Architecture Brut

Achim Manz’s architectural miniatures are static-tectonic works that initially draw on familiar patterns of memory and experience, yet simultaneously call them into question. They are architectures and designs whose existence one is initially reluctant to doubt, but which, upon closer inspection, cannot possibly be real.

At the intersection of architecture and art, Achim Manz plays with realities, thereby creating new architectural and spatial dimensions—which, not least, also open up personal spaces for reflection. The sculptures come to life through dynamic contrasts such as heaviness and lightness, or movement and stillness. He accomplishes all of this with astonishing precision, which also radiates a great joy in designing and building architecture on a small scale.

The exhibition “Architecture Brut – Reality and Imagination” features works from the past eight years, since Achim Manz last exhibited his body of work at the Raumgalerie in Stuttgart. Many of the miniatures on display were actually created just this summer—so their concrete has only just hardened. On view will be forms and spaces that surprise, break with familiar patterns, and, not least, offer the opportunity to immerse oneself in them and question one’s own reality. Here, architecture and art playfully create spaces for thought that know no bounds. Achim Manz has been working as a freelance artist at the intersection of sculpture, architecture, and design since 1987. Since then, he has exhibited his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions. While studying art at the University of Bremen, he worked in the studio of master sculptor Jürgen Blode, under whose guidance he eventually completed two masterpieces. The architectural elements in his work led to several collaborations with architectural firms; he also received various commissions for public art as well as several fellowships, such as the Villa Massimo Fellowship. From 1997 to 1999, he was a visiting professor at the University of the Arts in Bremen. In 2007, he founded studio achim manz, where he creates design objects. Achim Manz has received, among other honors, the 2009 iF Design Award, the 2010 Design Plus Award, and the Baden-Württemberg Design Award “Focus Open Silver.”

Opening: October 16, 2026, 6:30 p.m.