The FESTIVAL DER REGIONEN is one of the most prominent festivals for contemporary art and culture in Austria.
Since 1993, it has been held every two years outside the urban agglomerations and cultural centres of Upper Austria. In the 30 years of its existence, the Festival of Regions has focussed on highly topical and timeless issues: Home, work, asylum, hostility, migration, exclusion. With its approach of using contemporary art to address social issues and everyday life, the festival aims to create a dialogue between the local population and local, regional and international artists. Participation is a top priority.
The festival wants to leave its mark, pick up on and initiate discussion processes, encourage or initiate requests for change, take the population’s needs seriously and work with them to develop visions for the future.
Without the sponsors and supporters and without the numerous helpers on site, this Festival of Regions would not be possible. Without the people in the region who are so enthusiastic about the projects and experiments, who get involved, are committed, curious and participate, it would not be the Festival of Regions.
Programme board
The programme board bears curatorial responsibility and is newly appointed for each festival edition and specifically for each festival region. It consists of five people with different specialisations and artistic backgrounds. The programme board formulates the theme and the call for entries and is responsible for the selection and curatorial support of the projects.
Members for the 2025 festival edition are: Fina Esslinger, Doris Mitterbacher (Mieze Medusa), Isa Schieche, Katharina Spanlang and Antoine Turillon.
Here you can find more information about the Programme Board 2025
Team
We are FdR – the team at a glance
Management
Otto Tremetzberger
otto.tremetzberger@fdr.at
Foto: Reinhard Winkler
Program-Management
Fina Esslinger
fina.esslinger@fdr.at
Foto: Zoey Goldstein
Art Education & Community Building
Ulla Steyrleuthner
ulla.steyrleuthner@fdr.at
Communication
Valentin Lischka
valentin.lischka@fdr.at
Programme board coordination
Mario Friedwagner
mario.friedwagner@fdr.at
Commercial assistance
Ralf Schinko
Web, Social Media and Office
Renée Chvatal
renee.chvatal@fdr.at
Web & Graphic
System administration and website
Vinzenz Landl
Web development
Bene Reiter
Design, Campaigns, Production
Ortner etc.
Board
Fina Esslinger
Chairwoman
Art historian, Cultural manager, curator
Foto: Zoey Goldstein
Katharina Spanlang
Deputy Chairwoman
Wirbelfeld
Thomas Diesenreiter
Treasurer
Managing Director KUPF OÖ
Mario Friedwagner
Vice Treasurer
trained ski jumper, cultural worker and adult educator
Janina Wegscheider
Secretary
Zeugfärberei Gutau
Regional Advisory Board 2024-2025
Andrea Eckerstorfer Managing Director of the “Initiative Lebensraum Innviertel” and Chairwoman of the “LEADER Region Mitten im Innviertel”
Hanna Kirman Artist, Deputy Chairman of the Innviertel Artists’ Guild
Florian Kotanko Chairman of the Association for Contemporary History in Braunau (Braunau Contemporary History Days)
Simon Mayer Performer, dancer, choreographer and musician
Association advisory board
Susanne Blaimschein Kunstraum Goethestraße
Gerald Priewasser-Höller Artist & Designer
Margot Nazzal Head of the Directorate for Culture and Society of the Office of the Upper Austrian Government.
Julius Stieber Director of Culture and Education of the City of Linz
Karin Zizala Head of the Department for Cultural Initiatives, Museums and Popular Culture at the Bundeskanzleramt
Rainer Zendron Former Vice-Rector of the University of Art and Design Linz, founding member of the Festival of the Regions
Gitti Vasicek Vice Rector for Art and Teaching at the University of Art and Design Linz