The soccer fan club, the family, the political collective – people strive to belong. Since the invention of photography, the medium has not only captured belonging, but can also fuel or question it. The exhibition at the Kunstpalast sheds light on the multifaceted relationship and brings together applied and artistic positions. Discover the different, funny and interesting works during this tour!

Linda Conze, curator of the exhibition, talks to Ute Mahler about the creation of the picture cycle EIN DORF (A Village): They discuss how things change or remain almost absurdly the same, and how different the perspectives of different photographers can be on the same subject.
The artist Ute Mahler is the youngest of three photographers from one family. Over a period of 70 years, all three have photographed the development and change of a village in Thuringia.
Ute Mahler graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig in 1974 and has been working as a freelance photographer ever since. She first became known for her work for the GDR fashion magazine Sibylle, later photographing for numerous national and international magazines.
In 1990, she founded the renowned OSTKREUZ agency with six East German photographers.
In addition to commissioned work and teaching at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences and the Ostkreuz School, she has always pursued her own artistic projects, since 2008 together with her husband, photographer Werner Mahler. She has received numerous awards for her photographic work. Most recently, she and Werner Mahler received the Culture Prize of the German Society for Photography (DGPh) in 2023 and the Federal Cross of Merit in 2024.

Please note: this tour will be held in German.

An afternoon full of inspiring encounters. This time, we will take a joint look at the history of the Kunstpalast. When were the buildings in the Ehrenhof constructed? How did the diversity of the collection come about? In this special series, the focus is not only on art-historical background, but also on shared exchange and personal impressions. In dialogue with the group, selected artworks and artists will be presented.

After the guided tour, we invite you to continue the conversations in a relaxed atmosphere over coffee and cake.
The price includes one slice of cake and a non-alcoholic beverage of your choice.

This format is aimed at people who would like to enrich their everyday lives through new encounters and who are interested in art. No prior knowledge is required.

Please note: This tour will be held in German!

Typical motifs in still lifes are flowers, fruits, and vessels, but also everyday objects that are artfully arranged and often have symbolic meaning. The appeal of these works of art lies above all in slowing down the gaze and rediscovering the beauty of everyday life. What do the pictures tell us about their time, about human values, and about transience? In the Kunstpalast collection, we discover works from different centuries.

In addition to the art-historical background, this special series focuses on mutual exchange and personal impressions. Sometimes all it takes is a picture to start a conversation or bring back memories. Our experienced art educators guide you through the collection exhibition and introduce individual works of art or artists in dialogue with the group.

After the tour, we cordially invite you to continue the conversation in a cozy atmosphere over coffee and cake.

The Kunstpalast – The history of architecture and its collection

The format is aimed at people who want to enrich their everyday lives with new encounters and are interested in art; no prior knowledge is required.

Es rauscht wieder im Kunstpalast

Bei Sparda’s Palastrauschen wird der Kunstpalast zur Bühne für digitale Konzertformate, Performances und Installationen. Studierende des Instituts für Musik und Medien der Robert Schumann Hochschule präsentieren ihre Arbeiten. Begleitet wird der Abend durch zwei DJ-Sets, live gestreamt von Callshop Radio, der unabhängigen Onlineradiostation.

Sparda’s Palastrauschen wird ermöglicht durch die Unterstützung der Stiftung der Sparda-Bank West!

Hinweis:
Bei unseren Veranstaltungen werden Foto- und Filmaufnahmen gemacht, die für nachfolgende Veröffentlichungen verwendet werden.

Es rauscht wieder im Kunstpalast

Bei Sparda’s Palastrauschen wird der Kunstpalast zur Bühne für digitale Konzertformate, Performances und Installationen. Studierende des Instituts für Musik und Medien der Robert Schumann Hochschule präsentieren ihre Arbeiten. Begleitet wird der Abend durch zwei DJ-Sets, live gestreamt von Callshop Radio, der unabhängigen Onlineradiostation.

Sparda’s Palastrauschen wird ermöglicht durch die Unterstützung der Stiftung der Sparda-Bank West!

Hinweis:
Bei unseren Veranstaltungen werden Foto- und Filmaufnahmen gemacht, die für nachfolgende Veröffentlichungen verwendet werden.

“Your first stroke counts more than perfection” – under this motto, artist Susi Bumms invites you on a creative journey that puts the joy of experimenting front and center. With paper and pen, we explore ideas that arise both in our minds and around us. We try, experiment, and let spontaneous ideas guide us – without pressure, without right or wrong. Sketching, conceptual thinking, visual ideas: everything is allowed, everything counts.

This workshop is an invitation to explore your own creative expression, enjoy the act of making, and perhaps take home a truly personal piece. Just start, draw, create – and let yourself be surprised!

The artist, a freelance illustrator based in Cologne after studying in the arts, combines conceptual approaches with keen observation, humor, and surprising perspectives. Her work plays with design and language, depicting objects with character, situations with a twist, and people with “living fingers.”

Ages 16+