Merlin Bauer
Grand Tour

“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! When photographer and conceptual artist Merlin Bauer now presents a series of works under this title, he 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 installations: fences, billboards, and skyscrapers; asphalt roads; box-shaped residential clusters resembling standardized caves; staked-out building volumes; and artificial rocks. They also explore the boundaries between order and uncontrolled growth, along with their structures and surfaces. In the tradition of the Grand Tour, they thus 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, through projects such as the social sculpture “Liebe deine Stadt – Architecture & Democracy,” he has developed methods that stimulate a vibrant public debate on how to handle evolved urban planning, architectural, and cultural-political structures. His works form a key focus, among others, of the collection at the Kolumba museum.

Exhibition
Arles, July 6–August 1, 2026
Rue Augustin Tardieu 24