Manifesta 16 Ruhr Transforms Empty Churches into Art Venues
The nomadic European biennial Manifesta 16 is coming to the Ruhr region, but instead of occupying industrial heritage sites, it will take over vacant church buildings. Admission is free. The central question of the edition is: Where can community find a place? In Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf, ahead of the biennial, children and teenagers have already been testing the space by dribbling a basketball inside the deconsecrated St. Josef Church, an activity that echoes loudly but is also fun. The initiative is part of a broader program that repurposes empty churches as cultural and social hubs.
Key facts
- Manifesta 16 takes place in the Ruhr region.
- The biennial uses empty church buildings instead of industrial heritage sites.
- Admission to Manifesta 16 is free.
- The central question is: Where can community find a place?
- In Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf, children and teenagers dribbled a basketball in the deconsecrated St. Josef Church.
- The activity was part of a program in the months before Manifesta 16.
- St. Josef Church in Ückendorf is deconsecrated.
- Manifesta is a European nomadic biennial.
Entities
Institutions
- Manifesta
- St. Josef Church
Locations
- Ruhr region
- Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf
- Germany