Manifesta 16+
An international jury selected 16 projects that will be realised in Dortmund, Herne, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Marl, Bottrop, Essen, Bochum, Gelsenkirchen, Duisburg and Oberhausen. Key factors in the decision were the local grounding of each initiative and its commitment to working with the communities on site. The selected projects will transform the vacant churches into open meeting places where neighbourhoods can come together.
The projects will be implemented as part of the Manifesta 16 + Programme from 21st of June to 4th of October 2026. They highlight the potential of the architectural and social spaces of the former churches and show how these sites can be revitalised through collective initiatives.
Working closely with Manifesta 16 Ruhr, the project teams aim to create long-term impact within their neighbourhoods. By involving the people living close by and through artistic approaches these projects are building a diverse network of activities that create new connections.
Bochum (1)
- Gethsemanekirche, Bochum-HammeGrupa Mauczka is a collaborative collective that explores Upper Silesia and queerness through performances, audio essays and educational projects, set against the backdrop of Polish-German history. Drawing on their own...Read more
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Bottrop (1)
- Auf.Atmen (Taking a Breath)Künstler Kollektiv BottropSt. FranziskusThe listed St. Franziskus Church in Bottrop is set to become a vibrant cultural space for seven weeks. Under the title Auf.Atmen (Taking a Breath) the Bottrop Artists’ Collective is...Read more
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Dortmund (5)
- Nextdoors: Stories of the Neighbourhood - On the Way to Become an Honorary ChurchDr Bettina Heine-Hippler, Kirchengemeinde St. MartinKirchengemeinde St. MartinNebenan: Quartiersgeschichten – Auf dem Weg zur Ehrenamtskirche (Nextdoors: Stories of the Neighbourhood - On the Way to Become an Honorary Church) develops a long-standing urban vision by transforming the...Read more
- Reclaiming the Space of Worship – An Artistic ManifestoSave Space e.V., Romano Than e.V., Museum OstwallKirche Heilige Familie, Dortmund-MartenReclaiming the Space of Worship – An Artistic Manifesto turns Heilige Familie in Dortmund-Marten into a place of encounter for residents and for Sinti and Romani communities. An installation combines...Read more
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- Shaping Tomorrow: Open House, New CommunitiesDie Urbanisten e. V.Heilig-Geist-Kirche, DortmundUnder the curatorial direction of the urban planner, a participatory platform is taking shape: a multi-layered, laboratory-style spatial experiment in which participants work together to explore how neighbourhood life can...Read more
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- BazeSozial Ökologisches Zentrum Dortmund SÖZ e.V., Sam Hopkins, Daniela BerglehnSozial-Ökologisches Zentrum (ehem. Markuskirche)Baze transforms the SÖZ, the former Markus Church, into a place where people can be OFFLINE together. Not OFFLINE in the sense of analogue – but rather, to create digital...Read more
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- This Is Not a BarWilko Meiborg und Felix MeermannSozial-Ökologisches Zentrum (ehem. Markuskirche)This is not a Bar explores new possibilities in post-war symbols of the Ruhr Area that have lost their significance: church interiors, local pubs and the so-called “Gelsenkirchen Baroque”. In...Read more
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Duisburg (1)
- Ludgeriplatz 2.0WeLoveLudgeriplatzSt. Ludger, Ludgeriplatz, DuisburgWeLoveLudgeriplatz is a neighbourhood initiative that began more than a decade ago to creatively bring the public space around St Ludger’s Church in Duisburg to life. With the Ludgeriplatz 2.0...Read more
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Essen (3)
- The Fabric the Neighbourhood Is Made ofNegar ForoughanfarMelanchthonkircheThe Fabric of the Neighbourhood (Der Stoff, aus dem die Nachbarschaftbesteht ) is a participatory project in which Melanchthon Church temporarily adorns its façade with collections of fabrics, tea towels,...Read more
- Maktaba RoomCate Lartey and Donja NasseriFrisörsalonMaktaba Room is an existing project by Donja Nasseri and Cate Lartey that creates an inclusive cultural space highlighting stories of global migration through literature and photography. Readings, workshops and...Read more
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- Sacred KitchenBeate GärtnerGemeindezentrum FulerumSacred Kitchen is a project by the artist Beate Gärtner that explores communal cooking as an artistic practice. Over the course of three cooking evenings in a church in Essen,...Read more
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Gelsenkirchen (1)
- Sing Our Songs!Musiktheater im Revier (MiR) und Kunstmuseum Gelsenkirchen, Kirche St. Mariä, Markus PottbäckerSt Mariä Himmelfahrt, Gelsenkirchen-BuerThe Sing our Songs! project pays tribute to the tradition of workers’ songs and their role in fostering solidarity and community in the Ruhr Area. In the former Church of...Read more
Herne (1)
- Catch the Light – Build BridgesPottporus e.V.ChristuskircheCatch the Light – Build Bridges brings together artistic practice, social participation and urban transformation. Taking place in Christuskirche in Wanne town centre and its surroundings. From the 18th to...Read more
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Marl (1)
- Sinsen vernetzt – Kirche neu gedacht (Sinsen connected – New Ideas for Churches)AWO Unterbezirk Münsterland-RecklinghausenKreuzkirche, Marl-SinsenThe projects Voices of the Neighbourhood , Neighbourhood Tour of Democracy , Making Democracy Ourselves and The Church as a Stage for Democracy invite people of all ages and backgrounds...Read more
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Mülheim an der Ruhr (1)
- ZUHÖREN (Listening)Makroscope e.V. und Theater an der Ruhr, MülheimSt. Engelbert, Mülheim an der RuhrThe church of St. Engelbert, which was rebuilt after the WW II, is located in the Mülheim Eppinghofen, a district shaped by labour, migration and transit. Like a peacock's egg,...Read more
Oberhausen (1)
- Go(o)d Kitchen: Building and Cooking TogetherOberhausener Tafel e. V. und kitevTafelkirche Heilige Familie, OberhausenGo(o)d Kitchen: Zusammen bauen und kochen (Building and Cooking Together) transforms the Holy Family Church in Oberhausen into an open space for community action. Here, people build, cook and eat....Read more
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