VIDEONALE.21

C´EST TOUT UNE MAISON (IT'S ALL A HOUSE)

“The window is a house. It’s all a house. The tables are houses. […] And the door is houses. Even stickers are houses. […] Even water is a house. […] The apple, a house. […] And the dogs, a house. And parks, a house. And black, a house. And yellow, a house. And pink, a house. And orange, a house. And paper, a house.”

– Suzanne Lagarde van der Schaaf

„C´est tout une maison (It's all a house)“ is the title and theme of VIDEONALE.21. With this title, V.21 references the video work “Extra Life (and Decay)” by Stéphanie Lagarde, which was shown at the festival’s 20th edition. The video work cites a child whose view of the world allows a wide variety of natural and everyday phenomena to become a house, a shelter, a home. We would like to take up this idea and bring it into dialogue with selected video and time-based artworks. What defines a “house,” beyond its built architecture? What other structures, qualities, actions, and relationships does it consist of, and what significance do they hold for our social coexistence? Drawing on the organization of organisms in nature, Lagarde explores in her video work the orders and interdependencies within human and natural communities. She contrasts the principle of solidarity and mutual care with a logic of exploitation and the increasing isolation within the capitalist economic system. A spiral of escalation and separation is replaced by a positive vision of what could emerge with and through constructive collective action.

What challenges do we face, and how can different forms of solidarity-based relationships serve as a blueprint for future coexistence? And what structures, forms of housing, and places are needed to accommodate these relationships?

The works for VIDEONALE.21 will be selected from a pool of submissions in collaboration with an international jury. The submissions are based on recommendations from an international nomination committee comprising over 30 curators, festival organizers, and artists. Tasja Langenbach and Annette Ziegert are the artistic directors of V.21.

VIDEONALE.21 will take place from April 30 to June 13, 2027 (opening: April 29, 2027) at Kunstmuseum Bonn and at satellite venues throughout the city, featuring an exhibition and an extensive festival program. This part of the festival will be preceded by a kick-off program in Bonn’s Bad Godesberg district, which will begin as early as October 2026 and which will be developed in close cooperation with local initiatives and the local community.

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Image: Stéphanie Lagarde, Extra Life (and Decay) © Stéphanie Lagarde, Constantin Jopeck & VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025