The sailing art exhibition: "Sailing #Art4GlobalGoals": When mainsails become canvases

The "Sailing #ArtGlobal Goals" cultural regatta starts at 11 a.m. on 22 August in Monheim am Rhein. For the first time, the boats, which are normally used for regattas in the German Sailing League (DSBL), will not be used purely as sports equipment, but will instead be used as art platforms, with their 17 square metre mainsails turned into canvases. The idea for the campaign came from Düsseldorf curator Dirk Geuer, who has been working with various artists for many years on issues such as sustainability, peace and education.

In this case, the painter and sculptor Stefan Szczesny interpreted the 17 sustainability goals of the United Nations (UN) on behalf of the "#Art4GlobalGoals" campaign and painted them on 17 mainsails of the DSBL boat fleet. The works are now being presented on the water as part of a moving vernissage. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the UN's 17 sustainability goals - known internationally as the "Global Goals" - through extraordinary art. These are to be achieved by 2030.

Sailing meets art - this is how the initiators of Monheim Kulturwerke describe the project in wind and waves. The fleet with many club and league sailors from the Düsseldorfer Yachtclub, the Segel-Club Salzgitter and the Seglergemeinschaft Lohheider See as well as friends from the region will set off from the Rhine promenade at the Kulturraffinerie K714 on Sunday and sail down the Rhine towards Düsseldorf.

To mark the 75th anniversary of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the responsible cultural organisations in Monheim are sending out an extraordinary signal with their art project under sail and, together with their project partners in politics and civil society, want to promote the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in an inspiring way. Oliver Schwall, Managing Director of Deutsche Segel-Bundesliga GmbH, says: "No other sport represents the topic of sustainability as credibly as sailing. This combination of art, culture and sailing is an unprecedented campaign. One of the challenges was that, for the first time, the artist applied the colour of his exhibit not to canvas but directly to a sail. It has to hold - in wind, weather and flapping sails. I'm really looking forward to finally getting this project out on the water."

Further stops for the sailing exhibition are already planned: On 25 September 2021, a two-day tour will start from Koblenz to Monheim. The occasion is another anniversary: the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate is also celebrating its 75th birthday this year. The "Sailing #Art4GlobalGoals" project is planned to run for at least five years, including international stops. Click here to go to the Kultur-Regatta homepage (please click!).