About — HOLA UTOPIA!

Hola Utopia! is an international street art festival in Hannover that transforms the city into a space of debate and promotion of progressive values. The socio-cultural festival encourages all Hannoverians to share their ideas for the future of their city during workshops. Leading German and international street artists then implement them into the design of large-scale artworks.

Our
manifesto

Hola Utopia dares to formulate and visualize utopian thoughts to take steps to make the world a better place to live in.
To shape a world worth living in, the creative work of Hola Utopia should be informed by the needs of this sustainable world that we desire on as many levels as possible.
If compromises need to be made, a conscious decision should be taken to consider whether the process is necessary in this situation, or an alternative can be found.
Hola Utopia is the result of the people who have imagined it and participate in it. The opportunity to participate is open and accessible, laying the foundation for further collaborative creative work.
Hola Utopia consciously seeks contact with other people to be able to achieve more together.

Hola Utopia also addresses uncomfortable topics and may trigger reactions whilst attracting attention and generating interest.
To reach as many people as possible, Hola Utopia uses different channels of communication, both analog and digital. New technological possibilities are constantly tested and utilized if they are successful.
The possibility of trying things out freely, being allowed to fail and continuing is an important aspect of Hola Utopia to encourage a healthy, creative process.
Products and interpersonal relationships are designed and developed with sustainability in mind.
Hola Utopia is aware of its own privileged position that it occupies in its work to devote itself to the design of a utopian world. Injustice in our own environment is openly discussed and with show solidarity to people who are negatively affected.

Meet
the team

Artie Ilsemann
*DIRECTOR*
Artie was able to gain helpful experience in event management at events such as the International Battle of the Year; knowledge in construction phase planning and project management helps. At Hola Utopia he additionally takes care of the happy coincidence of the components with mercantile skills.

Jascha Müller
*Art director*
Jascha has been working with the spray can since 1992. He has always been interested in social issues as well. After a long phase in which he was primarily involved with art and design, he developed the concept of the Hola Utopia Street Art Festival.

Mark Dix
*HEAD OF COMMS*
Mark is a freelance communications officer. After graduating in Media Studies from Sheffield Hallam University, he worked as a teacher and DJ until moving to Barcelona in 2005. After working for the British Council, he helped establish Radio Primavera Sound before spending time at Montana Colors.

SARAH
KNIEP
CULTURAL
COORDINATOR
Sarah is the docking point for the city of Hannover, where she has been pulling interdisciplinary strings since 2017 and, as a networker in the “Young Culture” department, bringing together actors from the cultural scene of all shapes and sizes.

Partners

Like most large events and festivals, Hola Utopia! cannot be managed alone. In addition to the great organizational effort, financial resources are of course needed. Fortunately, there are some foundations and companies that are willing to support non-commercial ideas like ours.

From the beginning, however, it has been important to us to rely on partners who are also closely related to art and social work. The UJZ Glockse e.V., which has accompanied us all along the way, is right at the forefront. The application to foundations and state associations would not have been possible without this non-profit partner. Fittingly, as one of the first and still existing independent youth centers, the UJZ Glocksee is a perfect example of how a utopia can become and remain a reality in urban space.

With Montana Colors S.L. from Barcelona, we also have competent partners in terms of high-quality materials for our work. Whether it's long-lasting mural paint or a wide range of spray cans, we have access to the finest artistic materials for our projects.

At the top of the list of supporters are the socio-cultural funds, which have advised us on the development of the idea from the very beginning.

UJZ GLOCKSEE

The UJZ Glocksee e.V. is the oldest independent youth center in Germany and has a firm place in Hannover's cultural landscape. Our cooperation is based on the same mindset: people in the city need their free spaces. For a long time, Glocksee-Gasse was the only legal space for graffiti artists. The location and open spaces that the Glocksee offers us are optimal conditions for a project of this dimension. We work cooperatively with each other and communicate in person.