Das kunstfenster der a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for the Humanities Cologne (ehemals a.r.t.e.s. galerie) wurde 2009 von Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden der damaligen a.r.t.e.s. Forschungsschule ins Leben gerufen. Als Doktorandenprojekt steht es unter dem Dach der heutigen a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School.

Diesem wissenschaftlichen Hintergrund verpflichtet, stellt das kunstfenster daher nicht "einfach nur" Räume in der Universität als Ausstellungsfläche zur Verfügung, sondern fördert und fordert den Dialog zwischen Kunst und Wissenschaft. Dafür bietet es jungen Künstlerinnen und Künstlern Raum und Gelegenheit, sich zu präsentieren und sich mitzuteilen. Mit einer Ausstellung können Einzel- oder Gruppenprojekte realisiert werden, die dem universitären wie auch öffentlichen Publikum zugänglich sind. 

a.r.t.e.s. Kunstfenster 2026
Multispecies in the City 

Dates: 4 July (vernissage) – 8 July 2026
Venue: Labor für Kunst und Forschung (LfKF), University of Cologne
Künstler:innen: Ute Hörner, Yuna-Lee Pfau, Pascal Dreier, Elias Müller, Lisa James, Multispecies Collective NL
Orga- und kuratorisches Team: Amir Latifi, Marianna Damaskinidou, Antonia Deus

Multispecies in the City is an exhibition project that explores multispecies cohabitation in the urban environment, thereby drawing attention to the often-overlooked forms of life that inhabit cities alongside humans. Rather than attempting to define which species matter, the exhibition opens an ongoing question: who shares the city, and how do we live together across species boundaries? Drawing on Donna Haraway’s notion of “companion species,” the project shifts the focus from abstract ethical positions to everyday encounters, dependencies, and frictions between humans and non humans. A particular local focus of the exhibition is Cologne’s urban bird populations, especially the increasingly visible parrots that have established themselves in the city in recent years. Architectural and spatial perspectives further address how cities function as shared habitats, for example through references to plants and animals as symbolic or functional elements within architectural history and contemporary urban planning. 

The exhibition will present works by approximately five to ten artists, with a particular focus on artists and/or students based in or near Cologne. Artistic contributions will span multiple media, including painting, installation, performance, sound, video, research-based practices, and participatory formats. The project is realized in collaboration with the Labor für Kunst und Forschung (LfKF). Overall, Multispecies in the City invites visitors to reconsider how non-human animals and plants shape urban life, how humans assign value and affection to certain species while ignoring others, and how responsibility and coexistence might be rethought in everyday urban contexts.