Manifesta 16+
An international jury selected 16 projects that were 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 transformed the vacant churches into open meeting places where neighbourhoods can come together.
The projects were implemented as part of the Manifesta 16 + Programme from 21st of June to 4th of October 2026. They highlighted 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 built a diverse network of activities that created 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. FranziskusFor seven weeks, St. Franziskus Church in Bottrop became a vibrant cultural space. Under the title Auf.Atmen (Taking a Breath) the Bottrop Artists’ Collective used the building as a venue...Read more
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Dortmund (5)
- Nextdoors: Stories of the Neighbourhood - On the Way to Become an Honorary ChurchKirchengemeinde St. MartinKirchengemeinde St. MartinNebenan: Quartiersgeschichten – Auf dem Weg zur Ehrenamtskirche (Nextdoors: Stories of the Neighbourhood - On the Way to Become an Honorary Church) developed 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 turned the church of Heilige Familie in Dortmund-Marten into a place of encounter for residents, Sinti and Romani communities. An installation...Read more
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- Shaping Tomorrow: Open House, New CommunitiesDie Urbanisten e. V.Heilig-Geist-Kirche, DortmundUnder the curatorial direction of the Urbanisten , a participatory platform took shape: a multi-layered, laboratory-style spatial experiment in which participants worked together to explore how neighbourhood life could be...Read more
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- BazeSozial Ökologisches Zentrum Dortmund SÖZ e.V., Sam Hopkins, Daniela BerglehnSozial-Ökologisches Zentrum (ehem. Markuskirche)Baze transformed the SÖZ, the former Markus Church, into a place where people could 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 explored new possibilities in post-war symbols of the Ruhr Area that lost their significance: church interiors, local pubs and the so-called “Gelsenkirchen Baroque”. In the...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 with the goal of creatively bringing the public space around Duisburg's St Ludger’s Church to life. With the...Read more
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Essen (3)
- MelanchthonkircheDer Stoff, aus dem die Nachbarschaft besteht (The Fabric of the Neighbourhood) was a participatory project in which Melanchthon Church's façade was temporarily adorned with collections of fabrics, tea towels,...Read more
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- Maktaba RoomCate Lartey and Donja NasseriFrisörsalonMaktaba Room, a project by Donja Nasseri and Cate Lartey, was a mobile reading room for pausing, discovering, and lingering. It created an inclusive cultural space that strengthened cross-community togetherness,...Read more
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- Sacred KitchenBeate GärtnerGemeindezentrum FulerumSacred Kitchen was a project by the artist Beate Gärtner that explored 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 paid tribute to the tradition of workers’ songs and their role in fostering solidarity and community in the Ruhr Area. In the former Church St...Read more
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Herne (1)
- Catch the Light – Build BridgesPottporus e.V.ChristuskircheCatch the Light – Build Bridges brought together artistic practice, social participation and urban transformation. On September 18th and 19th 2026, during a weekend of encounter and bridge-building, the Christuskirche...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 invited 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 Second World War, is located in the Mülheim Eppinghofen, a district shaped by labour, migration and transit. Like a peacock's...Read more
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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) transformed the Holy Family Church in Oberhausen into an open space for community action. Here, people built, cooked and ate....Read more
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