Electro. From Kraftwerk to Techno

The Kunstpalast is presenting its first major exhibition on the subject of music. It is for the first time that a museum in Germany portrays the centennial history of electronic music and its interconnections with art this comprehensively.

9.12.2021 – 15.5.2022

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In over 500 exhibits, some of which interactive, the music genres subsumed as “electronic” music will be illuminated from a variety of perspectives. The exhibition encompasses musical instruments, self-made sound generators, photographs, audio clips, videos and graphic design. Its spectrum ranges from the first pioneering electronic musical instruments dating from the early 20th century to the use of artificial intelligence in contemporary electronic sound production.

New musical genres emerging in the 1980s, such as Detroit techno, Chicago house and hip hop, as well as the rave culture of the 1990s will be presented both acoustically and visually through art photography. A particular highlight of the show is the spectacular staging of the oeuvre of the multimedia project Kraftwerk founded by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in Düsseldorf in 1970. "Electro. From Kraftwerk to Techno" invites visitors to embark on a journey of discovery of the exciting and highly ramified history of electronic music.

The musicians, designers and artists presented in the exhibition include
1024 Architecture, Daft Punk, Agnes Dahan, Laurent Garnier, Andreas Gursky, Haqq, Jean-Michel Jarre, Jacob Khrist, Kraftwerk, Christian Marclay, Mouse on Mars, Tina Paul, Bruno Peinado, Marie Staggat, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Gisèle Vienne und Sasha Waltz.

An exhibition conceived by Musée de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris, produced and adapted in collaboration with Kunstpalast. The Düsseldorf show was conceived in close cooperation with Ralf Hütter.

Curators of the show are Alain Bieber, Artistic Director of NRW-Forum, and Jean-Yves Leloup, Musée de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris.

Jacob Khrist, DJ and Musician Ellen Allien, Festival N.A.M.E., Roubaix, 2017 © Jacob Khrist

KRAFTWERK, DER KATALOG – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, ROBOTER, 3D KONZERT, K20, Kunstsammlung NRW, Düsseldorf 2013, © Peter Boettcher, Courtesy Sprüth Magers

Jean Michel Jarre's virtual studio, Musée de la musique, Philharmonie de Paris, 2019, © Gil Lefauconnier, Courtesy Musée de la musique, Philharmonie de Paris

Exhibition Trailer

Exhibition catalogue and poster

The exhibition is accompanied by an approximately 100-page german catalogue with numerous illustrations, a foreword by Felix Krämer, and texts by Alain Bieber, Louis Chude-Sokei, Laurent Garnier, Jean-Yves Leloup, Johann Merrich, and Anna Schürmer.

€ 29.80 on site in our museum shop and € 24.80 in our shop. The catalogue is not available in bookstores. In addition, the exhibition poster, which was specially designed for the exhibition by Kraftwerk, will be available for purchase on site.

Exhibition catalogue

Exhibition poster

Exhibition visit and accompanying program

There are numerous listening stations in the exhibition. For hygienic reasons, please bring your own wired headphones (3.5mm jacks) for this purpose.

The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore different aspects of electronic music for yourself. Numerous installations, music examples, films and videos invite individual listening and immersion. Guided tours with groups are therefore not possible in the exhibition. As alternatives, we offer public tours online and our city tours "Art and Music". These offers can also be booked as private group tours. Please check our calendar for registration and more information.

Public tours online
Art guides introduce the most important topics of the exhibition live via video conference. Selected objects and artworks are presented with the help of illustrations. This digital introduction is the perfect preparation or follow-up to an individual visit to the exhibition. Duration: 60 minutes.

City walks "Art and Music"
In the city tour with music examples, art guides take you to special places in Düsseldorf that have a connection to the objects and artworks shown in the exhibition. Duration: 120 minutes

Exhibition visit and accompanying program

Peter Keene, In Search of Daphne, The Oramics Machine Revisited, A Work in Continual Progress 2015-2018, © Peter Keene

WDR-Studio of Karlheinz Stockhausen

EXHIBITION VIEW

Blick in die Ausstellung "Electro. Von Kraftwerk bis Techno", Foto: Katja Illner

Blick auf das Werk "Untitled XV, 2008", Andreas Gursky, © Andreas Gursky / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021

Multimediainstallation "Trans Europa Express"

Laurent Garnier Playlist

Immerse yourself in the sounds of the French electro scene, British house and rave parties and Detroit techno. The music mixes were created by French music producer and DJ Laurent Garnier and you will encounter them again in our exhibition. The full list of music mixes can be found here.

Have fun listening!

Hotel Recommendations

Hotel Breidenbacher Hof Düsseldorf, Königsallee 11
www.breidenbacherhof.com

Hotel Indigo, Kaiserswerther Str. 20
www.ihg.com

Hotel Meliá, Inselstr. 2
www.melia.com

Hotel Hyatt Regency, Speditionsstr. 19
www.hyatt.com