Contemporary ART Space – PLATFORM

PLATFORM is a multi-faceted art and cultural space that considers itself as a platform in the full sense of the word. It acts as an exhibition space, offers traineeships in the broad field of cultural management, and organizes a diverse range of cultural projects, exhibition programs as well as educational activities for artists. The combination between professional training-on-the-job and the provision of art studios or exhibition spaces makes PLATFORM unique in the German cultural scene.

Since 2009, PLATFORM has been funded by the Munich Employment and Qualification Program (MBQ) of the Department of Labor and Economic Development. The program is run by the Münchner Arbeit gGmbH (non-for-profit). Every year, five trainees in cultural management work one year long in PLATFORM in order to gain insight as well as practical experience in a cultural institution.

However, PLATFORM is much more than a place for gaining advanced work experience. It is a space open for experiments, in which creativity, personal initiative and self-responsibility are fostered. Failure is not only permitted but an integral part of the creative process. As a non-commercial art space, PLATFORM offers aspiring cultural managers and young curators the possibility to shape and refine their professional identities. Apart from so-called “Hospitationen” at other cultural institutions and stays abroad (financed through Erasmus+), it provides an open environment in which young cultural workers can carry out their project ideas (exhibition, symposia, workshops or other event formats).

For these reasons, PLATFORM has established itself as a notable agent in Munich’s cultural life. It constantly generates new impulses for the local art scene, whether through international exhibitions that reflect current art debates (“Beyond the Spectacle,” “BeLonging,” “Wastelands,” etc.), projects in public space (“Kunst Kioske”), the UPDATE education series, the PERSPEKTIVEN prize for young artists based in Munich awarded by Kunstclub 13 e.V., or the so-called “Hot Spots of Art” that document and connect the city’s non-profit art spaces.

The art world is in permanent motion and we try to help shape the cultural-political dynamics in Munich with our diverse range of projects and support programs.

In a nutshell, we offer:

• Competence development and practical job experience for emerging culture managers and curators who – as part of a yearlong traineeship – discover new fields of work and are given the opportunity to organize exhibitions and events in our PLATFORM exhibition hall, partner institutions or in public space;

• Post-academic training in the form of seminars and workshops that specifically target visual artists and creators to give fresh impetus for their professional practice;

• The provision and rental of affordable studios for artists.