[Image: Thomas Bayrle, "Airplane," 1982/83. Photo by Karl Martin Hartmann.] Hans Ulrich Obrist and Nikolaus Hirsch: The Frankfurt Conversation with Helke and Thomas Bayrle, Andrea Büttner, William Forsythe, Shahab Fotouhi, Heiner Goebbels, Axel Honneth, Christoph Mäckler, Shane Munro, Tobias Rehberger, Tomás Saraceno and others :: January 30, 2011; 4:00 - 11:00 pm :: Schauspiel Frankfurt, Chagall-Saal, Willy-Brandt-Platz, Frankfurt am Main

The Frankfurt Conversation is an experimental form of a public event that allows a connection between lecture, discussion and performance through its open concept. The hybrid mix of personalities and their modes of presentation let the various contents correlate with each other and open new connections.

With the Frankfurt version of a never-ending conversation, Hans Ulrich Obrist continues the open format which started in Stuttgart in 2005 and was developed since 2006 with Julia Peyton-Jones at the Serpentine Gallery. The first Serpentine Marathon was the Interview Marathon with Rem Koolhaas, followed by the Experimental Marathon with Olafur Eliasson (2007), the Manifesto Marathon (2008), the Poetry Marathon (2009) and more recently the Map Marathon.

Since 2007 Obrist has realized Marathons and Mini-Marathons in Athens, Beijing, Berlin, Cairo and Torino and together with Rem Koolhaas in Cagliari, Dubai, Kassel and Shenzhen.

Hans Ulrich Obrist
b. 1968 in Zürich, Switzerland
lives and works in London

Hans Ulrich Obrist is a Swiss curator who works as Co-director of Exhibitions and Programmes and Director of International Projects at the Serpentine Gallery in London. Prior to this post he was Curator of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, as well as curator of the Museum in Progress in Vienna. He has curated over 150 exhibitions internationally since 1991, including “Take Me, (I’m Yours)”, “Cities on the Move”, 1st Berlin Biennale, Manifesta 1, and more recently “Uncertain States of America”, 1st Moscow Triennale, Guangzhou Triennale, Lyon Biennale and “Il Tempo del Postino” (with Philippe Parreno) for the Manchester International Festival.

Nikolaus Hirsch
b. 1964 in Karlsruhe, Germany
lives and works in Frankfurt/Main

Nikolaus Hirsch is an architect and director of the Städelschule Academy of Fine Arts and Portikus in Frankfurt. His recent projects focus on experimental art institutions and include the European Kunsthalle (2006-2008), unitednationsnationsplaza in Berlin (with Anton Vidokle, 2006-2008), the Cybermohalla Hub in Delhi (2007–2008), and a studio structure at Rirkrit Tiravanija´s “The Land” in Chiang Mai (Thailand, 2008–2010). Further work includes the award-winning Dresden Synagogue and the Hinzert Document Center. Nikolaus Hirsch is the author of the publications “On Boundaries” and “Institution Building”.

Coordinator: Jule Hillgärtner
Press Contact: jule.hillgaertner [at] staedelschule.de

The Frankfurt Conversation is a project by Städelschule and Portikus for the Frankfurter Positionen 2011 – initiated by BHF-BANK-Stiftung.

Since 2001, the Festival Frankfurter Positionen provides a space designated to the promotion of experience and insight: held about every second year, it attempts to define a position regarding the ongoing changes in society and in everyday life by means of various fields of the arts and by accompanying analytical statements. The Frankfurter Positionen is supported by an extensive cultural network, consisting of more than 15 reknown institutions from the city of Frankfurt. The 2011 edition takes place from January 21st till February 9th.