Media art is here returns in 2025, once again bringing art to where life happens: on streets, squares, and in gardens. Visitors encounter forward-thinking media artworks that rethink and transform public spaces—interactive, inspiring, and freely accessible.
The exhibition features works by both local and international artists who explore the boundaries between physical and virtual space, while addressing the impact of digital media on society, identity, and sustainability. Placed directly within the urban environment, the artworks open up new, unexpected perspectives and foster dialogue between art, the city, and society.
This year’s edition invites visitors to rediscover Karlsruhe with fresh eyes: Works such as Treespotting AR by Arturo Romero Carnicero, Menfred Juretzko, and Javier Argota Sánchez-Vaquerizo transform a real tree into an interactive augmented reality experience through digital point clouds—prompting reflection on the role of nature in urban spaces.
Dennis Siering interweaves social and ecological themes in his work: Radical Climate Action Bird translates antifascist songs into birdsong, addressing both species boundaries and societal exclusion. These artificial calls are broadcast in the city and imitated by local birds.
Julijonas Urbonas explores how physical laws can be questioned through art with his Lawn Centrifuge: a rotating grass-covered surface causes plants to grow outward, continuously forming new patterns.
Two additional works can be experienced at the Kinemathek Karlsruhe and the TRIANGEL. Lagrange by Jihye Jang is a visual piece dealing with the concept of balance that can only be maintained through constant motion. A particle system creates a fluid interplay between chaos and order.
In contrast, No Longer Not Yet by Daniela Vargas and Lehel Lajos explores intimacy and alienation in the digital age. Created as part of the exchange project Cali to Karlsruhe, the installation features a bed split in two that moves rhythmically—a metaphor for attraction and distance in a state of in-betweenness.
Also on display starting August 2, just in time for KAMUNA, is le taxi pour l’avenir heureux, winner of the dm-Award connecting worlds. Offering a preview of its contribution to the Schlosslichtspiele, Benjamin Jantzen’s project addresses the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and can be experienced not only at the ZKM, but also on Schlossplatz, at the Tourist Info Center, and in the dm store at Europaplatz.
Three additional interactive projects by Chiharu Koda, in collaboration with JeongHo Park and Sierk Schmalzriedt, are being developed in the media art space studio hö. These works poetically merge nature, sound, artificial intelligence, and urban dynamics.
Last but not least, the installation FLORA MOMENTUM by ato (Hannah Cooke, Jannik Lang, and Norina Quinte) encourages visitors to reimagine the urban space as a place of healing, reflection, and community. Hannah Cooke’s AI-generated medicinal plant imagery shifts between natural and organic forms, revealing new and sometimes alien-like structures depending on the viewer’s perspective. With inclusive, integrated seating, the installation invites visitors to linger.
Through media art, everyday spaces in Karlsruhe are transformed into places of renewed perception, questioning social, ecological, and physical contexts right on site. The exhibition not only creates aesthetic experiences but also opens up new forms of participation: many works invite active engagement and make media art directly accessible to a broad audience.
To complement the exhibition, free guided bike tours will once again be offered, providing deeper insights into the background, techniques, and artistic approaches of the featured works. Tours take place on August 28 (7 p.m.), September 4 (7 p.m.), and September 11 (5 p.m.), each lasting approximately 1.5 hours. Information on registration can be found here.
The presentation takes place in parallel with the SCHLOSSLICHTSPIELE Light Festival and invites visitors to rediscover Karlsruhe through media and light art.
Media art is here is realised by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the City of Karlsruhe in close cooperation with the ZKM | Center for Art and Media. The event is part of the Art | Summer | Technology series organized by KIT.
Supported by: Botanischer Garten Karlsruhe, City-Transformation Karlsruhe, Hoepfner Stiftung, Kinemathek Karlsruhe, Schlösser und Gärten Baden-Württemberg, Tourist-Information Karlsruhe, TRIANGEL Transfer | Kultur | Raum.
