URBAN ARTS CAMPUS XXVI

Our URBAN ARTS CAMPUS at Garagencampus Chemnitz is an immersive Urban Arts experience for children and teenagers who want to do more than simply observe graffiti, street art, and contemporary forms of creative expression—they are invited to experience them firsthand, explore their cultural roots, and develop their own artistic voice.

At the beginning of the week, participants are introduced to the history, culture, and global influence of graffiti and street art through talks, films, and shared screenings, discovering how graffiti culture emerged in New York City, found its way to Europe, and continues to evolve as an influential movement today. Following this introduction, the focus shifts directly into hands-on practice.

Guided by experienced HALLENKUNST artists and educators, participants spend the week exploring a wide range of urban art disciplines through intensive workshops. They create their own work across multiple formats and techniques, learning everything from graffiti painting on canvas for both beginners and more advanced participants, to stencil art, where they design and cut their own stencils before transforming them into sprayed artworks. They also explore urban sketching and illustration, developing characters, animals, and expressive figures, while stylewriting workshops introduce them to the foundations of lettering, from simple letter structures to complex wildstyle compositions. Alongside traditional techniques, participants engage with digital graffiti, drawing on tablets and experimenting with realistic one-to-one spray simulations that merge technology with street culture.

Sustainability and individuality also play an important role throughout the week, as participants transform their own textiles into unique streetwear pieces using markers, spray paint, and stencil techniques. One of the major highlights of the week is the Paint Club Contest. In a series of live rounds, teams formed within the workshops compete against each other in a creative battle atmosphere. Working under time pressure, accompanied by live DJ music and moderated performances, they create large-scale artworks in front of an audience. The strongest teams qualify for the grand finale, which will take place on July 11, 2026, at Garagencampus.

The artworks created during the week do not disappear into portfolios or storage. Instead, every piece is collected, professionally curated by Team HALLENKUNST, and prepared for public presentation. During the exhibition weekend on July 11 and 12, 2026, Garagencampus transforms into an open exhibition space where canvases, wooden panels, drawings, stylewriting series, and stencil works are displayed to the public. Digital graffiti projects are presented through large-scale projections, while the upcycled textile creations are showcased in a small fashion presentation. At the same time, the winning Paint Club teams return for a live painting finale, turning the exhibition into an interactive and dynamic cultural event.

To close the week, the project celebrates its own film premiere. A short documentary produced throughout the creative process captures the atmosphere, the artistic development, and the personal stories of the participants, combining visual impressions, interviews, and key moments from the first workshop to the final exhibition. In this way, the Creative Week becomes much more than a series of workshops—it becomes a shared artistic journey in which young people do not simply consume culture, but actively shape it, make it visible, and experience the value of creative expression in a public and meaningful way.

Find out more about the programme and how to participate here!