VerhandelBar: Public Art Project Addresses Sustainability and Social Involvement

The VerhandelBar project, a collaboration between ARCH+, JustizzentrumErhalten/AbbrechenAbbrechen, and PointofNoReturn, is set to open on July 18, 2024, in Munich. This initiative, invited by Public Art München, is conceived as a social sculpture, embodying an expanded concept of art that serves as a platform for social practices and reflections. It emphasizes civil society’s role in promoting sustainability and social engagement, particularly in the context of the construction industry’s significant impact on the climate crisis and the scarcity of affordable urban space.

The project centers on the Criminal Justice Center on Nymphenburger Straße, a brutalist building completed in 1977, which faces demolition. Activist group JustizzentrumErhalten/AbbrechenAbbrechen advocates for its preservation and repurposing. VerhandelBar aims to reimagine the building’s future, addressing housing shortages and climate challenges by demonstrating the potential of repurposing existing structures.

At its core, VerhandelBar features an artistic-architectural intervention in Munich’s public space. This space for public negotiation invites discussion on demolition and vacancy as ecological and social issues. The project includes a growing exhibition exploring stories of appropriation and conversion potentials in Munich. Mapping walks to identify vacant spaces and performative-discursive events provide foundational knowledge. Every Thursday, the artist collective Tam Tam hosts a bar at the VerhandelBar, which also regularly accommodates local civil society groups.

Event Details:

•Grand Opening: July 18, 2024, 6pm, VerhandelBar, Sandstraße 47a, 80335 Munich

•Mapping Walks:

•July 23, 2024, Sendling, Munich

•August 2, 2024, Sendling, Munich

•August 23, 2024, Westend, Munich

•September 16, 2024, Westend, Munich

•DonnerstagsBar: Every Thursday, VerhandelBar, Sandstraße 47a, 80335 Munich

•Guided Tour: July 25, 2024, 6pm and on request, VerhandelBar, Sandstraße 47a, 80335 Munich

Admission to the project is free, and additional events will be announced on the VerhandelBar website (verhandel-bar.de).