Public Fictions

The city of Leverkusen seen through artistic practices.

Public Fictions is a trans-disciplinary artistic exhibition format in Leverkusen. The project was initiated by Anna Dietz (b. 1984 in Füssen; lives and works in Cologne) and Johanna Terhechte (b. 1994 in Berlin, lives and works in Düsseldorf) in order to reactivate unused places and spaces in the city like stores, kiosks, parking lots, and public squares.

Due to its geographical proximity to the art metropolises of Cologne and Düsseldorf, which are located on the same river, Leverkusen offers a further space of opportunity for art and culture. Influenced by its historical development and infrastructural conditions, Leverkusen has set itself apart from other cities in the Rhineland, both in terms of urban planning and social structure. Public Fictions builds on these specificities in order to make Leverkusen the stage for an experimental curatorial, scenographic, and artistic practice.

The publication accompanying the project brings together artistic contributions on the city of Leverkusen. Based on the concept of the sketch, the participating artists Anna Budniewski, Anna Dietz, Philipp Farra, Thomas Grünfeld, Laura Leppert, Jorge Loureiro & Walter Solon, Nikolai Meierjohann, Andreas Miller, Florian Moldan, Peter Piller, Mika Schwarz, Miriam Stoney, Johanna Terhechte, and Inga Charlotte Thiele developed textual and visual contributions. The volume is conceived as an artistic work in itself and also serves as a starting point for further reflections, which will be presented in various formats.