This year, the City of Darmstadt and the Jewish Community of Darmstadt will once again celebrate the Jewish Cultural Weeks from 6 September to 3 December.

The programme begins with the opening on 6 September. A varied programme has been put together for the following three months:

For example, there will be readings on 13 September with the well-known Ukrainian DJ and musician Yuriy Gurzhy and on 18 October with Barbara Bišický-Ehrlich. September, insights into the Feast of Tabernacles on 4 October, concerts by the "Mendelsohn Piano Trio" on 5 November and the "Roman Kuperschmidt Quartet" on 3 December, or a "Jewish Comedy Night" on 29 October at the Kurzweil Gallery.

While the overexploitation of planet Earth seems to be progressing inexorably, many animal species are threatened with extinction and entire ecosystems are disappearing, animals are more visible in contemporary art than they have been for a long time. Animalia' shows the variety of different media and materials that artists use for this theme. A closer look at the field reveals that certain approaches are repeated in the treatment of the subject matter. Identifying some of the main directions not exclusively in the western hemisphere is a concern of 'Animalia'.

Curated by León Krempel, Kunsthalle Darmstadt, and Ismail Mukadam, HIMS Academy

Atomic age and space age: The 50s and 60s of the 20th century have it all. Visions for the future were developed here! World exhibitions were adorned with futuristic architecture; in Brussels, the "Atomium", built in 1958, unmistakably propagated the belief in a new, almost inexhaustible source of energy.

From 10. October 2023 to 7. January 2024, the Institute for New Technical Form (INTeF) presents the show "schön und gut - die Gute Form!".

The Georg Büchner Prize is the most prestigious literary prize in the German-speaking world. The history of the prize is well researched for the period from 1951 onwards, since the German Academy for Language and Poetry has awarded it purely as a literary prize. The exhibition, however, focuses on the early history of the prize, which was founded as early as 1923 and awarded as the Hessian State Prize for the Promotion of Hessian Artists from 1923-1934 and 1945-1950.

The international group exhibition ‹in situ› shows contemporary art concerning the crimes of the Nazi dictatorship. The participating artists examine how remembrance work can be done today. To do this, they use various media that are able to create diverse connections between the past and the present. How important the memory of the Gleichschaltung, the book burning and the Shoahand remains still are has recently been shown by the anti-Semitism scandal surrounding Documenta (2022) and the attacks in Halle (2019) and Hanau (2020). ‹in situ› relies on the power of art to update history and thus make it accessible to future generations.

The Prints and Drawings Department presents a colorful bouquet of around 60 plant images on paper from the 15th century to the present.

The plant symbolism of the late Middle Ages is represented in the exhibition, as are leaf ornaments of the Renaissance or Maria Sibylla Merian and the watercolors of flowers by Nuremberg painters, especially Barbara Regina Dietzsch. The lush Dutch floral still life of the 18th century is also a theme. Alexander von Humboldt's publication on plant geography (Paris 1805) represents the scientific discipline of botany and a new kind of interdisciplinary understanding of nature and culture. The drawing of the Romantic period discovers the beauty of small inconspicuous natural things in order to make them speak. The arc continues through Art Nouveau, Expressionism, Pop Art with Jim Dine's "Vegetables", early election posters of the Greens to selected positions present.

Culinary and handicraft specialities invite you to pre-Christmas hustle and bustle at Darmstadt's Christmas market. The adventually decorated city centre and the Christmas trees on Marktplatz, Luisenplatz and Ludwigsplatz create a Christmas atmosphere. 

The special highlight every year are the stalls from Darmstadt's twin towns. Whether handicrafts in Liepaja (Latvia) or culinary specialities such as Hungarian lángos or wine and cheese from Saanen (Switzerland) - the twin towns are eagerly awaited by Darmstadt residents and visitors alike every year.

The exhibition Death and the Devil is all about the fascination of horror. For the first time, a show highlights the legacy and continuation of artistic strategies of horror in the thematic chapters of fashion, music and film as well as contemporary art. A prologue visualises the origin and appeal of horror in the history of art and culture with top works from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century. The main part of the exhibition presents works from the last twenty years by artists such as Alexander McQueen, the Chapman Brothers, Billie Eilish, Lars von Trier, Berlinde de Bruyckere, Mary Sibande and many others. Death metal and the blood-filled trainers of MSCHF meet contributions by Andres Serrano and Eliza Douglas. They all trigger feelings of fear, disgust or discomfort with their works. In doing so, they formulate a canonised breaking of rules that transcends the boundaries of social conventions, gets under the skin and inspires the imagination. The spectrum of works on display ranges from classical painting and sculpture to elaborate installations.

Darmstadt is the exhibition's second stop after the Kunstpalast (14 September 2023 - 21 January 2024). It will then be on display at the Museum Georg Schäfer in Schweinfurt from 13 July to 20 October 2024.

Kultur einer Digitalstadt e.V. from Darmstadt is launching a new art and culture project ARTvorORT with exhibitions, performances, theatre, workshops and discussions in public spaces and city squares. It is inviting artists and creatives from all artistic genres to participate with their own concepts and ideas for the exhibition and event project on the theme of The Poetry of Data in Darmstadt in the period from mid-April to the end of June 2024.

The Princely Garden Festival has a new venue: Hofgut Kranichstein in Darmstadt. The renowned event will take place there for the third time in 2024 under the special theme of "Garden Joy & Equestrian Sports". From 26 to 28 April, selected exhibitors will be presenting their garden, nature and country living products. The event will be complemented by a selected equestrian competition programme and a wide range of hands-on activities for children.

Look forward to a family version of the Princely Garden Festival around the Hessian State Equestrian Centre.

Opening times:

26 to 28 April, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day

Tickets online at www.gartenfest.de/kranichstein/