Culture in a Metropolitan Region

For over two decades, the international art biennale Blickachsen – meaning lines of vision – has been exploring how sculpture, nature and architecture intersect. The biennale invites artists – this year including Yoko Ono and William Forsythe – to take over parks and natural areas across the region with scenographic or interactive sculptures. Blickachsen 2019 also features sound artist Satch Hoyt. On the campus of Frankfurt University, he juxtaposes the pale backdrop provided by the prodigious, history-laden university buildings against colourful stele-like totems made of plastic and QR code-generated sounds and texts, alluding to the African diaspora. In Kurpark Bad Homburg, artist duo Winter/Hörbelt adapt the idea of visual axes in the form of a large tube made of beverage crates. In total, around 60 installations by some 30 international artists are on view at six locations. A good opportunity to discover interesting places as well as artworks!

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Weissenhof, Oskar Schlemmer and the Triadic Ballet, Mart Stam and the cantilever chair: three artists, three works, one name: Bauhaus. The famous institute for architecture, arts and design was founded in Weimar 100 years ago. Although Dessau and Weimar were home to the academy of this new modernity, it was in Frankfurt where many of the ideas and concepts were implemented. For this “New Frankfurt”, city planner Ernst May and architects like Friedrich Kramer and Martin Elsaesser created a form of social and modern housing with revolutionary ideas such as the Frankfurt kitchen or Frankfurt bathroom. Design assumed social responsibility. Walking through May‘s settlements is an easy way to explore living Bauhaus. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary, Frankfurt will also hold three extraordinary exhibitions.

There are over 100 museums in the region with a wide range of exhibitions throughout the year. The following is just a small selection of the overall offer. Autumn Edition.

Offenbach was long considered Frankfurt’s poorer cousin and often looked down upon or derided. But times are changing. One reason is the city’s HfG_OF_MAIN (Hochschule für Gestaltung, or University of Art and Design), a thriving hotbed for young creatives. For a long time in the shadows of Frankfurt’s more celebrated Städelschule and its many international students, HfG Offenbach has since caught up and has a pull effect in all matters of art. This means that together the adjoining cities now have two habitats teeming with a vibrant and young art scene. In addition the region is home to many studio houses, the two main ones being Basis and AtelierFrankfurt where some 200 artists create and present their work. Main smaller studio buildings are Waggonfabrik Mainz, Zollamt Studios Offenbach and Atelierhaus Darmstadt. Studios and art schools open their doors to the general public several times a year. The summer highlight is a three-day HfG tour with cross-media and film night, and during December several studios organise Christmas art fairs.