Six reasons why there is no way around Düsseldorf in 2022

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Six reasons why there is no way around Düsseldorf in 2022  

What to do in 2022 

Have you already made good resolutions for the new year? More sports, more vegetables, less chocolate and so on? We have a resolution for you that promises no effort, but pure fun and is therefore very easy to implement. You should definitely come to Düsseldorf in 2022. Why? There are plenty of reasons! We don't want to deprive you of the six most important ones. We bet you'll be putting Düsseldorf on your to-do and must-see lists regularly and as a matter of course! 

Electro. From Kraftwerk to Techno

The first highlight of the year is the show "Electro. From Kraftwerk to Techno" at the Kunstpalast, which not only tells the 100-year history of electronic music until May 15, 2022, but also spills the party atmosphere of techno clubs into the museum. The show kicks off with a wonderful overview of the development of electronic instruments: from the first attempts more than 100 years ago to Karl-Heinz Stockhausen's original studio equipment from the WDR studio to the classic synthesizers from the 1970s and 80s that shape electronic music today. This is followed by a wild ride through the history of techno, party and club culture. Absolute must-see: the Kraftwerk room, dedicated to the Düsseldorf electro pioneers, where 3D sound meets 3D animation.

Festivals with depth 

You finally want to party again, broaden your cultural horizon or just be entertained? You're not alone. Düsseldorf has a whole series of festivals on the agenda for this summer and fall that are guaranteed to take you away from your everyday life. 

The season kicks off with the Asphalt Festival from June 23 to July 17, 2022. From spectacular productions on large stages to intimate headphone events by the lake - the festival offers theater, concerts, performances, dance and readings at special locations in Düsseldorf. As always, you can expect an illustrious line-up: regular guests include the theater berserker Philipp Hochmair, that much is already revealed. There will also be a link to earlier highlights. For example, the rising star of the dance world Florentina Holzinger has already performed here and the cult entertainer Erobique gave a memorable concert a few years ago.

Not celebrating, but discussing a better society is the credo of the Campfire Festival. From August 26 to 28, 2022, hot debates await you around the campfire on the square of the state parliament. In a tent village with three stages, ecological and social issues will be negotiated in numerous discussions.

From a purely musical point of view, it's off to the fall. The superbly curated New Fall and Approximation festivals feature top-class gigs with international artists. While New Fall appeals to friends of indie and singer-songwriter music, Approximation stands for the successful combination of piano, electronic and new music. The festival is curated for you by Düsseldorf musician Hauschka, who has already been nominated for an Oscar with his film music.

Art year of the avant-gardists 

You want to meet the leaders and pioneers of different art movements? Nothing could be easier! Because in 2022 you will also be treated to very special exhibitions in Düsseldorf's museums.  

A pioneer of his time was Max Liebermann, who is considered one of the trailblazers of modernism. In the exhibition "I. Max Liebermann." from February 3 to May 8, 2022, more than one hundred of his paintings will be shown at the Kunstpalast alongside those of his congenial painter colleagues from various centuries. Among them are contemporaries such as Vincent van Gogh, Jean-François Millet, Claude Monet, but also Frans Hals and Rembrandt van Rijn as representatives of the Golden Age of Flemish painting.  

In fact, 2022 promises to be a very special year at the Kunstpalast. From August 11, 2022 to January 8, 2023, the exhibition on Christo and Jeanne-Claude will trace the work of the famous artist couple from the mid-1950s to the present day. One focus is on the early work created in France, which is presented in the context of works by important companions*. The project is the last exhibition that Christo has agreed to before his death in May 2020. 

In October, the Piet Mondrian show at the K20 will put another exclamation mark on the exhibition. The Dutch painter was influential in several styles of painting: abstract painting, constructivism and concrete art. Firmly anchored in the art canon are his strictly geometric compositions of colorful planes framed by black bars that appear to be printed, but were actually painted freehand by Mondrian. His groundbreaking work will be presented at the Kunstsammlung K20 am Grabbeplatz from October 29, 2022.  

Fashion in a new context 

Fashion is more than the latest spring trend for you? Come to Dazzledorf in June! That's when the city will be the epicenter of fashion and cultural inspiration. The Strike-a-pose festival, which will take place in 15 Düsseldorf galleries from June 24 to 26, 2022, will showcase fashion and art in dialogue. Representatives of both disciplines will then present the fruits of their collaborations - the best will be honored in a grand closing event. Among others, Martin Pfeifle, Balenciaga, Ralf Brög, Strehlow and Société Angelique will be present. 

By the way, the organizers of the festival are the makers of the DC Open. This almost traditional event in the Rhineland art calendar is the grand reopening of the Düsseldorf and Köllner galleries after the summer break. The date for 2022 is September 2-4.

Foodies ahead! 

Are you a gourmet and want to explore new culinary territory? Then you can't miss the Gourmet Festival from August 26 to 28 on Königsallee. At the last event in summer 2019, the stands lined up along a length of almost two and a half kilometers. Gastronomists, manufactories and wine producers served their delicacies here. In 2022, in keeping with the Kö, there will once again be only the tastiest and finest.

Would you like to go on a culinary world tour all year round? No problem. Düsseldorf boasts Japanese ramen and Korean barbecue restaurants, Polish pirogi and Indian tandoori specialties, Chinese hot pots and Moroccan tagines, Ethiopian vegetable dishes and fiery Taiwanese meat dishes. The crowning glory of all this is the local Altbier, which is best discovered on the "Craftbeer & Streetfood" tour. After all, in Düsseldorf you can celebrate craft beer like nowhere else! Düsseldorf Altbier was already a craft beer before small breweries all over the country started the revolution against the boring TV beers. On the two-hour tour you look behind the scenes, you get shown the ingredients and meet real beer experts.

A look beyond the horizon 

Are you interested in the latest technology and want to take a look into the future? This is possible in the coming year at many places in Düsseldorf!  

The K20 will be the first to do so. Interaction and participation are more in demand today than ever before. The Open Space, which is being held here for the second time since 2018, takes this into account. The motto here is "Nothing but the future" until February 13, 2022, and the focus is on the Anthropocene, the age of the earth in which mankind itself has become a force of nature. In talks, workshops and activities, the Open Space will become a negotiating space for questions of the present and the future - and will also be a free meeting place for everyone.

The NRW-Forum has moved the exploration of new techniques out into the fresh air, where the AR Biennale is taking place until February 20. Augmented reality is one of the most exciting and recent forms of representation for contemporary artists*, to whom the NRW-Forum is offering a prominent platform with the world's first Biennale. Digital sculptures by 19 international artists* can be seen throughout the Ehrenhof and Hofgarten, as well as in satellite projects in Cologne and Essen. How does it work? You go out with your own smartphone or tablet and explore the surroundings. When you find a work, you can interact with it in real time. 

Also presented away from home is the Julia Stoschek Collection 's anniversary program. On the occasion of its 15th anniversary, the Julia Stoschek Foundation will host the first edition of "Out of Space," a festival for time-based media art, from June 10 to 24, 2022. During the 15-day "temporary intervention in Düsseldorf's urban space," according to the organizers, various locations in the city will be used. Another highlight of the anniversary program: renowned curator Hans Ulrich Obrist will curate an exhibition of works from the collection. The group show will explore the relationship between gaming and video art. Obrist has exciting plans, namely to create an archaeology of video games and place them in a current art context.  

Indeed, this exhibition should also excite all those attending the trend-setting web conference "beyond tellerrand" from May 2 to 3, 2022 at the Capitol Theater. Since 2010, the conference has regularly brought together creatives and technology enthusiasts.  

Title image: Düsseldorf Tourism

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