About us

The Künstlerhaus Bremen was founded in 1992. With its 20 artists’s studios, two guest studios and an exhibition space, it aims at providing alternative environments and structures for artistic production. It also hosts two artist associations, various small business companies, the Bremer Kunst Satellit and a restaurant.

Studios

The studios of the Künstlerhaus Bremen provide the basis for the artists' work. They are publicly advertised for the various disciplines (painting, film, photography, installation, sculpture, performance, etc.) and awarded for a period of five years by an indipendent jury of experts. Bremen artists are thus offered an opportunity to establish themselves in a professional environment, especially in the years following their university graduation in Bremen. On this page you can learn more about the current works of the artists. The artists are successful in winning prizes and scholarships. The exhibition activities of the artists are diverse and extensive. The artists at the Künstlerhaus Bremen have the opportunity to present their work to a broad public in the context of in-house events, such as the house visits and open studio days. If you are interested in applying for a studio place at the next call for applications, you can register here at any time.

Gallery (Exhibition Space)

The gallery of the Künstlerhaus Bremen shows an international program of contemporary art and is a place for the public. In the 1990s the exhibition program presented artists such as Thomas Hirschhorn, Mike Nelson, Anya Gallacio and Roman Signer. Later, important positions from the field of experimental film such as Kenneth Anger and Hans Richter were exhibited at the Künstlerhaus, as well as Emily Jacir, Simon Dybbroe Møller and Ahmet Ögut. In recent years, projects by Sidsel Meineche Hansen, Marie Angeletti, Lina Hermsdorf, Jef Geys, Dafna Maimon and Jimmy Robert among others, have been shown as part of solo exhibitions.
Three to five exhibitions are realized each year, each of which is made accessible in depth through a wide-ranging accompanying program and public guided tours. The year ends with the presentation of the Bremen Studio Grant togetehr with the editions/Jahresgaben. The artistic director/curator is responsible for the exhibition program over a specific period of time. The focus of the current curator and artistic director, Nadja Quante, is on feminist positions, social issues and transdiciplinary approaches.


The History

Even before the official founding of the supporting association Künstlerhaus Bremen in July 1990, the former industrial building became a place of artistic activities. In an effort to establish an artists' center, an artists' group initiated the first concrete implementation with the association Deich 68/69, Verein zur Förderung von Kunst und Kultur e.V. (Association for the Promotion of Art and Culture), the Senator for Culture Bremen and the Planungswerkstatt für Wohnen und Kultur e.V. (Planning Workshop for Living and Culture). The focus was on embedding the current artistic work in a structure with a gallery, businesses, artists' associations and restaurant to create a productive and conducive relationship. In 1990, the Planungswerkstatt took over the development of the building complex on the Neustadtufer into the Künstlerhaus Bremen. Already during the constructions, artists and businesses moved into the studios, workshops and offices. In summer 1991 the first exhibition was presented in the gallery. In 1992, the Künstlerhaus Bremen officially opened its doors. Since its beginnings, the Senator for Culture Bremen has supported the Künstlerhaus Bremen as an overall center for art production.

The Künstlerhaus Bremen has co-operated with various local and international partners, such as the GAK Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst, the Hochschule für Künste Bremen, the Museum Weserburg, the Künstlerhäuser Worpswede, but also with Berlin University of the Arts, Triangle Marseille, Temporary Gallery, Cologne, PAKT Amsterdam, Kunsthaus Glarus and Flat Time House, London. Together with the BBK and GEDOK Künstlerinnen Verband – two artists's associations– it is involved in a group working on developing new modes of support for artists in Bremen.

Artistic Directors/Curators:

Nadja Quante (since 02/2018)
Fanny Gonella (02/2014–01/2018), now director FRAC Lorraine, Metz
Stefanie Böttcher (2007–2013), now director Kunsthalle Mainz
Susanne Pfeffer (2004–2007), now director MMK Frankfurt
Dorothee Richter (1999–2003), now Professor of Contemporary Curating at the University of Reading and Director of the MAS in Curating at the ZHdK, Zurich
Horst Griese (1992–1998)