Kr50. 1973–2023

It’s time to celebrate! The year 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the Kunstraum München. Therefore a special program has been developed that references the history and future of the institution. For this program, the Kunstraum has invited selected artists—who have exhibited here since the 1970s—to develop projects in tandem and exchange with other artists and positions. In addition, a comprehensive publication on the institutional form of the “Kunstverein” with a focus on the history of the Kunstraum München will be published, including text contributions by Sabeth Buchmann, Matthias Buck, Lena von Geyso, Justin Hoffmann, Olaf Metzel, Jenny Mues, Daniela Stöppel, Wolfgang Ullrich, Timm Ulrichs, Sabine Weingartner, among others.

The program has been curated by the board of the Kunstraum München—Emily Barsi, Dr. Patricia Drück, Lena von Geyso, Nina Holm, Ralf Homann, Dr. Luise Horn, Lennart Laule, and Alexander Steig—as well as Dr. Friederike Schuler (Archive, Kunstraum München). 

This year, the Kunstraum has already presented exhibitions by Hagen Verleger, Tim Beeby, and Lisa Hofmann / Olaf Metzel. Other upcoming programs on the agenda are:

Studio City. Peripheries of Electronic Music
June 15–July 23, 2023
With work by Jochen Becker, Christian Collet, Ahu Dural, Regine Elbers, Larissa Fassler, Herbert W. Franke, Hans G Helms, Anton Kaun, Christina Kubisch, Michaela Melián, Josef Anton Riedl, and Stefan Römer. Studio City looks at electronic music as an early form of digital culture and relates it to the changing urban peripheries of Munich and Berlin. Based on the history of the Siemens Studio for Electronic Music, which was founded in Munich in 1960, Studio City. Peripheries of Electronic Music mixes diverse (sound) tracks into a reflection on the automation of work and life in the 20th and early 21st centuries.  Curated by Ralf Homann and Florian Wüst in collaboration with Tim Tetzner and Jaro Straub. A cooperation with Scharaun, Berlin-Siemensstadt.

50 Jahre Kunstraum München—Summer Fest
June 17, 2023, 2–10pm
Featuring Agnostoman (aka Salewski) / DJ-Bike & DJ Ibuprophet / Glump & Giovanni Raabe / Hennicker-Schmidt / Anton Kaun plus Anna McCarthy / Alexander Laner / Mediendienst Leistungshölle / rasso rottenfusser / DJ Manu Rzytki / DJ Konrad Wehrmeister.

Santiago Sierra / Franz Erhard Walther
September 10–October 15, 2023
In collaboration with En plein air-Performance Series in Public Space
The exhibition consists of a performance series that takes place on Sundays at the Kunstraum München and simultaneously in public space. Franz Erhard Walther (*1939), known for his textile objects and activations, held groundbreaking exhibitions at the Kunstraum München in 1976 and 1982. Santiago Sierra (*1966), who was a student of Walther’s at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg in the early 1990s, is internationally known for his provocative performances that address the structural violence of political and economic systems. 
Curated by Emily Barsi and Patricia Drück

Hanne Darboven & Julia Gaisbacher: Am Burgberg
October 26–December 3, 2023
The exhibition juxtaposes work by the two artists as well as features two new pieces by Gaisbacher that make reference to Am Burgberg, Darboven’s lifelong residence and place of work in Hamburg-Harburg. In the 1960s, Hanne Darboven (1941–2009) founded Conceptual Art with her artist friends. Her key contribution to the emergence of Conteptual Art is that she succeeded in developing her own independent methods for the representation of periods of time—days, months, years, or even a century. In addition to this central aspect of time, the exhibition focuses in particular on the specific location of this artistic practice. Julia Gaisbacher (*1983) has created two new pieces for the exhibition which are the result of on-site research in Hamburg-Harburg since the summer of 2022. She has approached Hanne Darboven’s home with photographic and cinematic methods, conducted interviews with various companions for this artistic research, and reconstructed the camera shots of Der Mond ist aufgegangen in the streets of Harburg. Curated by Luise Horn and Dietmar Rübel

Anniversary Edition
December 2023–January 2024
Presentation of a limited edition portfolio containing editions by the artists exhibiting in 2023 supplemented by other artistic positions from past years. Curated by Alexander Steig.

This anniversary year is made possible by, among others, the Stiftung Kunstfonds and NEUSTART KULTUR with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, as well as by the Department of Arts and Culture, City of Munich. The publication is supported by the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne.