From the end of June to the beginning of October 2026, Manifesta 16 Ruhr will take place across four cities in the Ruhr Area, Germany: Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bochum, in 12 abandoned post-war church buildings spread across the Host Cities.
This edition will focus on the historic architectural and social renewal that occurred in the post-war era of the Ruhr Area, marked by the construction of Modernist and Brutalist churches, built to address the urgent needs of reconstruction and rapid population growth. The churches became a powerful new symbol of democracy, exemplifying citizen involvement as they were constructed with the physical manpower of the local communities.
This edition’s Manifesta Artistic Team includes Hedwig Fijen, Henry Meyric-Hughes, Josep Bohigas, René Block, Leonie Herweg, Michael Kurtz, Gürsoy Doğtaş, and Polish art historians, critics and curators Anda Rottenberg and Krzystof Kościuczuk.
Invited Polish participants include Mirosław Bałka, Zuza Golińska, Nicolas Grospierre, Jarosław Kozłowski, Katarzyna Kozyra, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Anka Sasnal, Wilhelm Sasnal and Mikołaj Sobczak.
