As the introduction to a four-year cycle of shows, the XVIII Rohkunstbau is highlighting the subject of power in its 2011 summer exhibition - in a free interpretation taking Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung as its point of reference. The 'Rhine gold' with its seeds of conflict in unrequited love and an overwhelming desire for power defines the context of the topics explored in the first part of the Rohkunstbau Ring.

In today's society, the idea of power tends to have a negative connotation, and is generally associated with a craving for power, suppression, manipulation or even avarice. Hardly any other concept has been discussed and interpreted in such conflicting ways. The French philosopher Foucault, for example, who considered power to be "productive capacity", saw it as a principle of development and integration in our society and, hence, as a practical principle.

In the exhibition, ten artists from four countries engage with and investigate the consequences, interpretations, symbols and misuses of power. In their exhibits, created especially for Rohkunstbau, they explore their diverse views on power ‑ from a transformation of energy to the capacity of the human being to control or manipulate the environment. In some of the works on show, Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk provides the inspiration for a musical adaptation of the subject.

As in 2009 and 2010, this year's Rohkunstbau exhibition is also taking place in Schloss Marquardt, a historic venue steeped in tradition. Over the course of their long history, the house and grounds near Potsdam evidence clear traces of different forms of power relations. The old manor house, which epitomises the charm of the Potsdam palace landscape, is set idyllically on the shores of the Schlänitzsee lake and embedded in park grounds landscaped by Peter Joseph Lenné. The house was also described in detail by Theodor Fontane in his "Wanderings through the Mark Brandenburg".

The Rohkunstbau art festival has a long established tradition of presenting site-specific contemporary art. This summer it has once again brought together a group of international artists to present their works to an interested audience at a location outside the mainstream art scene.