Art in Public Space

Based on the tradition of the advertising column, the columns in Bredenstraße and, from June, in Martinistraße will be transformed into temporary exhibition spaces in public areas for two years. As freely accessible art spaces in the heart of the city, they connect artistic production with everyday urban experience.

From 40 submitted designs, a jury selected seven artistic positions, which will each be presented for two months until March 2025.

Interview with the Literature House:

What is special about this work?

In my work, it is particularly important to me to trace and artistically represent historical and social events and their interrelationships, as well as their relevance and resonance in the present.

What constitutes art in public spaces for you?

In public spaces, one encounters art unexpectedly or without recognizing it as "art." Ideally, this creates a moment of surprise, pulling the casual observer out of their daily routine and prompting reflection. Unforeseen encounters can thus arise. Art in public spaces is democratic and accessible to a broad public, regardless of social, economic, or cultural differences.

What interests you about the medium of the advertising column?

The advertising column was originally a repository of knowledge. Old news items, announcements, and advertisements were simply superimposed with new information. Through exposure to wind, weather, or vandalism, older layers are uncovered, visually blending with the new posters to create a collage/décollage in the urban space.

I use this principle of collage/décollage as an artistic strategy. Within my pictorial space, there are various layers of images. They can be read like archaeological stratigraphy, the study of layers used to analyze and date archaeological finds. They are appropriations from art history, from the media, found objects from the internet, as well as my own images created during several research trips.