Genius Loci Weimar

24/09/2026

🌟 GENIUS LOCI WEIMAR 2026 TRAILER

A huge thank you to all the artists, juries, our festival team, partners, supporters, volunteers, technicians, creatives and everyone behind the scenes who helped bring this year’s festival to life.

And a special thank you to everyone who joined us in Weimar, explored the projections, took part, danced, discussed, discovered and made the festival what it was. ❤️

Until next time!

🎥: © Kristin Herziger

23/09/2026

LANTERNS OF FREEDOM 🏮

During the Genius Loci Weimar Festival 2026, the street lamps of Schillerstraße became a collective light installation, exploring the theme of „Democracy & Society“.

Discover the 16 artists, ideas and stories behind the lanterns — created by people from different generations and backgrounds, from professional artists and designers to hobbyists, students, children and first-time participants.

Together, their individual perspectives transformed Schillerstraße into a shared space for dialogue, imagination and community.

Artists:
AOTOO | Chen Yimo | Esther Seiler | Ivana Spinelli | Julia xu | Laura Zemla | Luo Jiawei | mammasONica | Michal Smigielski | Monika Hanulak Nan Rujisa | Sembilan Matahari | Serafin Payer l
Julia Shamsheieva | Sufiyan Ilyasa | Tomasz Smigielski

Jury:
Marko Bolkovic | Michiyuki Ish*ta | Pionty Jakub Jezierski | Jib Koolkaew | Marinella Paderni | Abdul Shakir | Ewa Maria Smigielska | Hendrik Wendler

Curator: Ewa Maria Smigielska
Production: Ianna-Dee Santiago, Genius Loci Team
Sponsor: Vogt Spezialdruck

📸: © Johnson Photography



AOTOO: Hands in Dialogue

„Hands become smbols of communication and participation. Different gestures suggest speaking, Istening, choosing, supporting, and disagreeing Together they form a visual dialogue, showing democracy as an ongoing process shaped by inter action difference and collective action“

AOTOO is a creative team focused on digital art and spatial experiences. Working across projection mapping, interactive media, light installations, and immer: sive environments, AOTOO explores the relationship between people, space, and technology through expenmental visual storytelling.

Chen Yimo: Step-In

„The work presents democracy as an ongoing process rather than a completed structure. The central symbol is an unfinished circle composed of fragmented lines, representing different individuals, cultures, and perspectives within society.
The missing part of the circle creates an open space instead of a weakness. It symbolizes the continuous possibility of participation and transformation.“

Chen Yimo is a postgraduate student ma

14/09/2026

Congratulations Amir Ahmadoghlu (Amir Ahmadoghlu), whose work STRATUM received the most votes in our Audience Award 👏

Over the festival weekend, visitors could cast their vote at our Pop-Up Polling Station and choose their favourite work.

Thank you to all voters, visitors and participants of the competition!

08/09/2026

3 MORE DAYS UNTIL GENIUS LOCI WEIMAR ✨

In just 3 days, Weimar will light up for the 13th edition of Genius Loci.

Expect impressive light art projections, participatory installations, music and encounters - all set against the backdrop of the city and this year’s theme: Democracy & Society.

📆 11. - 13. September 2026

Take a look at our location map and programme via link in our bio 🔗

05/09/2026

ONE WEEK UNTIL GENIUS LOCI WEIMAR ✨

In just one week, Weimar will light up for the 13th edition of Genius Loci.

Expect impressive light art projections, participatory installations, music and encounters - all set against the backdrop of the city and this year’s theme: Democracy & Society.

📆 11. - 13. September 2026

See you there!

Democracy and social cohesion are often perceived as given, stable and secure. Yet recent years have brought a different reality into focus: democracy is clearly not a fixed state, but an ongoing process of negotiation. It emerges through participation and communication, through conflict and consens...

31/08/2026

6 days left to submit your work for WE ARE MAPPING: Your Echo in the Silence, Your Trembling in the Light“ 💚

We’re looking for artists and creatives from around the world to explore Democracy & Society through a one-minute animation and see it projected onto the facade of mon ami Weimar during the festival.

📅 Deadline: 6 September 2026, 23:59 CEST
🔗 Infos and registration via the link in our bio.

27/08/2026

Take a look at our WE ARE MAPPING recap from last year‘s festival 💚

The audience was invited to interact directly with the projected animations using green laser pointers and become not only viewers but co-creators of the work.

This year, we invite artists to create one-minute animations responding to the theme of „Your Echo in the Silence, Your Trembling in the Light“ that will be projected onto mon ami Weimar ().

Join our open call and submit your works until September 5, 23:59 PM CEST.

🔗 Infos and registration via link in our bio.

26/08/2026

Our Open Call: Lanterns of Freedom closed last night.🏮

We thank you for all the inspiring designs that were submitted.

Our jury will now carefully review and select the entries that are to be installed during the festival weekend.

Stay tuned!

24/08/2026

2 days left to join our Open Call: Lanterns of Freedom! 🏮

Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of age, professional background or artistic experience.

Join us and become part of this collective public art installation.

🔗 Follow the link in our bio for more infos and registration!