Extended Thursday

with talk by Jacques Heinrich Toussaint

Thursday, 1. October 2026, 7 pm

► 6-8 pm: Extended Thursday

► 7 pm: Lecture by Jacques Heinrich Toussaint (Curator of Public Art, Dortmund)

Course Correction: Public Art Between Intervention, Commission, and Urban Transformation

What happens when a minimal shift alters the way a space can be inhabited or appropriated? Renata Lucas’s work Falha (2003/2024) serves as the starting point for a lecture that uses this specific artistic gesture to explore fundamental questions regarding public art: What does it mean to intervene in urban space? Under what conditions can public art actually make an impact—rather than merely serving a decorative function?

The lecture traces the history of public art from the "art in architecture" (Kunst am Bau) initiatives of the Weimar Republic to the present day, examining the prerequisites that enable artistic interventions in urban space. Through selected projects, it demonstrates how art can act as a catalyst for urban transformation—provided the city creates the necessary framework.

Dr. Jacques Heinrich Toussaint is an art historian and curator. Since 2022, he is Head of the Public Art department at Dortmund’s municipal cultural services (Kulturbetriebe Dortmund), based at the Museum of Art and Cultural History. His research focuses on the history and theory of public art in Germany, France, and Italy.

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