This year's contribution by the Goethe-Institut Dresden is by Alegra Nicka & Ina Weise and is entitled Thrown into cold waters.

Alegra Nicka and Ina Weise live in places that couldn’t be more different. In the fall of 2023, the artists spent a month each in Dresden and Brazzaville as part of the town partnership between the two cities. Despite the different histories of their home countries, their experiences on earth converge towards a shared future. Together, they stand in the Congo River, gazing upon a planet threatened by extreme weather events, water and food shortages, species extinction, and destruction caused by wars. With memories of their past, Alegra Nicka and Ina Weise articulate their interest in an inclusive future, a just world that allows the voices of the marginalized to be heard and embraces both human and non-human existence.

Alegra Nicka was born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, in 1995. Ina Weise was born in Dresden in 1985.

Ina Weise and Alegra Nicka were selected by an international jury for an artist residency program in 2023, which was announced as part of the Dresden-Brazzaville city partnership.

The artist exchange program had the motto "Between Congo and Elbe - a dialogue between rivers" and was made possible by the city administrations of Dresden and Brazzaville in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Cameroon and in cooperation with Zentralwerk Dresden e.V. and Les Ateliers SAHM (Brazzaville).

This encounter between the two artists resulted in a further artistic collaboration and the jointly designed #WOD-2024 contribution "Thrown into cold waters" for the Goethe-Institut Dresden. The work will be on display during the banner art campaign at the Neustädter Markt am Goldenen Reiter with the artists' and viewers' view of the Elbe from February 9 to 18, 2024.

Zwischen Kongo und Elbe - ein Dialog zwischen den Flüssen - Goethe-Institut Kamerun

www.alegranicka.art / www.inaweise.com

Zentrum für internationale Kulturelle Bildung | Dresden (goethe.de)