#2 Pop-up Kunsthalle zu Kiel
Maruša Sagadin. Zwischen Barock und Romanik liegt die Botanik
Outdoor installation
20 September to 16 November 2025
For its second pop-up project, the Kunsthalle zu Kiel moved into public space for the first time – bringing contemporary art to the centre of urban life.
At the historic market square, now known as the ‚Alter Markt‘, 1970s architecture meets the contemporary: listed glass pavilions by architect Wilhelm Neveling (1908–1978) frame a sunken plaza reminiscent of a Roman forum. It is here that Vienna-based artist Maruša Sagadin unveiled a vividly coloured, site-specific installation that immediately caught the eye. Her intervention offered a bold counterpoint to the surrounding concrete, urban desolation and commercial emptiness – and opened up space for emotion, humour and sensuality.
The artist responded to the surrounding pavilion ensemble with two interconnected, towering cuboids. These modular structures were filled with carefully crafted, vividly painted elements – including fruits, eyes, fists and drops. As the title “Zwischen Barock und Romanik liegt die Botanik (Where Baroque Meets Romanesque, Botany Blooms)” suggests, organic forms drawn from the plant world and the human body encountered a visual language shaped by architecture and technology. At the same time, Sagadin has created a kind of gateway that resisted the linear flow of movement through urban space. Rather than offering clear pathways, the installation invited visitors to pause, reflect and engage with its contradictions. With this work, she also brought a feminist perspective into the heart of Kiel’s city centre.
Location: Alter Markt, 24103 Kiel, Germany
The outdoor installation could have been visited 24/7 and was free of charge.
Exhibition and education in the Pop-up Pavilion
10 to 25 October 2025
In autumn, the Kunsthalle was a guest at the Pop-up Pavilion Kiel, showcasing the work of the internationally renowned artist Maruša Sagadin. At the interface between exhibition venue and education, the Kunsthalle offered an extensive education programme in the Pop-up Pavilion that invited visitors to actively participate.
Location: Pop-up Pavilon, Alter Markt 17, 24103 Kiel, Germany
Opening hours: daily from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
The Pop-up Kunsthalle zu Kiel series presents contemporary artistic positions at unexpected locations in the city of Kiel during the closure of the museum for refurbishment. New, site-specific productions are usually created in public spaces, in temporary uses or as guest performances. In this way, the closed Kunsthalle opens up to the urban community and invites visitors to experience art in everyday life.
Supported by funds for art in public spaces from the state capital Kiel.
In cooperation with:
