When the members of the association had to leave the WCM building in 2010 and their studios were inevitably spread over different locations, they moved their annual exhibitions to large, empty buildings. In the city of Heidenheim, the “open” took place in the former municipal children’s day-care centre, in the former training centre of the Voith company, on a farm or in a tract of the Heidenheim hospital that was in need of restoration.

The concept of the “open” has remained largely unchanged over two decades: The association members not only present their own works, but also develop specific installations for the respective exhibition venue. In addition, they regularly invite external colleagues, which means that each annual exhibition can come up with new “faces”.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the “open”, the Kunstmuseum Heidenheim has now invited the association to the museum. In the temporary exhibition rooms of the art museum, i.e. on almost 800 square metres, a total of 21 artists are now presenting themselves for the first time in a museum setting. How they deal with this new challenge can be seen at the Kunstmuseum from 24 February.

With Johanna Bauer, Conny Baumann, Albrecht Briz, Erich Briz, Carla Chlebarov, Esther-Maria Cramer-Hurler, Evi Fischer, Beate Gabriel, Ignacio Iturrioz, Nicoline Koch-Lutz, Michi Köpf, Lars Maurmaier, Horst Pommerenke, Günther Reger, Günter Schmid, Gabriele Schneeweiß, Johanna Senoner, Jürgen Stimpfig, Karl-Heinz Stufft-Fischer, Erika Theilacker, Brigitte Vogel.