DUSSELDORF.- The Malkastenpark, a 2.5-hectare park laid out in the mid-18th century in the centre of Düsseldorf, forms the focus of the collaborative project. Here, the park functions not merely as a backdrop but becomes a visible, active participant in artistic and social processes – a place of encounter, memory and transformation. Sculptures, performances and interventions will activate the park in multiple ways and open it up as a space for contemporary art, urban biodiversity and diverse forms of encounter.

Ecologies in Motion approaches the park as a social, ecological and aesthetic space. As a social space, it offers opportunities for encounter, exchange and collective experience, while as an ecological space it opens up new perspectives on biodiversity in an urban context. Sensitisation to the park’s old tree population, historic structures and green areas forms an integral part of the project, inviting visitors to reflect on a sustainable relationship with the designed environment. As an aesthetic space, the park contributes its own history: from the ideals of the Baroque, with its geometric forms and sightlines, to the English landscape garden and its present appearance, it reflects the evolution of aesthetic values. The garden’s artistic design now enters into dialogue with contemporary artistic positions. Thus, the park becomes not only an exhibition site but also a medium of artistic reflection.





The works of Stefanie Bühler and Katie Paterson explore ecologies. Whilst Bühler’s sculpture Augenzeuge (2013) is modelled on the long-extinct Carboniferous-era scale tree (Lepidodendron), which was widespread more than 300 million years ago, Paterson’s intervention To Burn, Forest, Fire uses scents to explore the first and last forests in the age of the climate crisis. The stimulation of the senses through specially made incense sticks creates an intimate experience intended to remind participants of man-made species extinction. To Burn, Forest, Fire will be activated on five dates throughout the exhibition. Klaus Fritze, on the other hand, deals directly with local ecological conditions. With Parklabor Tilia 2.0, he stages an experimental setup in which, among other things, algae are cultivated and dioramas offer insights into the cryptogamic world. Kanade Hamawaki, too, engages with Malkastenpark in her work Zukunftsarchäologische Anstalt 2026/51.229928, 6.788207, examining it as the result of some 400 years of social, aesthetic and ecological use, change and maintenance. Temitayo Ogunbiyi’s installation You will forge paths beyond your grandmother’s imaginings (II) (2025) focuses on play. Ogunbiyi explores the possibilities of play whilst simultaneously challenging our understanding of it by linking it to historical and contemporary political experiences of space, tradition and nature. Aslı Hatipoğlu also engages with social interaction. She uses food as a medium and has produced two works specifically for the exhibition: the ginkgo tree and the Tilia euchlora form the basis for fermented biofilms that represent a living imprint of the trees. Furthermore, on 23 August she will stage a culinary walk in which, with plenty of humour and thorough research, she connects real and fictional stories with the history of the plants in the park, whilst guests can sample carefully curated canapés. Food, as the oldest cultural practice, is also at the heart of Arpad Dobriban’s artistic work. He serves the audience a multi-course menu of dishes that he prepares and cooks himself, often using ingredients he has produced himself. For the exhibition, he has conceived Feuer Wasser Erde Luft. Transformation durch die Elemente – Eine Speisefolge in vier Stationen mit Vorträgen von Arpad Dobriban (Fire Water Earth Air. Transformation through the Elements – A Four-Course Meal with Lectures by Arpad Dobriban). The event takes place on 5 July in Malkastenpark.