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May
Music Siren unfolds as a live improvisation, broadcast through the speaker system of K21. The artist Aerin Hong invited the accordionist Ute Völker and the percussionist Elisabeth Flunger to engage with the history of Yamaha music sirens developed in postwar Japan. Installed in public outdoor spaces from the 1950s onward, these large industrial devices transmitted popular melodies in order to “dilute” the memory of wartime alarms. Hong’s performance reinterprets Auld Lang Syne, one of the songs commonly played by these instruments. Moving between acoustic harmony and mechanical noise, the work reflects on the siren’s layered historical, cultural, and emotional resonances.
Based in Frankfurt am Main, Aerin Hong is a graduate of the Hochschule für Bildende Künste–Städelschule, where she studied in the class of Haegue Yang. Recent exhibitions and projects include Encore! at Petrine, Düsseldorf (ongoing), début at Shower, Seoul (2025), and Pit Stop at Delfina Foundation, London (2023).
K21 Encounters is a series of artistic interventions that take place at various locations within K21—including performances, film screenings, culinary gatherings, discussions, and listening sessions. The format offers a platform particularly to young artists from the region and supports new developments in various artistic practices. In addition to the interventions, the focus is above all on dialogue with the audience. At the same time, the works often engage with the distinctive architecture of K21. The events take place every two months.
Even before the official opening, students, trainees and school pupils (from upper secondary level onwards) will have the opportunity to experience the exhibition “Jon Rafman. Main Stream Media” and engage in conversation with the artist Jon Rafman.
The event will be held in English.
We cordially invite you to the opening of the exhibition at K21.
Speakers
Susanne Gaensheimer
Director
Leopold Freiherr von Diergardt
Chairman Freunde der Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen
Bettina Böhm
Founder LEAP Art Foundation
Karen Archey
Curator
Doris Krystof
Curator
The K21 Rave is back! One day after the opening of Jon Rafman’s exhibition, the K21 Rave will transform the museum into a unique experience of sound, movement, and community. Ever since the sets by DJ Wolfram, DJ Hell, and Lars Eidinger, the K21 Rave has become legendary. With the international star DJs Jen Cardini and DJ Fuckoff, an energetic party night awaits you with mash-ups of techno, deep house, bass, and happy hardcore. Secure your ticket now—space is limited.
DJ Fuckoff is quickly becoming a star in the constellation of club culture. The DJ, producer and vocalist does things hard, fast and with raw intensity – just watch any of her sets that blend techno, bass, happy hardcore, juke, breakbeat and more.The Berlin-via-New Zealand producer and DJ has always felt alien in some way; like she’s not fully from this Earth. That idea is something she’s relaying through the concept of planet Fucktopia, her own world “where I feel like I am from,” she says.
French-born Jen Cardini (they/them) has been welcoming people into the discotheque for the last 30 years. Their belief that something more was hidden under the surface of electronic music has put them at the helm of tiny sweaty lesbian bars, flamboyant Ibiza superclubs, and off-the-beaten-path warehouse raves. Through their work as an A&R for the labels Correspondant and DISCH, their remixes and productions helped rephrase the world's understanding of the French dance music scene. They continue playing festivals such as Glastonbury, Primavera Sound, Field Day, Sonar, Butik Festival, Mutek, and more. Cardini is also a regular at some of the best clubs in the world, such as Berghain, Outra Cena, Bassiani, Basement, K41 or Club Raum. They have also been able to perform at iconic art venues like MoMA PS1 and the Centre Pompidou. Jen has also launched their own party series, Nightclubbing, a platform for queer underground artists focused on transmission, and is now the artistic director of the Nightclubbing Festival in Paris, taking place in September 2026.
June
As part of the Open House series, K20 and K21 are open every first Wednesday of the month until 10 pm with free admission. An extensive programme of events is also offered free of charge on these evenings.
Sounds good? Then come along – we look forward to seeing you and your friends!
Programme at K20
6 pm
Making Of: Anne Truitt with curator Vivien Trommer
6 pm
Tour: How queer is the K20 collection?
7 pm
Exhibition tour: Anne Truitt German as a foreign or second language
7 pm
Tour: How queer is the K20 collection?
6 – 8 pm
Speed Dating at the Library
6 – 9 pm
Open Workshop: Design Stickers
Programme at K21
6 pm
Guided Tour in English: Jon Rafman
6 pm
Making Of: Jon Rafman with Doris Krystof, curator, and Sebastian Peter, Assistant Curator
7 pm
Exhibition tour: Jon Rafman
7 pm
K21 collection tour
6 – 8 pm
Open Media Workshop: Digital Painting
One-hour guided tour of the “Jon Rafman” exhibition, which showcases the work of one of the pioneering artists of the digital age.
Additional guided tours at K20 and K21 in various languages (Arabic, German as a foreign language, English, Farsi, French, Polish, Russian, Slovak, Ukrainian) can be booked at service@kunstsammlung.de.
Anne Truitt
One-hour guided tour in German as a foreign or second language through the “Anne Truitt” exhibition. It showcases the works of an important artist in the Minimal Art movement.
Even before the official opening, students, trainees and school pupils (from upper secondary level onwards) will have the opportunity to experience the exhibition “Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst. Starmirror” and engage in conversation with the artist Mat Dryhurst.
The event will be held in English.
In their exhibition “Starmirror”, Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst train an artificial intelligence using human voices. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to take part in the AI training process on site. On several Sundays, they can join a vocal ensemble and various choirs in contributing their voices to a call-and-response interplay based on Hildegard von Bingen’s 12th-century Ordo Virtutum.
October
November
