Munich Re and the Munich Academy of Fine Arts: Art project in a public space

Munich, 20 October 2010 – In May 2010, Munich Re joined the Munich Academy of Fine Arts to sponsor a competition for students, inviting them to submit works on the theme of “Art and climate”. The aim of the project was to bring young artists face to face with climate change, and through their interpretations of the topic, to promote dialogue in society. The winner of the competition in a field of 42 contestants is Paul Kotter with his Temporary Bike Repair Shop project.

“The aim of the ‘Art and climate’ competition is to fuel public debate,” said Susanne Ehrenfried, Munich Re’s art curator. “Paul Kotter’s entry convinced the jury for a variety of reasons. On the one hand, the Temporary Bike Repair Shop transforms the square into a meeting point for communication. Minor bike repairs will be carried out here, and, at the same time, information on the topic of climate change distributed. By disseminating climate change motifs via discs mounted on the repaired bikes, Paul Kotter creates a ‘living', growing sculpture, and an art climate community that pervades Munich’s cityscape,” Ehrenfried adds. The prize-winning work will be displayed in the square at Königinstrasse 38 across from Munich Re's headquarters in Munich.

Ernst Rauch, Head of Munich Re’s Corporate Climate Centre explains: “The bike repair is a metaphor for corrections we must make in our behaviour so that we can pass on to future generations climatic conditions resembling those that we ourselves have known. The purpose of linking art and climate lies not in identifying concrete solutions for climate change, but rather in perceiving art as an independent source of knowledge that opens new perspectives, illuminates scenarios for the future, and through the creation of parallel worlds, fuels discourse.

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