The Forum for different worlds

On June 27, 1991 the Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst (Ludwig Forum for International Art) was officially opened. Twenty years after ist inception, the Neue Galerie Sammlung Ludwig had moved to the onetime Brauer umbrella factory in Jülicher Straße, refitted to accommodate a museum. Heritage listed as a historical monument, the industrial architecture in the Bauhaus style provided the world-famous collection of Peter and Irene Ludwig and the exhibition program with considerably more space. The library and restoration workshop were to serve further research and give the collection the conservatory care it deserved. With the museum park, workshops, studios, painting school and theatre, different performance and activity locations were created which enabled visitors and participants to experience art in a new and active way. It was the starting signal for an innovative museum model. Art and live art performances entered into a lively dialogue; the art from different regions was brought together and placed on equal footing in Aachen thanks to this collection shaped by an emphatic and open-minded cosmopolitanism. At the same time, over the last 25 years the Ludwig Forum has also had to reinvent itself in response to an ever-changing culture, influenced by the political, economic, and social currents of the time.

We wish to fittingly celebrate the 25th birthday of the Forum between July 1 and September 25, 2016 with exhibitions, Artist interventions, concerts, performances, creative workshops, and party Events.

Anniversary program

Around the World in Eighty Days is an exhibition featuring works from the Ludwig Collection that invites us to rediscover contemporary art from across the globe. Inspired by the adventures of Jules Verne’s famous novel Around the world in 86 days, the exhibition presents artists from the countries of five continents for 86 days – from Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the USA and Latin America. The exhibition traces the ‘journey’ the Ludwigs took in pursuing their passion for collecting, a passion that of course has in turn greatly influenced the Forum’s exhibition program. An index of the exhibitions Held since 1991, a digital anthology with exhibition photos, and a selection of posters recall the impulsive history of the Ludwig Forum.

The research project Plattform Aachen accompanies the course of the anniversary exhibition, showing on the second floor historical photos, newspaper articles, original documents, and Television reports. This archival material forms the basis for retelling the turbulent planning and founding phase of the Ludwig Forum.

Duration of the exhibitions: 07/02/2016 – 09/25/2016

From July 1 to August 21, across the borders, across-border and multidisciplinary festival, moves into the Ludwig Forum. For three weeks, live art enlivens and vitalizes the center of the museum – very much in the spirit of the idea of a forum. The diversity of cultures is lived out, with unusual art happenings, dance and music arrangements and performances defining the program. Excursions into the world of Sinti and Roma, an award-winning table performance by the Polish group Karbido, and the contemporary hip hop choreography ‘Double’ by the Haitian artist Nono Battesti and the Compagnie Dessources are some of the highlights.

Across the borders: 06/28/2016 – 07/17/2016

Workshops:

Ahoi 3 Freundschaft geht durch den Magen
07/06/2016 – 08/28/2016
Wednesday – Sunday 1 pm- 6 pm,
Thursday 1 pm -10 pm
Carpentry in the court of the Ludwig Forum

Space for Peers. Weiden, Tanz, Fabrik
Tanz der Skulpturen
Workshop 07/12/2016 – 07/30/2016, public presentation: 07/30/2016

Sommercamp 2016. Ich, Du und die anderen
07/18/2016 – 07/30/2016, 10 am – 3 pm