The Schwarz Foundation is a private non-profit organisation aiming to foster the exchange of ideas and practices between cultures and countries. In light of the fact that Europe is experiencing significant transformations that call for new ways of thinking, the Foundation’s initiatives aspire to contribute to this process of re-evaluation and re-thinking the continent, particularly South East Europe and its relation to its surroundings within a global context.
It initiates and supports projects related to this geopolitical space, encouraging art production, research, publications and discussions relative to the cooperation between Greece, Germany and other European countries and internationally. Initiatives include residencies for visual and music artists, music concerts, fellowships for artists and researchers, exhibitions, education and community support projects. While focusing on the domain of contemporary culture, the Foundation believes that the awareness of an enduring historical tradition and environmental issues can play a vital role in understanding current problems as well as in designing a sustainable future.
While based in Germany, the Foundation has a branch in Greece and operates an exhibition venue, Art Space Pythagorion, on the island of Samos, where it also organises an annual international music festival, Samos Young Artists Festival. The Athens office is focusing on a series of new initiatives related to the city.
Photos:
1. Exhibition “13,700,000 km^3” at Art Space Pythagorion, 2019 Maarten Vanden Eynde, Plastic Reef, 2008–12 (installation view) Photo: Panos Kokkinias
2. Ancient theatre of Pythagorion, 2019 On stage: Cuarteto SolTango, Photo: Kevin Dalferth