New date: art KARLSRUHE will take place from 7 - 10 July 2022

The current Covid Ordinance of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, which came into force on 20th December 2021, prohibits the holding of trade fairs within the given circumstances, which apply for Baden-Württemberg since 4th December 2021 and whose measures, according to the current communication of the state, will probably be extended until further. In addition the new variant omicron is spreading fast, which is causing uncertainty.

Under these conditions, the planning security for a fair of this size is no longer given for all those involved in the fair - exhibitors, service providers, partners and the organiser itself. In close consultation with the galleries, advisory boards and partners, Messe Karlsruhe has therefore decided to postpone the art fair until summer.

"We would have liked to continue our successful restart and offer the art market a platform with art KARLSRUHE on the usual spring date," emphasises Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Messe Karlsruhe. "With the rescheduling, we want to give our gallery owners, visitors and partners reliable planning and return a bit of normality to the trade fair business, in what we hope will be an endemic situation by then. We see the move to the summer date as an opportunity to experience the fair in a new and - proverbially - different light at a bright and warm time of the year and to enjoy the art and the exchange more light-heartedly."

Ewald Karl Schrade, curator of art KARLSRUHE, also emphasises the necessity of the postponement: "Most of the preparations for art KARLSRUHE had been made and the anticipation among gallery owners for the personal exchange with collectors and art lovers was enormous. But we also noticed that many people are currently reluctant to visit a fair. It is difficult to enjoy art under such conditions." For this reason, he sees the new date as an opportunity to rethink personal encounters with art: "We hope the postponement will not only make it easier to plan, but also creates a summer art experience that re-stages tried-and-tested formats such as the sculpture garden sponsored by the Vollack Group, thus inviting visitors to stay outdoors for longer."

Tickets purchased to date for art KARLSRUHE remain valid.