GOGBOT

The GOGBOT Festival is an annual four-day festival in Enschede, Netherlands. It is organized by Planetart, a local group of artists, and was first organized in 2004. The festival revolves around multimedia, art, music, and technology and includes a three-month exhibition in collaboration with the local Rijksmuseum (RMT), a four-day exhibition during the festival, a symposium, a film program, and the Youngblood award for art academy graduates.

History
The festival originated from several events that Planetart had previously organized in the city center of Enschede. These events were held in empty warehouses, squares, music venues, and other locations. Both PlanetArt and GOGBOT were founded by creative director and artist Kees de Groot. From 2004 until 2007, Wilja Jurg served as the managing director. She left to become the director of the Enschede-based art space Tetem. Viola van Alphen filled the position between 2007 and 2015, and she now works as an independent curator. Marie Janin, who is also the director of the Sickhouse festival for art and gaming, served as the director between 2015 and 2022. In 2021, Jeffrey Hofman joined the GOGBOT team as the financial director.

International recognition
Because of the accessible form and innovative approach, GOGBOT receives international recognition. Therefore, GOGBOT is invited for presentations including the ISEA in Singapore, Cellsbutton Indonesia, the Transmediale in Berlin, International Film festival Moscow, World Expo 2010, Japan Media Arts Festival 2011 and Techfest 2012. In 2011, the festival was awarded the National Innovation Award for being the most innovative festival in the Netherlands.