The idea of bringing urban art into the public space in a permanent and curated manner has been funded by the City of Stuttgart since 2022 via the Art in Public Space programme (KiöR). The project is supported by Kunstverein Wagenhalle e. V. Studio Vierkant is responsible for the conceptual development, artistic curation, organisation, press and public relations work, as well as the visual design and appearance of the festival.
The aim of the PFF Festival is to make art visible, accessible and permanently anchored in the urban space - beyond institutional spaces and open to all.
The PFFFESTIVAL sees public space as a place for contemporary art, encounters and social debate. The murals enter into a direct dialogue with their surroundings.
A central component of the curatorial concept is the deliberate depiction of the wide stylistic range of contemporary façade art. Different artistic styles, techniques and visual languages contrast with each other and visualise how multi-layered urban art is today. The aim is for the individual works to stand on their own and at the same time combine to form a coherent overall picture in the urban space in the long term.
The wall designs enhance the public space, make art a low-threshold experience and promote discourse and identification in the neighbourhood. At the same time, they create new visual axes and quality of stay. Stuttgart thus becomes an open gallery that is constantly evolving.
With the PFFFestle, low-threshold get-together formats are created directly on the designed façades. Artists, residents and people interested in art come together over music and drinks and engage in dialogue about art in urban spaces.
The accompanying film documentaries by Martin Mannweiler provide insights into the creation of the murals and tell the stories behind the walls. They visualise the processes, attitudes and backgrounds of the artists involved.
Four issues of the PFFF Journal are dedicated to topics relating to graffiti, urban art and cultural issues. Each issue focuses on a specific topic and combines contributions from the fields of art, theory and practice.
The PFFF group exhibitions show studio works by the participating mural artists as well as other relevant positions from urban art and post-graffiti. They broaden the view of artistic practices beyond the wall and create space for contextualisation and exchange.
