Announcing our Chemnitz Would Like to Meet artists

Quarantine and ASA-FF have now selected the 5 artists from Chemnitz to join Would Like to Meet, our cross-border, intergenerational exchange, happening in autumn 2025, as part of Chemnitz 2025: European Capital of Culture.

Our Chemnitz artists are:

Vanessa Azeroth
Joachim B.-Malthet
Stephanie Brittnacher
Linus Grösel
Viet Phuong Nguyen

We asked each of them what kind of artist they would like to meet in Greater Manchester, and are now sharing a call-out to find their counterparts. Creating cross-generational encounters, each pair will have at least a 20 year age gap between them.

Read on to find out more about each artist and who they would like to meet.

Vanessa Azeroth

Vanessa, aged 28, is a visual artist working with contemporary embroidery art and textile design. Along with traditional forms, she also embroiders on postcards and in public space. She first learnt handcrafting techniques from her grandmother. As an artist, she is keen to shift perceptions of embroidery as a ‘women’s hobby’ to something that is taken seriously as an art form. Vanessa is also part of the art collective Bikini Kommando.

Vanessa was born and raised in Chemnitz. She speaks German and English, and understands some Spanish.

Vanessa would like to meet an artist aged 48 or older, who has decades of practice working with embroidery, sewing or other textile design skills, perhaps with knowledge of old techniques and tools for mending or making. It’s not important that this person thinks of themselves as an ‘artist’ – most important is that they have been working or experimenting with these practices for a long time. Similar experience of working within a collective would be interesting, but not essential.

Vanessa’s Instagram

Joachim B.-Malthet

Joachim, aged 32 is a transdisciplinary artist with a focus on live performance, installation theatre, and classical music theatre. They’re also a queer feminist grassroots activist, and an international competitive roller-derby athlete. Joachim’s artistic work is strongly influenced by their personal experiences: by their trans* identity; bipolar disorder and attempts to gain control over uncontrollable symptoms; and ongoing concerns about money and the concrete limitations of their possibilities.

Joachim is from France, and has spent time living between Dresden and Chemnitz, where they find potential for connection very exciting. They speak French, German and English.

Joachim would like to meet a transdisciplinary artist aged 52+, with lived experience of marginalisation, whose art responds to socio-political issues. It’s important that this person has also experienced discrimination and is used to others projecting things onto their body, so there’s a common understanding of barriers and struggles. These experiences could be other experiences of marginalisation than the ones Joachim mentions. Someone who has had an entirely different career before becoming an artist would be exciting.

Joachim’s Linktree

Stephanie Brittnacher

Stephanie, aged 40, is an illustrator whose practice is shifting from children’s book and live illustration to a focus on comics and sequential storytelling. While she has mostly worked with texts and stories provided by others, she’s now exploring how to develop her own narrative voice. Most of her client work is created digitally on the iPad, but she’s also excited to reconnect with her roots—working with ink and pens on paper. Stephanie is currently co-creating a graphic novel due to be published in 2026.

Stephanie grew up in rural western Germany and has lived in Chemnitz for over 11 years with her now-teenage daughter and their dog. While she finds connection through her work, the distance from close friends can make solitude challenging – especially against the backdrop of rising right-wing politics globally. In response, she explores themes of resilience through creativity and feminism. She speaks German, English, and basic French.

Stephanie would like to meet a fellow artist aged 18–20 who creates visual narratives or comics in any technique. A collaboration could be especially fruitful: someone to share ideas with, co-create stories, and grow through creative exchange. In terms of interests, an awareness of current affairs is important to her, along with a good sense of humour.

Stephanie’s website
Stephanie’s Instagram

Linus Grösel

Linus, aged 18, is a self-taught artist working across music and visual art. He is a DJ, a painter, part of a dark wave band, produces music, and plays with print graphics, film and photography. He is interested in in-between spaces and is currently working on a project titled Zwischenwelten which brings together people who might not otherwise share the same spaces. He is interested in analogue technologies and the value of things we can hold in our hands.

Linus has lived in Chemnitz all his life and knows every corner, every house. The city is his home and he sees all that it has to offer, and at the same time how the city struggles – he believes that there is value and worth to be found in this. He speaks German and English.

Linus would like to meet a master of their form – possibly in painting or photography (aged 38 or older), with more than 20 years’ experience. Analogue approaches are really key. Linus is particularly drawn to meeting someone who fully lives their art. In particular, he’d love to collaborate with someone whose practice is strongly connected to place, who can share unique insights into the different sides of Manchester.

Zwischenwelten website
Linus’ Instagram

Viet Phuong Nguyen

Viet, aged 28, is a potter and ceramicist. He completed his training three years ago, and is trying to expand the possibilities of ceramics beyond the creation of functional objects. He’s interested in contemporary engagement with this ancient craft. Viet is also part of the art collective Bikini Kommando. He’s passionate about creating circumstances that make it easier for people in Chemnitz to try, and engage with, different art forms.

Viet was born in Chemnitz and has experienced all the significant milestones in his life so far there – childhood, youth, the beginnings of adulthood… He’s enjoyed seeing how the city has changed over time. As a second generation immigrant, he grew up like a Vietnamese boy at home and like a German boy in his external surroundings, so has learnt to embody contrasting values. He speaks Vietnamese, German and English.

Viet would like to meet someone from a migrant background, aged 48 or older, who works with handicrafts – such as ceramics, glassblowing or carpentry. He’d love to find someone who also likes to improvise as they work and doesn’t always begin making with a finished product in mind. Viet’s particularly interested in meeting someone who works outside of ‘realistic forms’ – for example with pop art, cartoon or fantasy.

Viet’s Instagram

Apply to Would Like to Meet

Interested in applying to Would Like to Meet? Find out more about the opportunity including how to apply on our Manchester call out page.

The deadline for applications is Friday 16 May, 12 noon.

This edition of WLTM is one part of Quarantine’s new project The Questions, part of Chemnitz 2025: European Capital of Culture.