Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig

The third instalment of MdbK [next;raum] was developed between May and September 2025 as part of a group process. People from Leipzig and the surrounding area met regularly to explore the subject of breaks.

The project phase included various workshops in which the project group was able to explore the theme of ‘pause’ through performance and action art. Since 28 September, the results of the group process have been on display at MdbK [next;raum].

Sunday, 31.05.2026, 2 pm 

Closing event together with the participants of the [next;raum] group and the project team

As part of the recontextualisation of the collection, the MdbK has created a place for participation and dialogue - the MdbK [next;raum]. Located in the room group of the Renaissance collection presentation on the first floor, it sees itself as an interactive instrument for entering into an exchange with urban society. The city and the museum come together, jointly develop content on contemporary topics and critically question the collections, their presentation and mediation. The MdbK [next;raum] provides impulses for events and initiates processes of change. In this way, the museum not only acts as an institution for imparting knowledge, but also wants to learn from the perspectives of urban society.

The MdbK [next;raum] is funded by the 360° - Fund for Cultures of the New Urban Society programme of the German Federal Cultural Foundation and is also supported by the feminist library MONAliesA Leipzig.

The Leipzig Museum Concept 2030 defines museums as "mediators of social change". Inclusion and participation are highlighted as central concerns. In order to enable different interest groups to participate, "rooms in the exhibition area could be made available to them on a permanent basis", says the paper adopted by the city council.

Against this background, a team and mission statement process took place at the MdbK in 2021 and 2022. It was stated: "Works of art stimulate discourse, interaction and education. Participatory offers, events and exhibitions are the foundations of our institution, which invites participation. We take up socially relevant issues and develop formats for active participation".

It is in this context that the MdbK [next;raum] came into being. The project sees itself as a field of experimentation within the presentation of the collection. It invites a broader engagement with art outside the art historical canon. Visitors become participants and can thus have a stronger cognitive, affective and actional impact on the institution as a local public. This form of project work contributes to the MdbK integrating important premises such as sustainability, participation and involvement into its museum work. People from different backgrounds are invited to realise their individual references and own perspectives on specific questions in the context of the art museum. Their own processing strategies are to contribute to the fact that other visitors will also have the confidence to adopt new perspectives. In this way, marginalised perspectives, questions, themes and artworks that are not exhibited, not collected and not represented can gain relevance.

Following the first episode, MdbK [next;raum] #02 was launched in 2023. Thematically, it focused on unlearning | learning: How does one learn to forget outdated knowledge? And how can exhibitions and museum processes be linked to ‘unlearning’ processes in the future?

In 10 workshops, participants explored various aspects of unlearning. Criteria such as class, racism and discrimination, as well as aspects of the museum itself, were to be analysed, reflected upon and ‘unlearned’. Through discussions with colleagues, progressive educators, authors, activists, everyday survivors and social workers, an interdisciplinary perspective was created.

To make unlearning | learning tangible, MdbK [next;raum] #02 focused its exhibition design on the topic of gardens. What would happen if we ‘unlearned’ that nature belongs outside? That art and nature go their separate ways? What if gardens and museums met in space? New impulses would emerge.

Stations in the form of disruptive elements – garden benches, fences, a greenhouse – were distributed throughout the museum as part of the second instalment of MdbK [next;raum] and invited visitors to reflect and unlearn.

The first instalment of the MdbK [next;raum] series launched in 2022 under the title *Unterm Rock. Reflections on gender issues*. The aim of the project was to explore the representation and reception of gender and gender constructions within the MdbK’s collection.

In order to do this, associations, initiatives and individuals from Leipzig whose perspectives had previously been under-represented at the MdbK were invited to take part. Anyone who expressed an interest in the project and agreed to attend eight workshop sessions could join the project group. There was no application or selection process.

Together with the group, questions and perspectives on the project theme were discussed and negotiated. Supplemented by background information and literature provided by the MdbK and the Leipzig library MONAliesA, visual reflections were created and presented in the [next;raum]. On 12 November 2022, a theme day dedicated to the project took place: the MdbK Gender Day. With a varied programme ranging from performances and talks to guided tours, a panel discussion with guests and a collaborative meal at Café Treff, the day was aimed at anyone wishing to learn about the project’s subject matter and engage in conversation about it.

Beyond the visitors, making gender issues visible has also helped to challenge attitudes within the museum and encourage discourse.