The Power of Small: How Fellbach Reimagined the Scale of Sculptural Ambition

In a contemporary art world that often equates significance with scale, where massive installations and monumental sculptures dominate museum spaces and biennials worldwide, the Fellbach Triennial stands as a quiet revolution. For over four decades, this specialized exhibition in a small German town has made a persuasive case that ambitious artistic vision can exist within the palm of a hand—that the small-scale can carry intellectual and emotional weight equal to the most imposing works of public art. The story of how this unlikely exhibition became an influential platform reveals much about the changing nature of sculptural practice and the power of curatorial focus.

When city officials in Fellbach first conceived of a small sculpture exhibition in 1980, their ambitions were modest: to establish a cultural identity for their town, distinguishable from neighboring Stuttgart. Working with limited resources but considerable civic pride, the inaugural exhibition was housed in the town hall and featured primarily regional artists. Few could have predicted that this local initiative would evolve into a significant international event that would reshape discourse around small-scale sculpture.

The triennial's transformation from provincial exhibition to globally relevant platform began in the mid-1980s when the decision was made to focus exclusively on small-scale work—not as a practical concession to limited space, but as a deliberate curatorial position. This decision coincided with broader shifts in contemporary art. The conceptual art movement had questioned the necessity of monumental form, while feminist critiques had challenged the equation of size with artistic importance. These currents created space for reconsideration of scale in relation to meaning, a conversation the Fellbach Triennial was uniquely positioned to advance.

The acquisition of the Alte Kelter (Old Wine Press) as a permanent venue in 1989 marked a turning point. The cavernous 19th-century industrial space created a provocative contrast with the intimate scale of the exhibited works, producing what German critic Thomas Wagner described as "a theatrical tension between container and contained." This distinctive spatial dynamic—small works experienced within an expansive architectural volume—became the triennial's signature characteristic. Rather than filling the vast space with ever-larger installations, curators embraced the conceptual friction between architectural scale and object size, creating exhibitions that required visitors to adjust their physical relationship to the artwork through movement and focused attention.

The triennial's growth was further accelerated by a series of influential guest curators who recognized the exhibition's potential as a laboratory for exploring questions specific to small-scale work. Jean-Christophe Ammann's 1992 edition examined the relationship between miniaturization and memory; Ulrike Groos's 2001 exhibition investigated intimacy as both physical condition and emotional state; while Yilmaz Dziewior's 2016 iteration explored the political dimensions of scale in a globalized art world where bigger often equates with better.

What distinguishes the Fellbach Triennial from many contemporary art exhibitions is its commitment to material engagement. While digital technologies have transformed many aspects of art production, the triennial has maintained its focus on physical objects that require direct visual and sensory attention. This emphasis on materiality has created a platform for artists exploring the haptic and tactile dimensions of sculpture at a time when much contemporary experience is mediated through screens. Curator Brigitte Franzen, who organized the 13th edition in 2016, observed that "small-scale works create a specific kind of attention—they ask us to come closer, to slow down, to engage our bodies differently. This physical relationship becomes increasingly meaningful in a culture of digital acceleration."

The triennial has also provided an important showcase for artists whose practices resist the spectacularization of contemporary art. German sculptor Hans Josephsohn's densely worked bronze figures, only 30 centimeters high but conveying monumental presence; British artist Rachel Whiteread's intimate plaster casts of negative spaces; American sculptor Charles LeDray's meticulously crafted miniature garments—these and many other artists have found in Fellbach a context that privileges concentrated focus over spectacular effect, subtle variation over dramatic gesture.

Particularly significant has been the triennial's role in connecting traditional sculptural techniques with contemporary conceptual frameworks. By focusing on the small-scale, the exhibition has created space for work that engages deeply with material processes and craft traditions often marginalized in contemporary art discourse. The 2019 edition, titled "40,000 Hours," specifically addressed the question of time in relation to sculptural production, featuring works whose intricate detail or labor-intensive processes challenged accelerated modes of art consumption. This attention to temporality—both in the making and viewing of art—has become increasingly central to the triennial's identity.

As the Fellbach Triennial approaches its 16th edition in 2027, its continued relevance speaks to how a specialized focus, maintained consistently over time, can create meaningful interventions in broader cultural conversations. The exhibition has never attempted to compete with larger biennials on their own terms, instead cultivating a distinctive identity through sustained attention to the aesthetic, conceptual, and phenomenological questions particular to small-scale sculpture. This curatorial clarity has attracted a dedicated audience of artists, collectors, and viewers who value the specific kind of engagement the triennial offers.

In a global exhibition landscape increasingly characterized by standardization and spectacle, the Fellbach Triennial demonstrates the enduring value of the specific, the intimate, and the focused. Its history suggests that cultural significance is not necessarily a function of size or scale, but rather of depth, consistency, and attentiveness to the particular. The power of small, as Fellbach has shown over four decades, lies not in its physical dimensions but in its capacity to create concentrated experiences that resonate far beyond their material boundaries.