ARTROOM

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Culture news, previews, reviews and essays – newest first.

1 Nov
16:15
VISUAL ARTSWhat a museum can own – and the obligations it entailsCameron Rowland explores ownership relations and institutional responsibility. New works have been announced at mumok from November.
1 Nov
16:14
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGNPanton at 100: How durable is the plastic future?Panton’s forms have endured. His materials tell a more complicated story — of progress, breakage and the duty to keep using things.
1 Nov
16:09
STAGEWho tells the story when Jane Eyre cannot speak?A novel filled with an inner voice becomes a ballet. Cathy Marston’s ‘Jane Eyre’ explores perspective through bodies, music and memory.
1 Nov
16:07
VISUAL ARTSA face is more than a medical historyIn Bonn, Herlinde Koelbl combines portraits with conversations about cancer. The images raise questions about intimacy, the power of the gaze and self-determination.
1 Nov
15:51
IN BRIEFDocumenta gains new voices – but what powers will they have?Four new names are joining the Documenta Sixteen team. Their role in programming and decision-making has so far been only partly defined.
1 Nov
15:47
FILMImages for what is missingFatih Akin’s “Geister” (Ghosts) tells of love and loss. Its cinema release raises a fundamental question: how does absence become an image?
1 Nov
15:44
CULTURAL POLICYWhat book policymakers need to know about the literary sectorAhead of the expert discussion in the Bundestag: what levers do policymakers have – and where are the biggest gaps in knowledge about the literary sector?
1 Nov
15:42
MUSICHenze on a small scale: From anniversary to repertoireTwo concerts place Henze alongside Schubert, Beethoven and Schumann. What matters is whether ensembles continue to champion his chamber music after the anniversary.
1 Nov
15:40
STAGERachmaninoff beyond the concert grandThree rarely performed one-act operas, one evening: Zürich puts Rachmaninoff’s operas centre stage and asks what dramatic arc might unite them.
31 Oct
22:40
FILMWhat reality should a film festival defend?“Real Life” is the festival’s theme. A look at the programme and discussions reveals that the question of AI is present, but not as a simple yes-or-no decision.
31 Oct
22:34
LITERATUREIlse Aichinger: a writer in many formsThe novel is only one way into Ilse Aichinger’s work. Radio plays, poems and terse prose reveal how far her scepticism towards language reached.
31 Oct
22:31
VISUAL ARTSWork on the Body, Work without PayFrom factory to kitchen: ‘Labouring Bodies’ asks whose work becomes visible in art history – and whose does not.
31 Oct
22:30
VISUAL ARTSFranz West: Use as a Question for the MuseumTwo exhibitions in Vienna explore Franz West. At their heart lies an open question: how far does the invitation to engage physically with art extend?
31 Oct
22:29
FILMSchleef for an audience with no memory of his performancesA documentary made from archive footage approaches Einar Schleef and a theatre history that cannot be repeated.
31 Oct
22:28
VISUAL ARTSHow a city chooses its modern artDresden backed Rodin early on. The story behind the acquisition reveals how museums define modern art – and what their narrative leaves unresolved.
31 Oct
22:27
MUSICThe First Beat Belongs to TogethernessMadeleine Landlinger is starting in Nürnberg. The first changes under a new director may lie less in the programme than in how it comes into being.
31 Oct
22:27
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGNA production house expands – who gains which space?Kampnagel is investing 168 million euros in refurbishing and extending its buildings. For the independent arts scene, the practical test begins during construction.
31 Oct
22:23
STAGELearning to speak means learning to obey?Words open up the world — and prescribe behaviour. What Claudia Bauer intends to explore with Handke’s ‘Kaspar’ in Cologne.
31 Oct
22:19
CULTURAL POLICYTheatre awards also distribute visibilityMusic and ensemble performance are getting their own categories at the Nestroy Awards. An occasion to reflect on the power and limits of giving awards.
31 Oct
19:09
VISUAL ARTSSociety in Model Form: Thomas Schütte’s Houses for Whom?A place of retreat or a world closed off? Schütte’s architectural models at K21 raise questions about living spaces and community.
31 Oct
19:01
FILMFilm Criticism Between Engagement and JudgementFive nominations, one prize and an old question: how do you judge a film without letting it win you over?
31 Oct
18:54
STAGEThree at the top: How is responsibility shared in theatre?From Basel’s drama division to Munich: what shared leadership changes, and how to recognise genuine participation.
31 Oct
18:54
LITERATURESonja Sophie Kreis: A long-standing practice comes into viewA first novel, but not a start from scratch: Sonja Sophie Kreis and the attention surrounding her ahead of the Swiss Book Prize.
31 Oct
07:44
FILMAfter the festival, the battle for the big screen beginsLübeck puts Nordic cinema in the spotlight. Whether the films subsequently reach German cinemas depends on distributors, programming slots and audiences.
31 Oct
07:40
MUSICWho speaks for nature when it becomes music?Wien Modern makes rivers, forests and insects audible. This background feature asks how environmental sounds become a musical perspective.
31 Oct
07:36
VISUAL ARTSWho captures the movement – and who disappears from the picture?From Degas to performance: Mannheim’s new exhibition asks how dance becomes visible in the visual arts – and who takes centre stage.
30 Oct
21:33
STAGEBallet’s Avant-Garde: Tradition in MotionFrom the Ballets Russes to three world premieres in Dresden: how ballet continually transforms its own language.
30 Oct
21:21
FILMWho guides our gaze? Wim Wenders films Peter Zumthor’s architectureWenders’ 3D portrait of Peter Zumthor turns spaces into a cinematic experience. But guided perception is not the same as moving through architecture for ourselves.
30 Oct
21:16
STAGEThe Vampire Dances: Bodies Between Seduction and ImmortalityTwo choreographers approach Dracula in different ways: in Munich, Edward Clug explores origins and ritual time, while Krzysztof Pastor turns to love and loss.
30 Oct
21:06
STAGEBallet without a single accentThree choreographic perspectives, one ensemble: “Different Grounds” opens a dialogue in Dresden about ballet today.