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From Coal to Creativity. A relic of yesteryear? Not really!

Driving along the inconspicuous Saalfelder Straße in the West of Leipzig there is definitely one thing you wouldn’t expect between factories and industrial buildings: A centre of arts and culture. Nevertheless, shortly after entering the terrain of the Kunstkraftwerk, we instinctively feel that there is something special hidden behind the walls of the old power plant…however it has not always been like that:

Nearly until to the end of the 20th century a lot of parts in Saxony, as well as the west of Leipzig, were shaped by its industry. After the reunification of East Germany and West Germany a lot of power plants were radically shut down and today only the fallow ruins remind us of former times. The same happened with the former heat and power station until its architectonical value was noticed by two courageous citizens of Leipzig. They decided to rebuilt the former power station. 

„We are a kind of “melting pot”. International colleagues from Italy, Brazil, France, England and Germany work together.”
Nicole Rundo
Marketing director Kunstkraftwerk

Today the coal, ash and fire is replaced by creativity, inspiration and new ideas and the erstwhile energy is displaced by innovation. Art, in form of exhibitions, has found a new home inside the former power station… and so we are directly on our way to the exhibition “ILLUSION-Nothing is as it seems.” of the Science Gallery in Dublin. The exhibition is celebrating its premiere in Germany and fascinates numerous visitors. We took a deeper look into the exhibition and talked with marketing director Nicole Rundo about the history of the Kunstkraftwerk, its actual exhibitions and about further plans for the future.

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All Photos ©Kai Bergmann