Following a fourteen-year hiatus, the HALLENKUNST project returns to its birthplace, Chemnitz. This iteration marks a significant moment, not only for the project and the curator itself but also for the evolving conversation surrounding illegalized art and its position within the art historical narrative.
HALLENKUNST serves as a portal to a vibrant artistic universe, drawing inspiration from the multifaceted world of art, street culture, and the enduring legacy of graffiti - a movement that was “born as a crisis phenomenon” and spread as an subculture but never turned out to be an art genre. By the movement - which was already heterogeneous in itself - not only different images but entire styles emerged from the very beginning. New genres and artistic overlaps have developed from the streets, which is still multifaceted today.
Influencing and mixing a wide variety of creative forms of expression such as pop art, painting, photography, illustration, design, music or art in public space, this subculture and its protagonists have been among the important cultural changes of the 21st century for more than 40 years is now going to be an integral part of new contemporary art.
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From August, 28th, 2025 to September 21st, 2025 HALLENKUNST documents this development with a comprehensive art and cultural-historical review in two interconnected and sequential exhibitions under one roof at the Markthalle Chemnitz with more than 70 artists from Germany, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark and the United States.
Under the title ART IN TRANSIT AND BEYOND, the HALLENKUNST project aims to highlight the complex influence of graffiti and the subway art movement on today's art world. The exhibition and its program is designed to be an inspiring space for discussions surrounding the topic and its key figures—a venue for encounters, exchange, and creative impulses. It's part of the official program for Chemnitz 2025, European Capital of Culture.​​​​
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TIMELINE EXHIBITION 1970 - 2025
FROM NEW YORK TO EUROPE
The double exhibition begins with an introductory chronological section, the HALLENKUNST Timeline. This part of the show takes you on a journey to the early 1970s, a time when the first teenagers in New York City, driven by a variety of social reasons and cultural motivations, began tagging the walls and subways of the Big Apple with their initials and names. This quickly evolved into an unstoppable movement.
This part of the exhibition traces a period and an aesthetic development that would profoundly influence subsequent generations of artists. In the 1980s and 1990s, the spark ignited in England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, unleashing creativity and energy in thousands of young people. The timeline tells on an aesthetic level how graffiti, especially on trains, has developed and in part reinvented itself over 55 years. The exhibition is supported by artists, photographers, partners and projects that have played an important role within the storytelling of the show.​​​​​ The Timeline Exhibition culminates in 2025 with the growing influence of the digital world, then transitions into the main HALLENKUNST Group Exhibition, showcasing what has become of the protagonists of this massive movement.
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ARTISTS
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KEITH BAUGH (Gloucestershire, UK)
STEVEN 'BLADE' OGBURN (New York, USA)
​FUTURA2000 (New York, US)
DONDI WHITE (New York, US)
SEEN (New York, US)
MANFRED KIRCHHEIMER (New York, USA)
MARTHA COOPER (New York, USA)​
HENRY CHALFANT (New York, USA)
BANDO (Paris, F)
DELTA (Amsterdam, NL)
SHARK (Dortmund, GER)
JEPSY (Mainz, GER)
CAF CREW (Berlin, GER)​
SIGI 'DARE' VON KOEDING (Basel, CH)
LOOMIT (Munich, GER)
FURIOUS TRIPL (Amsterdam, NL)
HATI.HATI.MAS (Hamburg, GER)
DAIM (Hamburg, GER)
TORCH (Heidelberg, GER)​
ALEX FAKSO (Milan, ITA)
NILS MUELLER (Cologne, GER)​
ON FILM
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STATIONS OF THE ELEVATED (New York, USA)
WILD STYLE (New York, USA)
STYLE WARS (New York, USA)
BEAT STREET (New York, USA)
ART INCONSEQUENCE (Dortmund, GER)
DIRTY HANDZ (Paris, F),
RISE OF GRAFFITI WRITING (Chemnitz, GER)
CONTRIBUTORS
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LE GRAND JEU (Paris, F)
CHARLIE AHEARN (New York, USA)
FAB5FREDDY (New York, USA)
DAVID GILBERT (New York, USA)
GALLERY YAKI KORNBLIT REVISITED (Amsterdam, NL)
GRAFFITI GOES EAST (Berlin, Warsaw, GER/PL)
BRAIN DAMAGE PROJECTS (Warsaw, PL)
​DUTCH GRAFFITI LIBRARY (Amsterdam, NL)
URBAN DISCIPLINE (Hamburg, GER)
COLLECTION RIK REINKING (Hamburg, GER)
CITY OF NAMES (Berlin, GER)
STREETFILES.ORG (Berlin, GER)
DRM CREW (Berlin, GER)
​​​VIRAL VANDALS REVISITED (Amsterdam, NL)
PLANET DANCE (Chemnitz, GER)
NSK CREW (Chemnitz, GER)
DIE ZUEGE GEHOEREN UNS (Munich, GER)
SUBWAY ART REPAINTED (Amsterdam, NL)
MILK (Hamburg, GER)
CHRISTIAN BARTELS (Hamburg, GER)
FLORIAN KRAUSE (Frankfurt, GER)
CURATORS
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RENÈ KAESTNER (Chemnitz/Berlin, GER)
R.M.SCHMIDT (Hamburg, GER)
CEZARY HUNKIEWICZ (Warsaw, PL)
CHRISTIAN OMODEO (Paris, F)
AILEEN MIDDEL (Amsterdam, NL)
JASPER VAN ES (Eindhoven, NL),
CHRISTIAN OMODEO (Paris, F)
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POSITIONS
GROUP EXHIBITION
The Timeline Exhibition transitions into the main HALLENKUNST Group Exhibition, showcasing what has become of the protagonists of this massive movement. Influencing and mixing a wide variety of creative forms of expression such as pop art, painting, photography, illustration, design, music or art in public space, the graffiti movement and its protagonists have been among the important cultural changes of the 21st century for more than 40 years is now going to be an integral part of new contemporary art.
In this part of HALLENKUNST, you won't experience traditional graffiti. Instead, you'll encounter artistic positions that have evolved from the subculture into other genres. The exhibited works, spanning painting, writing, media art, photography, abstract art, and sculptural art, sometimes engage with related or cultural contexts from the public space. They also interact with Chemnitz as the European Capital of Culture 2025 and the host city for HALLENKUNST.
Just over half of the artworks on display were created during our Artists-in-Residency Program and extended stays in Chemnitz, while the rest were produced in the artists' own studios. Some pieces bridge the cultural-historical background of the Timeline Exhibition and contemporary art. With others, the influence from earlier years is almost indistinguishable, allowing them to seamlessly integrate into their respective genres. This highlights the essential criterion ofHALLENKUNST's curatorial idea: ART IN TRANSIT & BEYOND.
Over the past 55 years, graffiti has seen several unsuccessful attempts at "musealization." It's only when artists grasp that their time on the street and in depots can provide valuable influences and impulses—which must then be translated into artistic consciousness—that exciting new perspectives emerge.
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HALLENKUNST documents this development with a comprehensive art and cultural-historical review with more than 50 artists and collectives from Germany, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, Denmark and the United States.
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ARTISTS
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ADRIAN FALKNER (Basel, CH)
DANIEL WEISSBACH (Berlin, GER)
DOPPELDENK (Leipzig, GER)
ANDRÈ DELOAR (Zurich, CH)
ROBERT REINHOLD (Chemnitz, GER)​
RAFAEL 'SATONE' GERLACH (Munich, GER)
THOMAS 'ZASD' BRATZKE (Berlin, GER)
JAN KALÀB (Prague, CZ)
LARS TEICHMANN (Berlin, GER)
MARIUSZ 'M-CITY' WARAS (Gdansk, PL)
MORITZ G. GREEN (Hamburg, GER)
TIN TRIEBEL (Leipzig, GER)
STEFAN SCHLEUPNER (Leipzig, GER)​
HENRIK 'SOTEN' HANSEN (Copenhagen, DK)
ENRICO SUTTER (Dresden, GER)
SILVIO ZESCH (Chemnitz, GER)
AILEEN 'MICK LA ROCK' MIDDEL (Amsterdam, NL)
NORMAN BEHRENDT (Berlin, GER)
​BERTRAM RIEDEL (Chemnitz, GER)
MARC EINSIEDEL (Berlin, GER)
HENDRIK BEIKIRCH (Koblenz, GER)
CHY78 (Berlin, GER)
KASHINK (Paris, F)
SAINER (Gdynia, PL)
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NIELS SHOE MEULMAN (Amsterdam, NL)
CLAUDIA 'MADC' WALDE (Dresden, GER)
JASMIN 'HERA' SIDDIQUI (Frankfurt, GER)
FINER (Warsaw, PL)​
CMPONE (Naestved, DK)
​MIRKO 'DAIM' REISSER (Hamburg, GER)
MOSES & TAPS (GER)
NO.MADSKI (Hamburg, GER)
PAUL ARENA (Berlin, GER)
ART OF RAGE (GER)
MINA MANIA (Berlin, GER)
NIZA KOLLEKTIV (Berlin, GER)
SWEET UNO (Heidelberg, GER)
EDWARD NIGHTINGALE
ROCCO & HIS BROTHERS (Berlin, GER)
VIDEO.SCKRE (Linz/Munich, GER)
FALK 'AKUT' LEHMANN (Berlin, GER)
CAPARSO (Dresden, GER)
BERT (Weimar, GER)​​​
JONAS 'BOND' IHLENFELDT (Leipzig, GER)
SAMY DELUXE (Hamburg, GER)
TASSO (Meerane, GER)
INES RENATE (Chemnitz, GER)
ARDA (Chemnitz, GER)
MARKTHALLE CHEMNITZ
After fifteen years, we're making our return to the city's most beautiful venue: the Markthalle Chemnitz. Located right in the heart of the European Capital of Culture 2025, next to the river and in direct proximity to Chemnitz's Old Town, we're thrilled to present HALLENKUNST again under the roof of the hall across more than 1200 square meters.
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Beyond the stunning interior architecture of the main hall, the Markthalle also offers two larger rooms where we'll set up a Pop-Up Store and a Café for you.
The Markthalle Chemnitz stands as a truly remarkable venue within the city. After fifteen years, it is once again proudly hosting the HALLENKUNST exhibition, making a significant return to its historic grounds.
Nestled in the heart of Chemnitz, which will serve as the European Capital of Culture in 2025, its prime location by the river and close proximity to the Old Town make it an ideal setting for such a grand event. Spanning over 1200 square meters, the venue not only boasts a stunning interior architecture in its main hall but also offers additional spaces. These will be transformed into welcoming amenities like a Stage, a Pop-Up Store and a Café, ensuring visitors have a complete and enjoyable experience.
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The Markthalle Chemnitz, affectionately known as the "Bauch von Chemnitz" (Belly of Chemnitz), is a historic market hall that officially opened on December 9, 1891. Construction of this impressive building, on a 5,380 square meter plot between the Chemnitz River and the former Hedwigstraße, took a mere 18 months.
Designed with a traditional brick facade, a steel skeleton, and a black sheet metal roof, the Markthalle incorporates elements from various architectural styles, including Neo-Romanesque, Neo-Renaissance, and Neo-Baroque. It was considered one of Europe's most beautiful structures of its kind. Initially, it provided a covered marketplace for around 360 vendors.
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HALLENKUNST - ART IN TRANSIT AND BEYOND
August 28, 2025 - September 21, 2025
Markthalle Chemnitz, Entrance Beer Bridge, Plateau
An der Markthalle 1, 09111, Chemnitz, GER
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OPENING WEEKEND
We're kicking off the three-week exhibition with a curated stage program on the vernissage evening and a three-day opening weekend in the Markthalle Chemnitz. Most of the participating artists and contributing projects will be present. The HALLENKUNST Opening Weekend from August, 28th, 2025 to August 31st, 2025 offers various panel talks, lectures, performances as well as DJ sets and musical showcases by the artists. In addition, this years media and book fair UNLOCK runs in Markthalle Chemnitz, featuring over 60 international publishers, presses, and editors of books, magazines, and zines.
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Due to various regulations, we can only allow a limited number of visitors into Markthalle Chemnitz at any one time. Therefore, we highly recommend (especially for those traveling from further away) using our TICKETING system to book either a day ticket or a time slot while they're still available.
Booking in advance helps us manage the high demand and distribute visitor capacity effectively, making your visit more enjoyable.
You can also get tickets at the Freie Presse shops in Chemnitz city center (Brückenstraße 15) and at the Chemnitz Center ticket shop. They're also available at Freie Presse shops in Annaberg, Aue, Freiberg, Plauen, and Zwickau.
We look forward to seeing you at HALLENKUNST 2025! Please check out the program details below.​​
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HALLENKUNST Opening Weekend (28.08.2025 - 31.08.2025)
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28.08.2025, 17:00 - 22:00, HALLENKUNST Vernissage & Exhition Opening, Stage Program, Pop-Up Store, Bar & Café
29.08.2025, 11:00 - 22:00, HALLENKUNST Exhibition, Stage Program, Book & Zine Launch, Pop-Up Store, Bar & Café
30.08.2025, 11:00 - 22:00, HALLENKUNST Exhibition, Stage Program, UNLOCK Book Fair, Pop-Up Store, Bar & Café
31.08.2025, 11:00 - 22:00, HALLENKUNST Exhibition, Stage Program, UNLOCK Book Fair, Book Store, Bar & Café
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HALLENKUNST Exhibition (01.09.2025 - 21.09.2025)
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13:00 - 19:00 (daily), HALLENKUNST Exhibition, Guided Tours, Book Store ​
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28.08.2025
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HALLENKUNST Vernissage​, 17:00 - 22:00 (almost sold out)
Exhibition Opening, Laudatio
Panel Talk: Establishing oneself in the mainstream art world
Unlock Book Fair: Book & Zine Launches
Panel Talk: Trainwriting: Can an Illicit Art Form Be Commercialized?
​Theatrical Reading & Live Painting: Sky is the Limit
Film Screening Premiere: 40 Years Hip Hop & Graffiti in Chemnitz ​
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Stage Host: Oliver Bartelds
Panelists: Claudia Walde, Jasmin Siddiqui, No.Madski, Mariusz Waras, Kashink, Friederike Häuser, Oliver Bartelds, Blade, Don M Karl, Cedric Pintarelli, René Kaestner
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Open Café, Library & Pop-Up Store​, DJ Shusta
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29.08.2025
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HALLENKUNST Opening Weekend, Day 01, 11:00 - 22:00
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Opening Speech, Words by the curators
Panel Talk: Geltendorf - When German S-Trains first Became Canvases
Lecture: Is This Likable? The Influence of Social Media on Writing Culture
Book Presentation: B-Boys Makin’ With the Freak Freak - Torch & Rob Hak
Panel Talk: The Role of Art Galleries in the Era and Impact of Wild Style
Panel Talk: DIY - Self-Publishing in the Graffiti Movement
Unlock Book Fair: Book Signings
Book Reading: Blauer Samt - A Monograph by Frederik Hahn
Film Screening Premiere: Sofia Metro Inside Out by Errorflict & Seco
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Stage Host: Oliver Bartelds
Panelists: Yaki Kornblit, Aileen Middel, Niels Meulman, Blade, Benjamin Schandelmeier (Munich Graffiti Library), Don M. Karl, Loomit, Frederik „Torch“ Hahn,, Markus Christl, Christian Omodeo,, Sascha Blasche, Ulrich Blanché, Cezary Hunkiewicz, Javier Abarca, René Kaestner
Open Café, Library & Pop-Up Store​, DJ Haitian Star
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30.08.2025
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HALLENKUNST Opening Weekend, Day 02, 11:00 - 22:00
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Unlock Book Fair: Open Publisher Tables
Performance: A Still Life, by Enrico Sutter
Book Reading: Blauer Samt - A Monograph by Frederik Hahn
Poetry Slam: Poetry for Peace, Greenpeace
Theatrical Reading & Live Painting: Sky is the Limit
Panel Talk: The train as a driving force in graffiti history
Performance: Jaqueline by Jasmin 'Hera' Siddqui
Performance: Back to Saxony by Kashink
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Stage Host: Oliver Bartelds, René Kaestner
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Panelists: Robert Kaltenhäuser; Christian Omodeo (Le Grand Jeu),
Blade, Martha Cooper, Don M Karl, René Kaestner
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Unlock Book Fair, Open Café, Library & Pop-Up Store​, DJ Shusta
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31.08.2025
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HALLENKUNST Opening Weekend, Day 03, 11:00 - 22:00
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Unlock Book Fair: Open Publisher Tables
Live Contest: Paint Club
Screening: With Eyes Wide Open by Jasper van Es
Panel Talk: Graffiti Heritage: Conservation Through Artifacts and Archives
Performance: Timbre - Live Performace by Béla Bender
Screening: Pumping Cool or Fanziona
Screening: RISE - A History of Graffiti Writing
Performance: Back to Saxony by Kashink
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Stage Host: Oliver Bartelds, René Kaestner
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Panelists: Richard van Tiggelen (Dutch Graffiti Library) , Hania El Houry, Christian Omodeo (Le Grand Jeu) ,Lars Pedersen, Benjamin Schandelmeier (Munich Graffiti Library), René Kaestner
Unlock Book Fair, Open Café, Library & Pop-Up Store​, DJ Ron
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