mengenbüro
Tobias & Raphael Danke, Petra Herzog, Rita McBride, Brian O'Connell, Silke Schatz, Lee Thomas Taylor, Johannes Wohnseifer, Rene Zeh
27 May - 26 June 2004

Mengenbüro related Set Models and Set Theories to contemporary art to explore whether this abstraction can be applied to our perception of objects and the everyday world.  In the exhibition this was communicated via photographs, objects, schemes and spatial installations by invited artists and collaborators including Rita McBride, Brian O’Connell, Petra Herzog, Silke Schatz, Ulrich Strothjohann, Lee Taylor, Johannes Wohnseifer and René Zeh.

Mengenbüro was inspired by a mathematical theory that was introduced to the reformed education system in Germany in the early 1970s. Mengenlehre, translates to English as ‘Set Theory’.  Mengenlehre was intended to create a learning approach that is reflective, abstracted and not purely algebra based.  Tobias and Raphael Danke, the exhibition’s curators, grew up within the spirit of this education theory that lingers in the minds of their generation.  

Mengenbüro was a communicative artists’ experiment that started with an exhibition in 1998 in the NAK, Aachen, and was co-curated by Susanne Titz, Director of NAK, Aachen.  The exhibition was part of the nrw@uk cultural exchange programme that ran throughout 2004 funded by the Ministry of Culture of Northrhine Westphalia through the nrw@uk cultural exchange programme. For more information see Goethe Institut

A free poster publication accompanied the exhibition.

René Zeh’s work courtesy of Kapinos Galerie für Zeitgenössiche Kunst, Berlin

Johannes Wohnseifer’s work courtesy of Galerie Gisela Capitain, Köln

Brian O’Connell’s work courtesy of the artist and Adamski Galerie, Aachen

Silke Schatz’s work courtesy of Meyer Riegger Galerie, Karlsruhe

Rita McBride’s work courtesy of Galerie Mai 36, Zürich.

Brian O'Connell


Ulrich Strothjohan, Green Room, Yellow Room, Model House, 2004


Installation View


Installation View


Installation View


Installation View