Friedel & Gisela Bohnenkamp Stiftung supports
"You can only make paradises yourself"
Exhibition of selected works by Friedensreich Hundertwasser
Bright colors, curved lines, fairy-tale architecture - Friedensreich Hundertwasser stands for a vision that aims to bring nature, art and people into harmony. The artist wants to open people up to beauty, activate their creative abilities and raise awareness of nature and the need to protect it. The exhibition "Friedensreich Hundertwasser - You can only make paradises yourself" at the Museumsquartier Osnabrück focuses on the aspect of "opening up": In a cosmos of graphics, architectural models, original posters, photographs, book objects and film material, visitors are sensitized to perception through Hundertwasser's art and prompted to reflect with questions from his world of thought and creation.
The extensive program accompanying the exhibition invites all interested parties to build insect hotels, climbing aids or mini compost systems for home use, for example in cooperation with the Osnabrück Environmental Education Centre, Museum am Schölerberg. School classes can choose from various offers: The "Hundertwasser mobile" - an adventure box about Friedensreich Hundertwasser and his ship "Regentag" - visits the pupils at school; the "interactive tour" lets them discover and experience the exhibition for themselves on site. In the "workshop offers", pupils work together with specialists from various fields on different topics: Under the title "Back to Nature", there is a workshop in which they build their own seed bombs; in "Sustainable Building", participants take Hundertwasser's architecture as a basis; environmental posters are designed in "Peace with Nature" and Hundertwasser's pictures are brought to life in "Dream Stories".
On their own or together with their parents, children discover the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser in the exhibition rally. In a short introductory text and through small puzzles and tasks, children and adults learn more about the artist's life and work in a playful way. The family exhibition "Friedensreich Hundertwasser - You can only make paradises yourself" encourages children to follow Hundertwasser's appeal for creative work and thinking. His impulse forms a central guiding principle:
"Why not let the children paint their figures on the sidewalk and draw their lines on the walls and walls of the streets? ... Let the children speak! ...".
EXPERT:INNENKLASSEN - YOU CAN ONLY MAKE PARADISE YOURSELF
Art project in collaboration with the 3rd grade of Altstädter Grundschule and the 6th grade of Gymnasium Oesede
Following Hundertwasser's philosophy, the pupils focused on the relationship between humans and nature. Inspired by his credo "You can only make paradises yourself", they set out in search of their own utopias. The 6th graders approached the topic from a figurative perspective, detached themselves from it and found new paradises in color and form. Their leaves for the tree arose from the questions: How do we want to live? How do we design our paradises? Year 3 gave free rein to their imagination. They explored a possible coexistence of humans and nature, in which trees grow everywhere and the improbable becomes reality. The leaves designed by the pupils are also part of this exhibition - impulses for a new view of our world.
Mediation: Adriana Martins Mota
"The aim of the project was to develop an audience-oriented exhibition that would anchor socially relevant future issues in the public's consciousness by means of an immediate, aesthetic and multi-sensory experience. The aim was to appeal to both children and adults, thereby attracting new target groups: Families and teachers with their school classes. This objective was successfully achieved in all respects.
The exhibition was extremely well received. Thanks to the high profile of the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and the explicitly low-threshold offer, it was possible to reach a wide audience. With over 20,000 visitors during the exhibition period, the number of visitors clearly exceeded expectations and made a significant contribution to raising the profile of the Museumsquartier as an institution committed to peace issues and social debate.
A major success lies in the development of new target groups. The project brought numerous families and children to the MuseumsQuartier for the first time. Of the 20,817 visitors, a total of 3,416 were under the age of 18. On admission-free days such as the opening or International Museum Day, no distinction is made in the count between adults and under-18s, so it can be assumed that even more children/young people visited the exhibition. The exhibition was an excellent opportunity for our new colleague in the education department, Simon Niemann, in particular, to make himself known, establish contacts and build networks.
Interactive and playful elements - especially the exhibition rally and the hands-on stations - enabled a participatory approach to art, environmental and social issues. Feedback from the guest book, mediators and visitor service showed that the younger visitors enjoyed actively participating and that their awareness of society, nature and sustainability was strengthened at the same time. In addition, long-term collaborations with educational and cultural institutions were expanded. Numerous schools, kindergartens and external partners - including the Museum am Schölerberg and the University of Osnabrück - used the project for joint activities, workshops and teaching links. These networks will continue beyond the duration of the exhibition and form the basis for future collaborations.
In addition to the exhibition, the material results include an accompanying booklet for adults, a thematic rally for the museum tour, an information booklet for schools and an exhibition film that documents the project and makes it accessible in the long term. Parts of the exhibition architecture, such as the Hundertwasser tree and the tile quarry, have been retained and will continue to be used in the museum's educational program.
The evaluation based on quantitative (visitor numbers, proportion of families, school classes) and qualitative criteria (feedback, participation, observations by the museum team) confirms that the objectives were achieved in all areas. In particular, the high number of families, the active participation in the hands-on stations and the positive evaluations of the exhibition in the guest book show that the project has had a lasting impact.
Overall, the exhibition "Friedensreich Hundertwasser - You can only make paradises yourself" has strengthened the Museumsquartier in terms of content and strategy. It shows that art can be an effective medium for making social issues tangible, opening up spaces for dialogue and sensitizing a broad public to issues of the future."
