. Venues include the pedestrian zone, the Unterer Stadtplatz, the City Hall forecourt with the Fortress Stairway, and the City Park. In addition to the performances in public spaces, the Stadtgalerie dia:log invites visitors to explore an accompanying exhibition featuring the participating artists.
They come from Austria, Germany, France, England, Iran, and Cuba, bringing diverse cultural backgrounds and artistic styles to Kufstein. Among the participants are Guillermo Horta Bethancourt (Cuba/Spain/Austria), who is working in Kufstein as part of an artist-in-residence project and offering a performance and dance workshop, as well as Claudia Czimek (Upper Austria), who is developing her participatory work “Madame Bricolage” on-site together with visitors. The program is complemented by extraordinary formats such as “Jumping Printing,” interactive word installations, and music, acrobatics, dance, and light performances.
TVB Chairman Georg Hörhager: “For the Kufsteinerland region, SPURWECHSEL 2.0 is a wonderful example of how art revitalizes our public spaces while simultaneously bringing people into dialogue. It strengthens Kufstein and the entire destination as a cultural hub and makes contemporary art accessible to a broad audience in an approachable way.”
Festival Program:
“SPURWECHSEL 2.0” takes place from August 1 through 29, 2026. Many events are free and open to the public. The complete program is available online and at the Stadtgalerie dia:log: https://www.galeriedialog.net/kommende_ausstellung
Gerlinde Richter-Lichtblau, director of the dia:log association and organizer of the festival:
“Performance art brings people together, makes art an immediate experience, imaginatively conveys both a zest for life and thoughtfulness, and transforms Kufstein into an open cultural and social space for a month.”
The Spurwechsel 2.0 festival is organized by the Stadtgalerie dia:log with support from the following partners: Land Tirol Kultur, the City of Kufstein, TVB Kufsteinerland, Sparkasse Kufstein, and Druckerei Aschenbrenner.
Press photos: Free for editorial use provided the image source is credited.
Image 01: Guillermo Horta Bethancourt is working in Kufstein as part of the artist-in-residence project © Verein dia:log
Image 02: Claudia Czimek creates artworks directly with visitors on site; shown here is “Wörter sind Gefährte(n)” © Verein dia:log
Image 03: Light installations such as those by Ursula Beiler are also on display in Kufstein, © Verein dia:log
Press Contact for the SPURWECHSEL Organizer:
Gerlinde Richter – Stadtgalerie dia:log / dia:log-Plattform Bildende Kunst Association
Email: info@galeriedialog.net | T +43 650 6700764
Website: https://www.galeriedialog.net/
Enquiries for media representatives
Tourismusverband Kufsteinerland
Stefanie Dabrowski
Email: presse@kufstein.com | T +43 5372 62207 24 | M +43 664 88 23 99 39