the street is our gallery

The 18th edition of the Industriebrachenumgestaltung (say it in one breath) recently came to an end in Leipzig. The festival for urban art known as “ibug” took place at its premiere in the trade fair city as part of the theme year “The whole city as a stage”. Over the past three weekends, nearly 20,000 curious visitors and art fans came to see the temporary exhibition on the grounds of the former Reichsbahn Repair Works (Reichsbahnausbesserungswerk (RAW) “Einheit”) in the Engelsdorf district.

At the beginning of August, about 80 artists and collectives from Germany and abroad had revived an area of about 10,000 square meters with paintings and graffiti, illustrations, installations and multimedia within two weeks and transformed it into a colourful work of art. In their works, the creative artists dealt in a variety of ways with the history and remnants of production in the factory, which has been largely empty since the mid-1990s, but also with current social issues. The extensive supporting programme offered, among other things, guided tours through the industrial wasteland, which provided an overview of the artworks created or insight into the history of the RAW “Einheit,” as well as artist talks, panel discussions, performances and music.

The festival organizers of ibug e. V. are satisfied with the outcome of the project: “This year’s ibug was a special challenge for us, not only because of the size of the site, but also because of the necessary preparatory work and the complex approval process. Our all-volunteer team has invested a lot of energy and time in the past weeks and months,” explains Rahel Pötschke from the association’s board. “The positive feedback of the creatives and the response of the audience confirm us in our work and motivate us for upcoming festivals. Without the great support of our partners and sponsors as well as the dedicated work of the many helpers, the project would not have been possible. Our special thanks go to them!”, Pötschke continues.

Since the first Industriebrachenumgestaltung, initiated in 2026 by the Meeran artist Tasso, the ibug has developed into a world-renowned festival for urban art. Every August, an industrial fallow site in western Saxony is transformed into a temporary exhibition. The focus of the international artists is on experimenting with genres, materials and techniques as well as the past of the wasteland and its architecture. The ibug team has already received many awards for its commitment, including the “PlusPunkt Kultur” award from the Federal Association for Cultural Education for Children and Young People in 2010, the “So geht Sächsisch” ideas competition for tourism in Saxony in 2019, and the “Denkzeit Event” competition from the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism in 2020.

Anyone who missed ibug 2023 or wants to recall the exhibition retrospectively will have the opportunity to do so from the end of the year in a virtual tour. Where and how it will continue in 2024 is currently still open. According to the organizers, the project will remain in Saxony.

Up-to-date information is available online at www.ibug-art.de.

The ibug 2023 is sponsored by the Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen (Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony), by the City of Leipzig as part of the theme year 2023 “Leipzig – The whole city as a stage” and by the Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt (German Foundation for Commitment and Volunteering).

The RAW “Einheit” in Leipzig-Engelsdorf

The RAW was built in 1903 as a result of the planned new construction of Leipzig’s main train station and the associated removal of many ancillary facilities to clear the construction site. For decades, it was used to repair steam locomotives and passenger and freight cars. After the end of the steam locomotive era, a new field of work was added with the construction of new freight cars. Due to the reunification of Germany in 1990 and the railroad reform in 1994, the plant increasingly lost its importance and was on the verge of closure several times. Today, wagon maintenance services are still offered in parts of the site by a private railroad company, but large parts lie fallow or are rented out.

The artists of ibug 2023

André Schmidt, ANEL, Arda, ATEZ, Benjamin Duquenne, Billy, Bisser, Blaqk, BRAINFART, Brothers of Light, Chiara Dahlem, Dawal, Dies Irae, Dr. Yo, DTA-Kollektiv, EJSMONDT, Element-Art, Elisa Veronelli, Facio, Fayalu, Florian Milker + Hannes Pogurzelsky + Robert Piehler, Fogeljunge, Fritten Freddie, Freizeitgruppe Gestaltung, Gabs, Gemma Wilson, Grau, IBIMS, Isakov, Juliane Hoffmann, Kai Semor, Kampus, karlfancy + clemenman, Kase/Nonfungibilly, Kateryna Surhutanova, Kathi + Oliver, Kiki, Kollektiv Lea Weigert + Luise Schaller, Kori, Lapiz, Luke Carter, Marija Tiurina, Merny Wernz, Miezwarz, naamlooozz, Nasca, Nikita Nomerz, NNAMARI, ODOUR ODESSA, Olesja Arndt, Oliver Bekiersz, OMA Kollektiv, Pati, PAY-Collective, Rmyr, Rootsen Sneeky, Simon Schirmer, Structurals, Tera Drop + Linkhg, Thorsten Wohlfahrt, Tina Chertova, Tobias Hansel, Tomislav Topic, Vladimir Abikh, Waldstyle, Xuan