Kunsthalle Bielefeld
Artur-Ladebeck-Straße 5
D-33602 Bielefeld

T 0521 32999500
F 0521 329995050
info@kunsthalle-bielefeld.de

Please note that we cannot accept external exhibition requests. We therefore ask you to refrain from submitting applications for exhibition projects. Incoming inquiries cannot be answered and submitted documents cannot be returned. Thank you for your comprehension.

Opening hours

Tue-Fri 11-18 h
Wed 11-21 h
Sat and Sun 11-18 h
Holidays 11-18 h
Mondays closed

Library
Tue/Thu 14-18 h
Wed 11-13 h/14-19 h
and by arrangement

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These are our architects

Caruso St John Architects have been appointed

Five people stand in a row in front of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld. They look cheerful.
f.l.t.r. Pit Clausen, Lord Mayor of the City of Bielefeld, Christine Harodt, Technical Operations Manager, Immobilienservicebetrieb Bielefeld, Adam Caruso, Caruso St John Architects, Christina Végh, Director Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Dr. Udo Witthaus, Councillor of the "School, Citizens, Culture, Sport" Department of the City of Bielefeld

17.6.2024
Caruso St John have been appointed architects for the renovation of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld

The heritage-protected architectural icon of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld from the 1960s needs to be energetically renovated and future-proofed. The goal is to implement a package of measures that leverages the unique, historic spaces and allows for forward-looking museum work.

By means of an extension and restructuring, the historic spatial program is to be brought into the 21st century. To enable contemporary museum work in the future, functional deficiencies must be addressed. Currently, all central areas (exhibition, education, storage, logistics, and administration) are affected by acute space shortages. To present contemporary art forms and enable a modern approach within the museum, new spaces must be created in addition to optimizing the existing building, as these cannot be accommodated within the historical structure.

Since the 1960s, the demands on museum work have significantly changed. The goal of these measures is to respond to and actively shape these diverse changes in society, art, and climate, by ensuring the Kunsthalle remains an effective anchor point for many in the city and beyond. This requires technical and spatial adjustments to contemporary museum standards and the creation of informal spaces that allow for a relaxed visit, even independently of the exhibitions.

To promote the development of the museum, an additional exhibition unit must be established. This will make it possible to present younger art forms (installation, multimedia, large formats) and contribute to a more sustainable handling of the museum’s own collection, which can be shown more extensively and for longer periods in the future. Additionally, the new unit will allow the museum to remain open year-round. All areas of the museum will benefit from this, including visitor numbers, cooperation with educational institutions, service offerings (gastronomy, shop, library), and ultimately the strengthening of the museum as a “third place” for the urban community.

A better urban planning integration, placing the architectural icon in its urban context as intended by the architect and including the mobility transition, is also an aim of the measures. Only through comprehensive renovation work and the implementation of new spatial functions can the Kunsthalle be preserved as a cultural beacon for the region.

We are convinced that the office brings the ideal prerequisites to make our remarkable house functional for the 21st century.

carusostjohn.com/
https://www.bielefeld.de/

 

 

The refurbishment of the Kunsthalle Bielefeld has to take many aspects into account. In 2023, we therefore organized a three-part symposium entitled “Yesterday. Today! Tomorrow?” together with national and international experts to discuss various questions in public: How to deal with the history of the Kunsthalle and the conservation requirements of its architecture? How can the renovation itself be ecological and promote sustainable museum work? And what should be considered during the conversion so that the Kunsthalle can meet today’s requirements for museums?

You can find more information about the history of our architecture and the symposium on our website. Recordings and further information on the symposium presentations are available in our journal.

Events

Tickets

The actress Brit Dehler (Theater Bielefeld) reads poems by Hans Arp in the exhibition with musical accompaniment by the saxophone duo Leptophonics. The exhibition can be visited in advance with the ticket.

Brit Dehler
After studying acting in Cologne, Brit Dehler, born in Bergisch Gladbach, was engaged at the Wolfgang Borchert Theater in Münster and then at the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin, where she worked with directors including Claudia Bauer, Henriette Hörnigk, Peter Dehler, Daniel Pfluger, David Czesienski and Robert Hartmann. She received the Conrad Ekhof Prize in 2012 for her acting performance in Fressen Lieben Kotzen (production: Markus Wünsch). Brit Dehler has been a permanent member of the Theater Bielefeld ensemble since the beginning of the 2018/19 season.

Leptophonics
Since the formation of the saxophone duo Leptophonics, the two musicians have been able to demonstrate their musical skills and empathy at a large number of events. Among other things, the ARD program “Bilderbogen Deutschland – Bielefeld” is accompanied by the music of the Leptophonics.

www.leptophonics.de

Tickets

Electronic sounds in the middle of the exhibition with “Nummer zu Platz”.

The Volksbank in Ostwestfalen and the Kunsthalle Bielefeld invite you to an evening in the museum with the Sound Collection that is unlike any other. Listen to the electronic sounds of the “Utopia 615 Crew” of Nr. z. P., DJ AN:JA and DJ MARLA, stroll through the exhibitions and spend a relaxing time surrounded by art.

The museum closes at 21:00, but the event will continue until 24:00 in Café Gemach Manhattan.

In cooperation with: Volksbank Ostwestfalen, Volksbank Lobby, Nr. z. P.

Students of art history at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, together with their professor Dr. Timo Skrandies, invite you to explore the exhibition in small groups. We connect with the narratives of the images. We stroll through the exhibition and experience how art connects us with the past and the future. When art connects us with the past, we become an archive for the future. This keeps us awake and gives our battered planet new hope. Sounds exciting? We meet at the “Werkinsel” and start our tours at 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00.

Cost: included in admission (free admission for students)

 

In cooperation with Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

The Kunsthalle’s “work island” becomes an “art island”, no: a “dream island”. Let’s follow the “dreams of the owl”! Students of art history at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and their professor Dr. Timo Skrandies invite you to heal our wounded planet with the means of art. How can that work? And why should “art” in particular be able to do this? Come along, have a look, think, have a say and … do it! By the way, you can do this at any age. We are there – from 12.00 to 18.00.
Costs: included in admission (free admission for pupils, trainees and students)

In cooperation with Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Students of art history at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, together with their professor Dr. Timo Skrandies, invite you to explore the exhibition in small groups. We connect with the narratives of the images. We stroll through the exhibition and experience how art connects us with the past and the future. When art connects us with the past, we become an archive for the future. This keeps us awake and gives our battered planet new hope. Sounds exciting? We meet at the “Werkinsel” and start our tours at 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00.

Cost: included in admission (free admission for students)

 

In cooperation with Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

KB Journal

The path to a climate-friendly museum
A contribution by Prof. Peter Gorschlüter

Presentation slide for the Museum Folkwang

A blog post by Prof. Peter Gorschlüter on his lecture ‘The path to a climate-friendly museum’.

Presentation slide for the Museum Folkwang

Look up – the road to a green museum
A contribution by Prof. Dr. Stefan Simon

A labyrinth of various pipes, cylinders and measurement displays. In the bottom right corner it states: Air conditioning Humboldt Forum, Berlin.

A blog post by Prof. Dr. Stefan Simon on his lecture ‘Look up – the path to the green museum’.

A labyrinth of various pipes, cylinders and measurement displays. In the bottom right corner it states: Air conditioning Humboldt Forum, Berlin.

Peace with Gaia – perspectives, possibilities and limits of cultural institutions in the sustainability transformation process
A contribution from Ministerial Councillor Ralph Zinnikus

Black and white photo of an old globe in a wooden frame with four legs and a ring around the equator.

A blog post by Ministerialrat Ralph Zinnikus on his lecture ‘Peace with Gaia – perspectives, possibilities and limits of cultural institutions in the sustainability transformation process’.

Black and white photo of an old globe in a wooden frame with four legs and a ring around the equator.

Curating as Care Work: Of the Museum Climate in Planetary Interdependencies and Cultural Imaginaries.
A contribution by Prof. Dr. Elke Krasny

Dark beige background with black lettering: Curating as care work imagines and practices grief work and care for the future and insists on the hope that a culture of the living, in which human and non-human living beings can breathe again with their planet Earth, is possible.

A blog post by Prof. Dr. Elke Krasny on her lecture ‘Curating as care work: On the museum climate in planetary interdependencies and cultural imaginaries’.

Dark beige background with black lettering: Curating as care work imagines and practices grief work and care for the future and insists on the hope that a culture of the living, in which human and non-human living beings can breathe again with their planet Earth, is possible.

The city, the box, the art and the climate. Attempt at a relational reassembly
A contribution by Prof. Dipl. Ing. Bernd Kniess

On a white background is written several times in black handwriting, in various sizes: Museum, below a square through which is written ,Power

A blog post by Prof. Dipl. Ing. Bernd Kniess on his lecture ‘The city, the box, art and the climate. Attempt at a relational reassembly’.

On a white background is written several times in black handwriting, in various sizes: Museum, below a square through which is written ,Power

Exhibiting and preserving as toxic paradigms. Can cultural institutions negotiate the environmental crisis?
A contribution by Prof. Dr. Peter J. Schneemann

A large fire at dusk. It eats its way through a construction of wooden slats that form a building.

A blog post by Prof. Dr. Peter J. Schneemann on his lecture ‘Exhibiting and preserving as toxic paradigms. Can cultural institutions negotiate the environmental crisis?

A large fire at dusk. It eats its way through a construction of wooden slats that form a building.

Rewilding the white cube: the role of art museums in tackling the climate emergency
A contribution from Frances Morris

A very high, shaft-like room. The entire floor is covered by a white, paintable surface on which countless drawings can be seen. People can be seen adding drawings all over the room. Large sheets of white fabric covered with splashes of paint hang from the ceiling.

A blog post by Frances Morris on her talk ‘Rewilding the white cube: the role of art museums in addressing climate emergency’.

A very high, shaft-like room. The entire floor is covered by a white, paintable surface on which countless drawings can be seen. People can be seen adding drawings all over the room. Large sheets of white fabric covered with splashes of paint hang from the ceiling.

The spatial culture of the museum
A contribution by Prof. Dr. Kali Tzorzti

On the left side six pictures of white painted exhibition rooms. Art from the Middle Ages hangs on the walls. To the right is a floor plan drawing with many black lines running through the rooms at different densities, on different paths. A red line marks a circular path through the rooms.

A blog post by Prof. Dr. Kali Tzorzti on her keynote lecture ‘The spatial culture of museums’.

On the left side six pictures of white painted exhibition rooms. Art from the Middle Ages hangs on the walls. To the right is a floor plan drawing with many black lines running through the rooms at different densities, on different paths. A red line marks a circular path through the rooms.

Vulnerable Processes. Vulnerable Processes. A Curatorial Reflection on the Museum in Transition.
A contribution by Prof. Dr. Doreen Mende

On the left, an oblong, rectangular flyer in magenta, on the right one in yellow. In large black letters on the top of both is written: Stannaki Forum Art and Research in Conversation. Below that on the left it says: 05.04.23 Motif, FROMPO. On the right it says: 07.06.23 Mining, AQU.

A blog post by Prof. Dr. Doreen Mende on his keynote lecture ,Vulnerable Processes. A Curatorial Reflection on the Museum in Transition.’

On the left, an oblong, rectangular flyer in magenta, on the right one in yellow. In large black letters on the top of both is written: Stannaki Forum Art and Research in Conversation. Below that on the left it says: 05.04.23 Motif, FROMPO. On the right it says: 07.06.23 Mining, AQU.

Abhängen statt aufhängen? – Museum Spaces and the New Ethics of Communitization
A contribution by Prof. Dr. Karen van den Berg

In a yellow-painted hall-like space stands a large seating area. The stair-like construction is made of poles from scaffolding and wooden boards.

A blog post by Prof. Dr. Karen van den Berg on his impulse lecture ,Hang up instead of hanging up? – Museum Spaces and the New Ethics of Communion’.

In a yellow-painted hall-like space stands a large seating area. The stair-like construction is made of poles from scaffolding and wooden boards.