It shows innovative trends by young artists - painters, dancers, performance artists, architects, designers, actors and film directors. The work represents the cultural diversity of a unifying Europe, both by the international range of the artists and by their concepts beyond traditional art sections. In that context, you have to understand the title "Dissimile" (Latin and Italian for "not similar").Against the background of the advanced economic integration, the question arises which possibilities of cultural communication, independent of language, exist and which new forms of communication will have to be developed. As pictures are the most important carriers of information at the beginning of the 21 century, it examines the different media by which the various European societies communicate. Is there something like a "cultural currency"?

"Dissimile" presents the work of artists from eleven European countries, focusing on city life as a central theme. On the one hand the project sees Europe as a metapher: European collective pictures will be examined by artists as "cultural currency" irrespective of the national languages. On the other hand the young European artists regard Europe as a definite design challenge for the future of our society. Specially for this project they have developed new positions which they will present within the scope of the exhibition. Dissimile aims at working both as a meeting place and an open workshop, where the artists and the audience outline the idea of Europe's cultural identity. The Cultural Foundation wishes to contribute to the European integration which is one of its main themes.Theatre, dance and music productions, performances, model presentations and talks as well as a symposium with a panel discussion entitled "Designing Europe - culture and future" (February 8 and 9, 2003) will run parallel to the exhibition. More than 70 artists participate in the entire project.The catalogue will present the participating artists (Volume 1) and, in a second volume, the documentation of the events and detailed scientific contributions (to appear at the symposium). Ludger Hünnekens and Matthias Winzen, director of the Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, are its editors.