In 2008, art critic and curator Anna Tilroe is at the helm of the tenth Sonsbeek. This time, the starting point is the position of art in contemporary Western societies. According to Tilroe, there is a depression. With the theme of grandeur, or ‘the human pursuit for greatness,’ sonsbeek '08 aimed to shed a different light on art.                       

According to Anna Tilroe, the beginning of the 21st century, is characterized by global shifts in politics, economics, as well as climate and communication. As humans, we have primarily become consumers. Art has changed accordingly, and is increasingly influenced by the market. Tilroe saw important differences with art from 20th century, when art revolved around the transcendental, the unknown. In the present era, a work of art is no longer able to inspire fear: there are “no more optimistic visions,” Tilroe states in the exhibition catalogue of sonsbeek ’08.

Despite the diminished optimism – or idealism – the desire for greatness remains in human beings. People always try to rise above themselves, and it is up to artists to ignite this deepest desire in the viewer. To some extent, Tilroe even considered this a social responsibility of artists, and in doing so she ascribes an important role to art. It is reminiscent of the lost avant-garde ideal of uniting art with society. This union is not unthinkable: for the opening of sonsbeek ‘08, a procession takes place in which almost a thousand people participated. The works of art (or parts of them) are carried through the streets of Arnhem by people who had united themselves in guilds. The procession is a great success and is etched in the memory of many people from Arnhem to this day. After the event, the twenty-eight works of art, mainly installations, are given a place in the familiar Park Sonsbeek.