TAAK

make | space | public

TAAK researches, develops and realizes new forms of art in the public domain and alternative ways of commissioning. We collaborate with artists, citizens, special interest groups, governments, funds, and institutions – and respond to societal tasks that may lead to an art project. We bring urgent questions to the surface and reintroduce them into public discourse.

The image of the government as the primary commissioning authority of public art belongs to the past. Anyone can now own the question that leads to an art project. We see this as an opportunity to lend an ear to a plurality of voices. Public presence is not a given for everyone. Social, cultural, physical and economic factors affect how (un)free public spaces feel. Who or what can speak, and who cannot?

Art can give visibility to and question diverging positions in the public debate. Processes of in- and exclusion, new ways of living together and ecologies are issues that we tackle together with artists. Using artistic interventions, dialogue, research, community building, and co-creation, we build sustainable relationships and networks. We strive for solidarity without hiding differences. And we question our own role and blind spots.

The public domain is layered and complex. Precisely there, art can become meaningful for a diverse audience. TAAK consciously situates itself within that context by democratizing curatorship and using our expertise to face collective challenges. We engage with the questions of our time. As an inquisitive interlocutor, we like to join initiatives in health care, spatial planning, education, science, art and culture, landscape and heritage.

With its art projects, TAAK strives as much as possible for co-creation, sustainable structures and shared ownership – to make space public (again).