Terrible mess, state of the world, glorious chaos… all these phrases convey the meaning of the Russian expression “Balagan”, title of the sixth edition of the Nordwind festival.

The festival showcases a subtle mix of performances, dance, art and debate – all hailing from northern Europe, and, for the first time, Russia. The exhibition itself aims to display “contemporary art from the former Soviet Union and other mythical places”, with a total of 150 artworks by 75 artists from 14 countries, and is spread in three venues: the Kühlhaus am Gleisdreieck, Max Liebermann Haus and at MOMENTUM, Kunstquartier Bethanien.

We had the opportunity to have a glimpse at these two first locations, the last one opening tomorrow, and have a tour conducted by David Elliott, the Visual Arts curator of the festival. Leading us through one level of the Kühlhaus after the other, we could witness how the social conflicts within the former Soviet Union affect the collective consciousness  of artists coming from North European and Baltic scene. Chaos and above all self-derision. But the Nordwind festival is not only about visual art. The whole program unfolds in many forms, also focusing on performance and dance in other venues.

The NORDWIND Festival exhibtion is running until December 23 in the 3 venues: Kühlhaus am Gleisdreieck, Max Liebermann Haus and MOMENTUM, Kunstquartier Bethanien. Find the complete program and venues here