Manifesta 16 repurposes 12 disused churches across Ruhr valley
The 30th anniversary edition of Manifesta, the nomadic biennial, opened on June 21, 2026, across four cities in Germany's Ruhr valley: Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bochum. Titled Manifesta 16 Ruhr, it runs through October 4 and focuses on repurposing 12 disused churches in the region. The biennial explores how these former religious spaces can be revitalized through cultural and community projects in one of North Rhine-Westphalia's most disadvantaged areas. Director Hedwig Fijen noted that local residents expressed a need for common spaces for gatherings and barbecues. Among the installations, Berlin-based artist Nasan Tur created 'Elevation' at St. Gertrude Church in Essen, where pews are placed vertically with carved graffiti phrases. At St. Josef in Gelsenkirchen, Barcelona architect Josep Bohigas inflated a giant blue balloon and covered the floor with sand. St. Bonifatius in Gelsenkirchen was renamed in honor of Ferdane Satır, a migrant laborer killed in a 1984 racist attack; curator Gürsoy Doğtaş created a tea garden there. In Duisburg, Kulturkirche Liebfrauen, a 1958 Brutalist structure by Toni Hermanns, hosts a sound installation using pipes from destroyed church organs. The biennial also collaborates with dozens of museums and institutions across the Ruhr region. Fijen hopes the project provides models for church reuse and urges politicians to continue the conversation after Manifesta closes.
Key facts
- Manifesta 16 Ruhr opened June 21, 2026 and runs through October 4, 2026
- It is the 30th anniversary edition of the nomadic biennial
- The biennial covers four cities: Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bochum
- 12 disused churches in the Ruhr valley are repurposed for art and community projects
- St. Gertrude Church in Essen features Nasan Tur's installation 'Elevation'
- St. Josef in Gelsenkirchen has a giant blue balloon installation by Josep Bohigas
- St. Bonifatius in Gelsenkirchen is renamed for Ferdane Satır, a victim of a 1984 racist attack
- Kulturkirche Liebfrauen in Duisburg, designed by Toni Hermanns, hosts a sound installation from destroyed organ pipes
Entities
Artists
- Nasan Tur
- Josep Bohigas
- Gürsoy Doğtaş
- Julian Irlinger
- Athina Koumparouli
- Elizabeth Price
- Emil Walde
- Abbas Zahedi
- Henry Meyric Hughes
- Michael Kurtz
- Hedwig Fijen
- Ferdane Satır
- Alvar Aalto
- Gottfried Böhm
- Toni Hermanns
- Amanda Ziemele
- Mona Hatoum
- Miroslaw Balka
- Olaf Metzel
- Zuza Golinska
- Gülbin Ünlü
- Mehtap Baydu
- Penique Productions
- Luc Tuymans
- Akbar Behkalam
- Donna Nasseri
- Curro Claret
- Marina Naprushkina
- Sara Bichão
- Lilli Lake
- PELE
- Augustas Serapinas
- Halil Altındere
- Ayşe Erkmen
- Pravdoliub Ivanov
- Šejla Kamerić
- Jarosław Kozłowski
- Donja Nasseri
- Navid Nuur
- Jason Dodge
- William Engelen
- Katharina Fritsch
- Annika Kahrs
- Alicja Kwade
- Mira M. Yang
- SUPERFLEX
- Evita Vasiljeva
- Havîn Al-Sîndy
- Dúo Barber-Palacios
- Emre Abut
- Cana Bilir-Meier
- Constructlab
- İhsan Ece
- Philipp Gufler
- Cihangir Gümüştürkmen
- Nejla Gür
- Gašper Kunšič
- Jannis Psychopedis
- Mesut-Sabuha Salaam
- Ming Wong
- Hanefi Yeter
- Mehmet Aksoy
- Begzada Alatović
- Özlem Altın
- Atiye Altül
- Bureau Baubotanik
- Vlassis Caniaris
- İsmail Çoban
- Yıldırım Denizli
- Füruzan
- Abuzer Güler
- Judith Hopf
- Merve Kaplan
- Justin Lieberman
- Julia Logothetis
- Mihály Moldvay
- Metin Talayman
- Rıza Topal
- Yıldız Tüzün
- Nil Yalter
- Bettina Allamoda
- Ayzit Bostan
- Fatma Ceylan
- Hava Güleç
- Mehmet Güler
- Muhlis Kenter
- Azade Köker
- Asimina Paradissa
- Judith Raum
- Dennis Siering
- Nesrin Tanç
- Weberei Kai
- Serpil Yeter
- Mirosław Bałka
- Mabe Bethônico
- Aline Bouvy
- Cudelice Brazelton IV
- Bérénice Gaça Courtin
- Niklas Goldbach
- Nicolas Grospierre
- Albe Hamiti
- Eva Koťátková
- Katarzyna Kozyra
- Małgorzata Mirga-Tas
- Anka Sasnall
- Wilhelm Sasnall
- Pedro Cabrita Reis
- Kateryna Lysovenko
- Pınar Öğrenci
- Mykola Ridnyi
- Marion Stokes
- Zuza Golińska
- Miedya Mahmod
- Julia Nitschke
- Mikołaj Sobczak
- Cassidy Toner
- Cabosanroque
- Otto Bartning
- Augusta Serapinas
- René Block
- Leonie Herweg
- Anda Rottenberg
- Krzysztof Kościuczuk
- Henrike Naumann
- Leni Riefenstahl
- Ema Dabrović
- Lada Hršak
- Katarina Pedišić
- Dorothee Bielfeld
- Augustus Serapinas
- Hans Schilling
- Wolfgang Müller-Zantop
- Heinz Kahlenborn
- Maurizio Cattelan
- Oleg Kulik
- Tobias Rehberger
- Douglas Gordon
- Rirkrit Tiravanija
- John Cage
- Peter Eisenman
- Joseph Beuys
- Tim Abrahams
- Wilhelm Sasnal
- TransFemina
- Daniel Sadrowski
- Dirk Rose
- Florian Huth
- Hydar Dewachi
- Pele
- Paulo Pimenta
- Anton Vichrov
- Krzystof Kosciuczuk
Institutions
- Manifesta
- St. Gertrude Church
- St. Josef
- St. Bonifatius
- Kulturkirche Liebfrauen
- White Cube
- Liverpool Biennial
- Turbine Hall
- Biennale Gherdëina
- Climate Biennial: Art, Industry and Territory
- Venice Biennale
- Monocle
- Manifesta 16
- Markuskirche
- St. Gertrud
- St. Marien
- St. Anna – Hatay Engin Music Hall
- St. Bonifatius – Ferdane Satır Tea Garden
- Thomaskirche – Hava Güleç Living Room
- Christ-König
- St. Anna
- Gethsemane-Kirche
- St. Ludgerus
- Schauspielhaus Bochum
- Manifesta 16+
- Markuskirche Essen
- Thomaskirche Gelsenkirchen
- St. Bonifatius Gelsenkirchen
- Christ-König-Kirche Bochum
- Kulturkirche Liebfrauen Duisburg
- St. Ludgerus Bochum
- Weberei Kai
- cabosanroque
- Bureau Lada
- Youtube
- Open Society Foundation
- European City of Culture
- The Architect's Newspaper
- Canadian Centre for Architecture
- Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex
- RuhrKunstMuseen
- UNESCO
- Zeche Zollverein
- Youth Shift
- segnonline.it
Locations
- Essen
- Germany
- Ruhr valley
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- Duisburg
- Gelsenkirchen
- Bochum
- Barcelona
- Berlin
- Ruhr
- Spain
- Rotterdam
- Netherlands
- Palermo
- Italy
- Pristina
- Kosovo
- South Tyrol
- Avilés
- Europe
- Ruhr region
- Bottrop
- Herne
- Dortmund
- Marl
- Mülheim
- Ruhrgebiet
- Deutschland
- Türkei
- Kassel
- Prag
- Bundesrepublik Deutschland
- Ruhr Valley
- Luxembourg
- St. Marien
- Markuskirche
- Thomaskirche
- St. Bonifatius
- Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf
- Essen-Karnap
- St.-Josef-Kirche
- Ruhr Area
- Poland
- Turkey