Description
“The Grand Tour is considered the origin of tourism and, since the Renaissance, has taken young aristocrats on a journey through Europe—a journey of self-discovery. In presenting a series of works under this title, photographer and conceptual artist Merlin Bauer travels through our European cities and landscapes with a sober eye. What state have we left them in? How does the new relate to the existing? Bauer’s works examine these everyday interventions: fences, billboards, and skyscrapers; asphalt roads; box-shaped residential clusters resembling standardized caves; staked-out building volumes; and artificial rocks. They explore the boundaries between order and uncontrolled growth, along with their underlying structures and surfaces. In the tradition of the Grand Tour, they stimulate curiosity and invite exploration.” Dr. Jörg Biesler (Deutschlandfunk / WDR)
Merlin Bauer (b. 1974) has lived and worked in Cologne since 1999. Over the past 25 years, he has developed methods to stimulate vibrant public debate on how we treat historically evolved urban planning, architectural, and cultural-political structures—most notably through projects like his social sculpture “Liebe deine Stadt – Architecture & Democracy.” His works form a key focus of the collection at the Kolumba museum, among others.
Exhibition and Book-Talk
Project Space Simone Klein, Cologne, Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, 2026 (during Art Cologne)
⬅︎ Books
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