Radical Hope: Experience Art and Labor Struggle in Dialogue
Date and Time
Location
Price
About this Event
Mood
Venue Type
Radical Hope: Discovering Art and Labor Struggle in Dialogue
On October 4, 2026, the Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen invites you to a dialogical tour through the exhibition Radical Hope: Art and Labor Struggle. Julia Höner and Friederike Sigler will guide you through an international group exhibition that connects art history, social movements, and the local history of the Ruhr area.
Art as an Expression of Resistance and Solidarity
The tour focuses on artistic works that make visible the working class's fight against social injustices. From early modernity to the present, the exhibition presents documentary, poetic, and political perspectives on strikes, solidarity, and societal change. It also questions when art itself becomes a site of labor struggle and contradiction.
Gelsenkirchen as a Venue for Labor History
The Ruhr area forms the historical resonance space of the exhibition. Mining, steel industry, and organized labor struggles have shaped the region sustainably. A particular emphasis is placed on feminist labor struggles: In Gelsenkirchen, female workers fought for equal pay in the early 1980s. This local history connects with international movements and makes the cultural heritage of the city experienceable from a new perspective.
International Positions at the Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen
Featured artists include Juan Pérez Agirregoikoa, Claire Fontaine, Jeremy Deller, Käthe Kollwitz, Lee Lozano, Gustav Metzger, Selma Selman, Takis, and Nicole Wermers, among others. Their works offer various approaches to protest aesthetics, work environments, and societal responsibility. The title of the exhibition refers to Jonathan Lear's book Radical Hope and understands hope as an active stance that connects people even in times of profound change.
A Cultural Discovery Experience in the Ruhr Area
The dialogical tour invites participants to take a closer look, ask questions, and explore historical contexts directly at the artworks. The Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen sees itself as an inclusive educational and experiential space with a public mediation program. The exhibition is on display until October 4, 2026, and admission is free.
Conclusion
Visitors can expect an engaging urban and cultural history in the museum: art, labor struggle, and hope enter into an open dialogue. Anyone wishing to experience the Ruhr area's social history and international contemporary art from an unusual perspective should not miss this free tour at the Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen.
Official Channels of Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen:
- Instagram: no official profile found
- Facebook: no official profile found
- YouTube: no official profile found
- TikTok: no official profile found
