17 July  ‒ 9 August 2026
Take Off 2026 – Meisterschüler*innen der BURG

With Take Off 2026, BURG continues its exhibition series that began in August 2021 and will show the final projects of the master students in parallel with the annual exhibition in mid-July 2026.

The opening will take place on 16 July 2026, 7 p.m.

Exhibiting artists

Zwaantje Beer, Klara Goiny, Henning-Jasper Gundlach, Philsoo Heo, Hyoeun Jin, Johanna Koepe, Sofia Mayer, Hanbyeol Mun, Elisabeth Otto, Naomi Pietros, Elektra Tzamouranis, Carmen Voigt

14 October ‒ 8 November 2026
Taking Space. Politische Dimensionen des Textildesigns 
(Taking Space. Political dimensions of textile design)

Projects from the Textile Design and Conceptual Textile Design degree programmes

Through the crossing and intertwining of threads, textiles always form a space, however small it may be. Every fabric offers space for narratives, for political negotiations, for symbols, for its origins. Cultural classifications, social changes and sustainability requirements always resonate in the process of textile design, of contextualising fabrics. The exhibited works show various facets of the political classification of creative research and action.

The exhibition will open 13 October 2026.

26 November 2026 ‒ 14 January 2027
GiebichenStein Designpreis 2026

The exhibition for the GiebichenStein Design Prize showcases nominated and award-winning works by students from the Design Faculty at Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, providing a fascinating insight into the latest design concepts, innovative materials and experimental projects. The prize is awarded in the categories Best Idea/Best Concept, Best Communication, Most Committed Cause and Most Interesting Experiment, and various special prizes are also awarded. Design students apply for the coveted award with their works shown at the Annual Exhibition.

The exhibition will open 25 November 2026.

As of  25 February 2026

23.10.- 28.11.2026: circular resistent

Ausstellung der Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle bei der UMPRUM in Prag

Eröffnung ist am 22. Oktober 2026, 18 Uhr.

Die BURG zeigt im Oktober 2026 in der Prager Kunsthochschule UMPRUM die thematische Ausstellung circular resistent mit 20 Arbeiten aus den Fachbereichen Kunst und Design. Die Präsentation ist der Gegenbesuch zur Ausstellung Big Thing der UMPRUM, die 2024 in der Burg Galerie im Volkspark gezeigt wurde. Die BURG und UMPRUM verbindet eine wichtige Kooperation, die mit den Ausstellungen und Workshops vertieft und weiterentwickelt wird.

In circular resistent werden Positionen vorgestellt, die sich mit der Analyse der Gegenwart und mit der Lösung von dringenden Fragen wie Ressourcenverbrauch beschäftigen. 

Circular kann sich sowohl auf Nachhaltigkeit im Sinne von Kreislaufwirtschaft, aber auch auf die Wiederkehr von überwunden geglaubten gesellschaftlichen und politischen Problemen beziehen. Der Begriff intendiert eine Vorstellung von Entwicklung, die nicht linear gedacht ist. Formal lassen sich Kreisformen und Schichtungen damit in Verbindung bringen. Resistent meint dabei eine innere Haltung und ein damit verbundenes Lebensgefühl der Macher*innen, dass andere anregen und inspirieren soll: Es geht darum, sich nicht unterkriegen zu lassen, Formen des Protestes zu entwickeln und künstlerische Ausdrucksformen zu finden, die sich quer stellen. So können Nachdenklichkeit und Schmerz mit neuen sinnlichen Erfahrungen verbunden werden und durch Poesie und schwarzen Humor andere Perspektiven  entstehen.                                                                              

Im großen Raum der UMPRUM bilden die einzelnen Arbeiten Inseln und die Besucher*innen können sich zwischen ihnen frei bewegen, also zirkulieren. Gleichzeitig bilden sich zarte und unerwartete Verbindungen, denn Inseln sind keine statischen Gebilde, auch sie sind eingebunden in Prozesse und unterliegen Veränderungen.

Die Teilnehmer*innen sind Studierende und Alumni aus den Fachbereichen Kunst und Design.

Valena Ammon, José Madrigal Despaigne, Luca Ganzert, Vanessa Henning, Jan Marco Herzog, Amber Hummel, Vanessa Kahl, Dana László da Costa, Yerina Lee, Moritz Neuland Jakob Nonnen, Marco Mehringer, Therese Mieth, Todor Joe Musev, Sophia Reißenweber Leonora Schlüter, Arto Schudy/Gue Hyun Lee, Sound & Vision live (Caroline Gerlach, Paula-Rahel Cyriaks, David Gholipour Ghalandari, Finn Kistner, Malte Riechert, Levke Schramm, Diana Sedova, Olivia Toben. In Kooperation mit der Staatskapelle Halle), Loris Stephan, Oni Weber

Kurator*innen: Prof. Tilo Baumgärtel, Dr. Jule Reuter

Ausstellungsarchitektin: Agnes Kelm

8.6. ‒ 13.6.2026: arche-fossil. Fotografische Spuren in Bitterfeld-Wolfen

Die Ausstellung ist das Ergebnis einer fotografischen Untersuchung zu Transformationsprozessen im Raum Bitterfeld-Wolfen. Geleitet vom Element Wasser eröffnet die fotografische Sammlung einen Blick auf das, was sich in der Umgebung ablagert, verändert und fortsetzt. Präsentiert wird die Ausstellung im Mai und Juni 2026 in Bitterfeld und Halle (Saale). Eine Zeitung sowie ein ergänzendes Veranstaltungsprogramm in beiden Städten vertiefen die inhaltlichen Fragestellungen.

Fotografische Arbeiten von:

Luisa Mielenz (Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie Berlin), Mimo Rapp (HGB Leipzig), Emilia Prescher (Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle)

Kuration und Projektleitung: Nadja Junghanns und Lennart Wandsleb (Master Kunstwissenschaften, Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle)

Art mediation formats

In addition to the conception and realisation of exhibitions, Burg Gallery im Volkspark sees its task as communicating the exhibition ideas and the contemporary art and design positions on display to a wide audience in a variety of ways.

To this end, an extensive accompanying artistic programme is being developed that provides various ways of accessing contemporary art. For example, aspects of artistic work will be examined in discussions with the artists in front of their works, contexts of creation will be illuminated, work contexts will be scrutinised and thematic explorations will be presented. The programme is constantly expanding its formats, also by taking into account the wishes and ideas of the exhibitors and visitors.

The following three focal points I. Actions by artists, II. Dialogue-based art education and III. Discursive events have crystallised and proven themselves in recent years of art education practice.

I. Actions by artists

The concept of an artistic work is constantly changing. Artists often not only work with different media, but also engage with other areas of art such as theatre, literature, music, entertainment and popular culture as well as social and scientific issues.
Artistic works such as performances, but also appearances such as lectures or readings, expand the spectrum of encounters between actors and audiences. In these forums, questions about the conditions of existence of artists and designers, the role of artistic networks and joint actions are also discussed.

• Performances
• Lectures by students and guest artists
• readings
• workshops
• Actions/Interventions

II Dialogue-based art education

In addition to the protagonists, visitors also have their say. We summarise various approaches under the heading of ‘dialogue-based art education’. Artist talks and guided tours are based more on the professional expertise of the mediators. In the art education programme, on the other hand, ideas for participatory forms of exchange are developed and implemented in the exhibitions together with the visitors. This also includes insights into teaching.

• Artist talks before the works
• Guided tours (with curators, professors, etc.)
• Guided tours with students (every Sunday at 3 pm)
• Insights into teaching
• Experimental formats

III Discursive events

Once or twice a year, we organise larger discursive events on relevant issues in art and design. These can be scientific-artistic symposia or panel discussions with representatives from various artistic fields. In this context, we are particularly interested in the type of presentation and exchange of ideas, which can be realised in the form of a controversy or as a creative short form such as a slam or Pecha Kucha.

• Symposia
• (Podium) discussions
• Lectures / keynote speeches
• Audio and film screenings with discussion
• Catalogue presentations

IV. Digital events

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Burg Galerie has also tried out and developed new art education formats. Due to the changed framework conditions, established formats such as artist talks via livestream were transferred to digital. This gave rise to new questions. At the same time, other avenues were explored and initial ideas were realised that incorporate the digital.

New questions have arisen and we are looking for answers to them:

• What does it take to make a sensory experience possible when it means being there without being physically present?
• What does it mean to no longer stand directly in front of the artwork?
• How can forms of dialogue be implemented in digital space?
• How can artistic processes and material handling be conveyed in digital workshops?