Hof subculture
Diverse and indispensable
Not only the "high culture" with the Hof Symphony Orchestra and the Theater Hof at the top is firmly anchored in the city on the Saale, but also the "subculture", the independent cultural scene has grown and blossomed more and more in recent years.
While the Galeriehaus has been around for many years and the IN.DIE.musik Festival has also existed since 2007, the rest of the independent cultural scene in Hof is very young. For many years, one had the impression that there was no interest in this cultural sector, but then a lot happened. The topic is of course gladly promoted from the area of municipal culture, entirely according to the possibilities available to the city administration. Cultural work in this area means that, for this purpose, one sits down again and again with the makers who know the scene and supports them according to their special needs.
Gallery house at Sophienberg
The Galeriehaus am Sophienberg is a cornerstone of Hof's independent cultural scene: not only is it located in one of the oldest buildings in Hof, but it is also the nucleus of the Hof Film Festival around the former landlord Werner Weinelt. Today, the Galeriehaus is owned by the Cinecenter Hof e.V. association, but of course it doesn't just cater to cineastes: concerts, readings, theater and exhibitions for small audiences, which often cover niches, take place there - similar to the Kunstkaufhaus in Königsstraße, which, however, focuses more on musical events and theater.
"It's really great what the operators make possible: Time and time again, they use their contacts and bring big names from the independent scene to Hof - with manageable effort and at reasonable prices!" -Peter Nürmberger, Head of the Department of Culture
IN.DIE.musik Festival
The IN.DIE.musik festival has been held in Hof every year since 2007. With around 2,000 visitors, it is a small but excellent festival that offers a top-class indie line-up every year.
Every two years, the city of Hof offers the young band scene a huge stage as part of the YourStage festival: the hottest up-and-coming bands on the scene come together at this festival in the large hall of the Freiheitshalle and have the opportunity to present themselves on several stages.
The Alte Filzfabrik provides band practice rooms the size of a big city. And for this you need people from the scene who are close by - and the city has brought them on board, because the city can only provide support while the active people manage this band location.
"The Pelle"
Completely free is the off-theater group "Die Pelle", which has previously played at the Kunstkaufhaus, the Galeriehaus and the Awalla project. Die Pelle e.V. is a free theater in the tradition of the alternative Hof Theater K (1983 - 2008). Founded in 2017, the non-profit association brings elements from film, television, gaming, dance, club culture and performance to the analog stage.
ANTHROPOZÄNTA
ANTHROPOZÄNTA is a residency and exhibition format for contemporary art. International artists come to Hof and develop works that address the region and its socio-political, economic and ecological history as well as its embedding in the global context. The exhibition opens in the fall, at the same time as the Hof International Film Festival. For four weeks, one of the many vacant stores in the city center will be brought to life with multimedia works. In terms of content, the works deal with the diverse phenomena, connections and consequences of human and non-human existence in the age of the Anthropocene. There are also guided tours, educational programs for schools and events such as the ANTHROPOZÄNTA_academy symposium with workshops, lectures and discussions. The aim is to connect the artists in the ANTHROPOZÄNTA network and to create free, barrier-free access to art for the general public. ANTHROPOZÄNTA sees itself as an open format that aims to promote discourse, encounters, connection and community.
The organizing team and artistic directors are the two artists Sophie Innmann and Daniel Vollmond, who both grew up in the region.
