MK&G fair Hamburg

With a new promotion program for “Young Talents”, the start of the exhibition series “Contemporary Craft” and around 50 exhibitors, the MK&G fair of the Hamburg Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe will present contemporary arts and crafts from November 23 to 27, 2022. 60 percent of the participants are newcomers. With “fresh perspectives and more space for up-and-coming artists”, the museum fair was realigned last year. According to a statement from Hamburg “jewelry and textile design, ceramics, and unique creations of metal and wood, all meeting the highest aesthetic and technical standards” for five days. The focus is “not just an opportunity to sell original wares. There is also a strong focus on artistic exchange and on publicizing recent trends and innovative exhibits or techniques.”

Artful jewelry pin by Xihan Zhai, MFA of Trier University of Applied Sciences / Idar-Oberstein. Participant of the MK&G messe, Hamburg.

Laurenz Stockner, pair of bowls made of local copper, 2021. © Jürgen Eheim.

Five Young Talents from Belgium, France, the Czech Republic and Germany have been invited to take part this year. They are given a booth free of charge and receive a financial stipend to support the production and transportation of their work. They are not eligible for the annual awards.

To be admired in the exhibition series Contempory Craft: Young-Jae Lee (shown here in her studio in Essen). Photo Haydar Koyupinar.

The accompanying series, entitled “Contemporary Craft”, will be launched alongside this year’s MK&G fair, and will spotlight outstanding work by creators of particular renown. The first show will present work by the well-known ceramicist Young-Jae Lee of South Korea, since 1987 the guiding hand behind the long-established Keramische Werkstatt Margaretenhöhe in Essen.

The fair will be accompanied by a program of events, such as interviews with artists, discussions of trends and collections in contemporary craft, guided tours, and a pop-up exhibition.

Arts and crafts are long-lasting and sustainable

In its press release, the organizer also emphasizes the ecological importance of arts and crafts: “Offering a broad range of high-quality one-offs, artworks, and utensils, the MK&G messe prioritizes authentic production and resource-sensitive consumption. The creative processing of valuable natural materials such as wood, wool, metal, glass, paper, and clay and the re-use of waste products and recyclables reflect the current demand for greater sustainability and durability. Today’s craft fairs have drawn renewed purpose from public interest in environmental issues, in New Luxury, in the relationship between singularity and mass output, and in production and working conditions. The MK&G messe responds to these issues and offers a forum for discussion.”

Hand-woven scarf in bright colors by Birgit Wortmann. Photo Birgit Wortmann.

The high calibre of the MK&G messe will be further endorsed by the participation of five Justus Brinckmann Award winners from the years 2009 to 2021. The prestigious award comes with a purse of 7,500 euros and will be announced this year on 22 November by the jury of eight. An additional award worth 2,500 euros will be made for emerging talent. The jury also chose to invite seasoned exhibitors from earlier years. The presence of such long-standing participants as Wolfgang Skoluda (since 1959), Christa Lühtje (since 1964), and Jan Wege and Anne Andersson (both since 1997) attests to the time-honored tradition behind the MK&G messe, which dates back 130 years.

Also in 2022 the MK&G fair promises sensual experiences. Here is an impression from last year. Photo Andreas Weiss.

Highly qualified jury

Members of the 2022 jury were Tulga Beyerle, Director, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, Cécile Feilchenfeldt, Paris, winner of the Justus Brinckmann Award at MK&G messe 2021, Thomas Geisler, director, Kunstgewerbemuseum, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Axel Kufus, Professor of Drafting and Development, Institute for Product and Process Design, University of the Arts, Berlin, Wolfgang Lösche, head of exhibitions, Chamber of Crafts for Munich and Upper Bavaria, Erika Pinner, curator and head of the Applied Arts & Design Collection, MK&G Hamburg, Angeli Sachs, Professor, Zurich University of the Arts, Marlo Scheder-Bieschin, deputy chair, Justus Brinckmann Gesellschaft, Friends of MK&G, Hamburg.