Call for applications 2023 - "The Gesture and the Territory" - 4th edition of the International Biennial of Crafts
14/12/2022
The Association "De Mains De Maîtres Luxembourg" is launching a call for applications for the fourth edition of the Fine Contemporary Craft Biennale under the theme "The Gesture and the Territory".
The Biennale will be held from 23th to 26th November 2023 in the same prestigious setting of the "19 Liberté" building in Spuerkeess.
Artisans and art creators aged 18 and over, applying individually or collectively, Luxembourgers or people living or working in Luxembourg are invited to participate in the selection process for the De Mains De Maîtres 2023 biennial event.
Chaired by HRH the heredidary Grand-Duchess, the selection committee, made up of personalities as well as recognised professionals in the crafts and creation sector, will select the applications for the 2023 edition.
The relevance of the work in response to the theme "The Gesture and the Territory", the mastery of techniques and know-how, the aesthetic quality of the work, technical innovation or daring in terms of the use of materials will all be criteria for the committee's assessment, which, in its selection, will also ensure that a diversity of creative activities is respected.
The deadline for submission of applications is Sunday, 12th March 2023 (inclusive).
The call for applications and the terms of participation can be downloaded below.

The theme: "The Gesture and the Territory"
Today we live in an open world with a strong tendency towards uniformity, even in the most artistic fields. The question of cultural identity is very important in a country the size of Luxembourg, and well located in the heart of Europe. Perhaps because of this position, the Grand Duchy is even an exception, a territory of passage but also a host to many foreign populations (no less than 170 nationalities counted in the country in 2022). The diversity of the arts and crafts practised there today reflects this ethnic and cultural mix, constantly examining and re-examining the craft processes. By choosing the theme "The Gesture and the Territory" for this fourth edition of the De Mains De Maîtres Biennial, we are of course celebrating the hand and the spirit once again, but also questionning you, all creators and craftsmen, on the notion of artistic identity and cultural heritage linked to the history of the Grand Duchy. How is know-how passed on? How are they enriched by the arrival and contribution of craftsmen from many other countries? What level of porosity can act over time and influence the very style of a local craft? It is probably also time to look at the ecological questions concerning the resources and technologies exploited, in relation to the popular knowledge that has always linked us to the living. It is this renewed vitality of knowledge and know-how that we invite you to share and explore beyond the usual communitarianisms, in order to affirm that beauty can be more than ever synonymous with good for the planet and also capable of bringing people together to take them further. In 2023, Portugal (whose nationals constitute the largest community in Luxembourg) will be the country of honour, offering you an unprecedented confrontation with the artisans of this territory, which is both close by the ties that unite us and far away by its position at the western end of the Iberian peninsula. A great opportunity to share, to make us dream, to travel, to set off towards new shores and to transform more than ever the material as you like to do in your workshops, here or elsewhere, since fortunately creation has no borders!
Jean-Marc Dimanche (General Commissioner)
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Call for applications