Michael Beutler


Halle neben Beeten, 2007

square in front of Vic Cocktailbar, Friesenstraße 16, Mon–Sun 0:00 am – 12:00 pm

Michael Beutler’s (*1976) installations refer to extant, situative contexts. These may affect a particular piece of architecture, a state of society, or simply the needs of anyone who commis
sions a work. Beutler’s design for 
a new Kunsthalle in Cologne is not linked to any location in specific. Rather, it has to do with a universal urban situation, where there are few undeveloped pro-perties and no financial resources to realize architectural projects intended for cultural purposes. Beutler’s architectural ensemble is cubist-modernist and will be inserted into a gap between two other buildings. The Kunsthalle is conceived as a parasitical construct, which pragmatically and cost-efficiently makes use of pre-existing buildings, and functions as a flexible shell for different uses. Beutler’s contribution proposes that the solution to questions of location and financial issues lies in the specific type of architecture. Moreover, the architecture itself allows conclusions to be drawn about changing public space.