Chicago Meets Burgdorf – Art Connects at Kunstraum MITTE37

Kunstraum MITTE37 demonstrated on Saturday evening just how much potential lies within this new space. The opening of the exhibition EXPANDED FIELD I – migrating the colour fields became one of those rare moments when a small town suddenly feels expansive: open, cosmopolitan, and full of life. The room was filled, the atmosphere attentive and curious. Five artists from Chicago and Germany stood together, speaking about their work, their paths, their sources of inspiration, and what it means to exhibit, improvise, and experiment with new forms in a major US metropolis. A conversation unfolded naturally, with the audience joining in with genuine interest. Chicago in Burgdorf – direct, personal, in dialogue. Encounters like these are more than program points; they are moments when networks open and connections become visible.

In her opening remarks, Susanne Schumacher, founder of the Kunstraum, set a clear tone: MITTE37 sees itself as a place of dialogue – especially in the 250th year of the United States. This year, American cities take center stage: Chicago in summer, Boston in winter, parallel to the Football World Cup in the US. Both cities stand for vibrant art scenes, diversity, and a culture that constantly reinvents itself. That their artistic voices now become visible in Burgdorf is a sign of lived connection. The international encounter showed how art brings people together, how friendships grow, and how creative collaboration overcomes even major hurdles – from visa procedures to customs regulations. Art builds bridges where borders appear, and MITTE37 stands for openness, exchange, and the joy of creating together. The conversations were moderated and translated by curators Lars Schumacher and Marianna Buchwald.

Chicago artist Takako presented collages made from hundreds of advertising fragments – images that flood us every day. From up to 400 individual pieces, he creates new visual worlds that invite viewers to smile or marvel. One work is titled Anhedonia, referring to the loss of joy caused by overstimulation. Takako counters this with an artistic gesture: an invitation to rediscover delight.

For Lori Kaplan, art emerges when inner and outer worlds touch; lines, gestures, and words become traces of a process that reveals how something forms and transforms.

Daniela Castro, the first US‑born daughter of a Mexican family, found an open creative community in Chicago. Her textile work – also her bachelor thesis – uses cut and collaged word elements to speak out against all forms of bodily violence. At MITTE37, she explained how language itself becomes material – for protection, resistance, and identity.

Beate Axmann presented two large paintings on silk paper and a canvas work inspired by Chicago landmarks such as Navy Pier, Cloud Gate, and the city’s striking architecture. Particularly captivating were delicate wire meshes – found objects from Chicago – that resembled floating wings, “fallen angels,” as she called them.

Marianna Buchwald introduced her creative processes and the ten‑year‑old network The Ocean Between, together with symposium partner Kristin Heike from Hannover.

Many visitors expressed how surprisingly intense and personal this international exchange felt. The closeness, openness, and vibrancy of the evening made the opening a special moment. The exhibition shows how art builds bridges – between Chicago and Burgdorf, between studio and street, between personal experience and social observation.

The finissage on Thursday evening, 25 June 2026, continues this special atmosphere and once again brings artists from Chicago to Burgdorf. From 5:30 pm, personal encounters take center stage; at 6:30 pm, a film presentation by Group 312 Films follows, then two artist talks with rapper and spoken‑word artist Kao Ra Zen, filmmakers Richard Syska and Kevin B. Chatham, and other participating artists. To close the evening, the traditional Zapfenstreich of the Burgdorf Schützenfest adds a unique cultural contrast – a fitting finale to an international night. A night that will once again show: Burgdorf can be international. And MITTE37 makes it possible.