DESSAU.- The "Kunst am Bau" competition for the Bauhaus Museum Dessau has been decided. The American artist Lucy Raven will install a large-scale work on the ground floor of the new museum building. Among eight concepts by contemporary, international artists, the jury of experts chose her mobile light installation "Light / Play / House".

The ground floor of the museum becomes the "Light / Play / House"
New York artist Lucy Raven has won the invitation competition "Kunst am Bau" for the Bauhaus Museum Dessau. The artist convinced the sevenmember jury with her concept of "Light / Play / House" - a dynamic lighting installation made of glass in different colours, which interacts with the architecture of the building by González Hinz Zabala (addenda architects).

“A new level is introduced through the work, a 'second curtain' made of coloured glass panels artistically picks up the architecture and develops the design and use possibilities of the ground floor as an 'open stage'," the jury explained in its statement. The jury particularly emphasized the conceptual references to the Bauhaus, its stage and Josef Albers' colour studies and their openness to new media. Commenting on the decision, the Director of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, Dr. Claudia Perren, says: "I am particularly pleased about this contemporary interpretation, which opens a new play between the current architecture of the museum, historical references to the Bauhaus and future visitors.”

Rainer Robra, Head of the State Chancellery and Minister for Culture of the State of Saxony-Anhalt: "The competition for the Bauhaus Museum in Dessau was internationally oriented, as well as the architectural competition. It is a great advantage for Saxony-Anhalt that the international architecture and art scene is already focusing its attention on Dessau before the opening of the museum."

Monika Grütters, Minister of State for Culture and the Media: "With Lucy Raven's light installation 'Light / Play / House', the jury has chosen a work whose colourfulness and spatial impact will tie in with the design principles of the historic Bauhaus and at the same time enter into an exciting dialogue with the contemporary architecture of the new museum building. I am particularly pleased that the work of an internationally renowned artist of the younger generation has received her due recognition. Dessau has every reason to look forward to the inauguration of his new Bauhaus Museum in 2019."

In the first stage of the procedure, a commission invited 13 international artists to participate in the competition, including Veronika Kellndorfer (GER), Michael Riedel (GER), Peter Krauskopf (GER), Olaf Holzapfel (GER), Lucy Raven (USA), Pia Maria Martin (GER/FRA), Tomás Saraceno (ARG) and Janet Laurence (AUS). At its meeting on 2 November 2017, the jury chose Lucy Raven (USA) among all the concepts.

Commission for the selection of artists (first part): Frank Assmann (Bauhaus Dessau Foundation); Dr. Joachim Jäger (Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin); Dirk Postel (State Chancellery and Ministry of Culture of Saxony-Anhalt); Anne Schwanz (curator Eigen+Art Lab, Berlin); Julia Stoschek (art collector Julia Stoschek Collection, Düsseldorf/Berlin); Dr. Brigitta Thomas (for the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media); Dr. Annegret Laabs (Director, Kunstmuseum Magdeburg).

Jury (second part): Katja Aßmann (art expert, Zentrum für Kunst und öffentlichen Raum – Schloss Biesdorf, Berlin); Lilian Engelmann (art expert, Neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst Berlin); Roberto González (art expert, architect, Barcelona); Dr. Claudia Perren (Director, Bauhaus Dessau Foundation); Dr. Sebastian Saad (for the Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media); Gabi Schillig (art expert, artist, Düsseldorf/Berlin); Dr. Wolfgang Schneiß (State Chancellery and Ministry of Culture of the State of Saxony-Anhalt).