People live very differently in our society. There is diversity. But at the same time, people are being excluded. Not all people have the same opportunities. They don’t have the same opportunities to learn. Or the same opportunities to find a place to live. They aren’t being seen.

This problem exists in art houses and museums, too. Not all people have the same opportunities and abilities to experience art there. But can there be a society without barriers? In construction, accessibility means: I can enter a building independently and am able to use all parts of the building. I can choose where in the building I want to stay. But what if rooms are closed? If someone can’t be there? Or if someone is not able to tap into contents?

The courtyard of the Kunsthalle once was a public place in the city. Everyone could stay there. But in the 1970s it was reconstructed. The entrance was closed. The new building became a barrier.

This year, we want to deal with the subject of barriers. Which barriers are there in our society? And which are there in art? The subject of Accessibility is not just about rules and laws. We want to look at it from a different perspective. Only then, all people will be able to understand: Why is the subject of Accessibility so important? What does it have to do with me? What is my own responsibility with this subject? We believe that Accessibility also means anti-discrimination. And anti-discrimination means: nobody is being excluded or marginalised. No matter if you have a disability. No matter if you have a lot of money or little of it. No matter your gender. And no matter where you are from. How can we get there? That is what we want to think about together.
For this subject we have invited experts. Artists, cultural producers, or activists. They have been working on new spaces in our society for a long time. Spaces where everyone has the same rights. We can learn from them at the Kunsthalle Osnabrück. We can change our perspective and learn something new for the work we do in our institution.