The international art festival returns to St. Wolfgang! Six hotels will be the artistic hot spots from 28 April - 4 May 2025

For the third time, the renowned international art festival ART CIRCLE is transforming the picturesque municipality of St. Wolfgang in the Salzkammergut into a lively venue for artistic creation. From 28 April to 4 May 2025, six selected hotels in the region will become creative centres where art is not only exhibited, but actively created. For the third time, the renowned international art festival ART CIRCLE is transforming the picturesque municipality of St. Wolfgang in the Salzkammergut into a lively venue for artistic creation. From 28 April to 4 May 2025, six selected hotels in the region will become creative centres where art is not only exhibited, but actively created.

The established art festival has established a firm place for itself in the European cultural landscape in recent years and attracts both artists and art lovers from all over the world with its innovative concept. ART CIRCLE pursues the vision of bringing together creatives from all continents in one inspiring location. This year, visitors can look forward to 22 carefully selected artists-in-residence from 15 different nations, who will bring their artistic diversity and cultural perspectives to the heart of the Salzkammergut.

The participating accommodations - the Strandhotel Margaretha, Hotel Cortisen am See, Hotel Seevilla Wolfgangsee, Hotel Peter,

Hotel Schwarzes Rössl and the traditional Romantik Hotel Im Weissen Rössl - are transformed into open studios during the festival. Here, guests and visitors have the extraordinary opportunity to look over the artists' shoulders as they work. This direct encounter with the creative process makes the festival a unique experience in which the boundaries between art production and presentation become blurred.

With this format, St. Wolfgang is consciously building on the region's rich artistic tradition. The Salzkammergut has always been a centre of attraction for creative artists, who have found inspiration here in the impressive landscape. Particularly noteworthy is the historical connection to the Zinkenbach painters' colony, which was active in nearby St. Gilgen at the beginning of the 19th century and whose artistic heritage the festival carries into the present day.

A special highlight for art lovers is the masterclass on 1 May under the expert guidance of renowned artist Sebastian Herzau. Participants will have the opportunity to get creative themselves and gain valuable inspiration for their own artistic endeavours.

The festival also has a unique experience in store for the participating artists: On 2 May, they will take a trip together up the majestic Schafberg mountain, where they can give free rein to their creativity at 1,700 metres above sea level, surrounded by a breathtaking panorama.

The works created during the festival will be presented to the public in several consecutive events. On 2 and 3 May, interested parties can admire the works of art as part of a pop art exhibition in the historic parish church of St. Wolfgang. The festive finissage will take place on 3 May at the EQ and in the atmospheric Schafbergbahn Remise.  At the end of the festival on 4 May, art lovers will have the opportunity to take a piece of this creative energy home with them at a sales exhibition at EQ.

This year, 22 artists from 15 nations are taking part:
Katarina Balunova (Slovakia), Rebecca Bernau (Germany), Luis Bertos (Spain), Klemen Brun (Slovakia), Gala Čaki (Serbia), Jorg Van Daele (Belgium), Sümer Erek (Cyprus), Petra Forman (Austria), Gilberto Delgado García (Mexico), Sebastian Herzau (Germany), Robert Lozar (Slovenia), Jesse Magee (USA), Harumi Miyatsuka (Japan), Meta Mramor (Slovenia), Katja Pál (Slovenia), Jens Pfeifer (Netherlands), Wagner Pinto (Brazil), Aleksander Politański (Poland), Antoine de Salaberry (France), Lalo Sánchez del Valle (Mexico), Ivana Zivic (Serbia) and Nika Zupančič (Slovenia).
The festival's path to St. Wolfgang was paved by the initiative of Roland Ballner, the owner of Hotel Cortisen am See. The festival is under the experienced artistic direction of Klemen Brun and Jesse Magee, who are also responsible for the Slovenian edition of the festival.

ART CIRCLE - International Festival of Fine Arts
The ART CIRCLE Festival is organised by the Slovenian cultural association KUD Manifest, which has been organising art festivals, artist residencies and diverse cultural activities worldwide since its foundation. The organisation has set itself the task of building a bridge between professional artists, the international network, the diplomatic community and the local population. What began in 2011 in the Slovenian wine-growing region of Goriška Brda has now developed into an internationally recognised art format that has a presence in various art-loving regions of Europe.

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