Camille Regli from Switzerland and Hana Ostan-Ožbolt-Haas from Slovenia are each curating a section of the exhibition. And sustainability and performance shape the international supporting programme in the Festspielhaus Bregenz and our partner institutions.
Contemporary art with a strong regional focus in a special atmosphere: STAGE Bregenz invites visitors back to the Festspielhaus Bregenz on Lake Constance from 20 to 23 March 2025. The second edition features 48 prestigious galleries from eleven countries who are putting more than 140 established and upcoming young artists on the stage. Just like its première in 2024, the fair highlights international quality with a regional note.
STAGE Bregenz presents the diverse art scene of the Lake Constance region in a unique ambient. “The première was a dream start with an excellent response from galleries and visitors and a growing network of partners. We want to ensure this initial success over the long term and are now moving to the next level,” says a delighted Managing Director Renger van den Heuvel. With more galleries and countries and an expanded programme, STAGE Bregenz is consolidating its role as a leading contemporary art fair on the shores of Lake Constance.
The stage in focus
Tensions and theatricality take centre stage in the projects curated for STAGE Bregenz by internationally acclaimed curators Hana Ostan-Ožbolt-Haas (Slovenia) and Camille Regli (Switzerland). They have selected galleries and artists for two special curated sections. Both were invited to join the curator’s tours organised at the first STAGE Bregenz, which enabled them to obtain an impression of the region’s rich range of creative and institutional opportunities.
Hana Ostan-Ožbolt-Haas is a Vienna-based freelance curator and author. Previously the Director of the ULAY Foundation, she has curated exhibitions for the curated by Festival (Vienna), the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), Salzburger Kunstverein and HOW Art Museum (Shanghai). As a writer, she contributes to Artforum and has been published in Frieze and ArtReview. “Tensions”, her section on the main stage of the Festspielhaus Bregenz, shows large-scale sculptural works by seven female artists. The selection includes both established and emerging names, who either work in the medium of sculpture or combine it with other media. As a reaction to the ubiquitous “omnicrisis” – the state of relentless global tension – “Tensions” presents a number of works that have been specially created for STAGE Bregenz. The contributions of two artists are directly linked to their solo exhibitions at the 60th Venice Biennale.
Camille Regli is an independent curator and the Co-Founder and Co-Director of KRONE COURONNE centre for contemporary art in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. She has worked with and for institutions such as the Kunsthaus Biel/Centre d’art Bienne, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, the Swiss Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and the Centre d’art contemporain Genève. For her section “Spectāre”, she draws inspiration from the theatre setting of the fair to address notions of theatricality, the act of looking and the performative aspects of objects, space and bodies. She will investigate the confronting natures of the black box and contemporary art’s white cube. In her curatorial practice, Regli is particularly interested in what sociologist Jean-François Lyotard calls “petits récits”. By engaging in “small” narratives, she aims to create space for pluralistic, localised and diverse ways of looking at the world.
Strongly anchored in the region
The STAGE Bregenz network is also growing within the business community. Zumtobel and illwerke vkw are supporting the art fair again in 2025. New members of the team include main partner Vorarlberger Raiffeisenbanken and UNIQA. “STAGE Bregenz has rapidly developed into a premium event. It involves many regional institutions and initiatives and is open to a broad audience. This enables countless people to experience contemporary art in a highly inspiring way. Just like Raiffeisen, STAGE Bregenz also focuses on sustainability and digitalisation – which are ideal prerequisites for a partnership,” says Manfred Miglar, Executive Board Member of Raiffeisen Landesbank Vorarlberg.
This anchoring in the Lake Constance region is being intensified in 2025, with STAGE Bregenz expanding its network of institutional partners in Vorarlberg, Eastern Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Southern Germany. “Art, architecture, craft and nature: Bregenz is right at the heart. During the week of the fair, thousands of visitors from around the globe experience the beauty and creative energy of the Lake Constance region,” emphasises Robert S. Salant, Managing Director of Bregenz Tourismus & Stadtmarketing.
Sustainability as a focus of the supporting programme
Sustainability in the art world will be the subject of a discussion at the fair on 22 March between the Danish sociologist Nikolaj Schultz, Thomas D. Trummer (Director, Kunsthaus Bregenz) and the British artist George Rouy. In parallel with this, further discussions and performances will take place in the Festspielhaus Bregenz in partnership with Magazin4, and with the support of partner Bildrecht. These will address subjects such as artist’s estates, independent spaces, design and craft and will also feature conversations with artists who are exhibiting at STAGE Bregenz. The performance programme is being put together by Perrrformat (Zurich), Marlene A. Schenk (Kunstverein Friedrichshafen) and Lukas Weithas (Dock 20, Lustenau).
As in 2024, and as an active member of the Gallery Climate Coalition, STAGE Bregenz is paying attention to the sustainability of its own activities. The energy efficient operation in the Festspielhaus Bregenz and a climate-friendly logistics and mobility strategy support this objective.
STAGE Bregenz 2025
20–23 March 2025, Festspielhaus Bregenz
Opening: 20 March 2025
Preview: from 14:00 (with invitation)
Vernissage: 17:00–20:00
Fair / 21–23 March 2025
21 March: 12:00–19:00
22 March: 11:00–19:00
23 March: 10:00–18:00
Day tickets: € 15 (local public transport included)
Tickets via www.visitbregenz.com
Information and list of galleries: www.stage-bregenz.art
STAGE Bregenz is the leading contemporary art fair in the Lake Constance region. Launched in 2024, it takes place every spring in the Festspielhaus Bregenz. The fair combines international quality with a strong regional touch and cross-border networks. STAGE Bregenz is a meeting place and a platform for the many interactions between art, craft and architecture. The Founder and Managing Director of the sustainably positioned fair format is Renger van den Heuvel.
