- Fridericianum
documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH has appointed Moritz Wesseler as new director of Kassel’s Fridericianum as of November 1, 2018. The selection committee included: Krist Gruijthuijsen, director KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Bettina Steinbrügge, director Hamburger Kunstverein, René Zechlin, director Wilhelm-Hack-Museum Ludwigshafen, and Dr. Sabine Schormann, designated general director, documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH.
The 37-year-old art historian and curator Moritz Wesseler was previously director of Kölnischer Kunstverein where he realized exhibitions with artists of international renown including Pietro Roccasalva, Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg, Andra Ursuta, Annette Kelm, Darren Bader, Petrit Halilaj, João Maria Gusmão + Pedro Paiva, Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili, Stephen G. Rhodes, Uri Aran, Andro Wekua, Christiana Soulou, Avery Singer, Danny McDonald, Talia Chetrit, Adriano Costa, Cameron Jamie, Alex Da Corte, and Walter Price. Parallel to organizing these presentations, a special emphasis of his programming was placed on outreach and publicity with the goal of opening Kölnischer Kunstverein to a wider audience. Lectures, conversations, concerts, and performances were held at the institution on a regular basis, while the introduction of the so-called Vereinsgabe, an edition series free of cost to association members with contributions by artists such as Rosemarie Trockel, Lawrence Weiner, Kai Althoff, Isa Genzken and Luc Tuymans, led to a boom in new membership. Moritz Wesseler is the successor of Susanne Pfeffer, who in early 2018 took a position at Frankfurt’s Museum für Moderne Kunst.
Christian Geselle, Kassel’s lord mayor and chairman of the board of documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH, welcomes the decision: “With Moritz Wesseler, we have been able to gain a promising young director who intends to continue the great tradition of Fridericianum as a location of encounter and exchange with contemporary art into the future and to network the institution with important players from the region and around the world.
”Boris Rhein, Hessen’s Minister for Science and the Arts and deputy chairman of the board, sees the new director of Fridericianum as a great opportunity to continue positioning the institution as a central location for contemporary art and to meet with an even greater audience response: “Moritz Wesseler has shown in Cologne that his demanding exhibitions found acceptance among a broad audience. We are convinced that he will continue to build bridges in Kassel.”
“Fridericianum is an outstanding exhibition institution and plays an important role for Kassel’s reputation in the world,” in the words of Moritz Wesseler. “I look forward to moving to the city of the documenta and continuing the wonderful tradition of my predecessors. My goal is to offer a platform for key players in the realm of contemporary art still largely unknown in Germany. In addition, I intend to strengthen the institution’s connection within the city and the local region.”
“I look forward to working with Moritz Wesseler,” says Dr. Sabine Schormann, designated general director of documenta und Museum Fridericianum gGmbH. “Our joint goal is to keep Fridericianum’s tradition as a vital location of contemporary art.”
On Moritz Wesseler
Moritz Wesseler, born in Bremerhaven in 1980, studied business and art history in Mainz and Paris. Even as a student, he began organizing exhibitions with artists such as Cathy Wilkes, Martin Boyce, Ceal Floyer, and Manfred Pernice. In addition, he edited artist’s books and catalogues on Gregor Schneider, Luc Tuymans, and Anri Sala, and began building up the archive of Bremerhaven’s Kabinett für aktuelle Kunst. After completing his studies, he took a position at Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf; later he was involved in organizing the exhibition series Double at Frankfurt’s Museum für Moderne Kunst and conceived the initiative Fürstenberg Zeitgenössisch in Donaueschingen and Heiligenberg, which features a fellowship and exhibition program. Besides working as a curator, he also publishes widely on twentieth century and contemporary art and participates in important juries on a national and international level. He has been serving as Hamburg’s Curator von Neue Kunst since September 2017.
On Fridericianum
Museum Fridericianum opened in 1779 as the world’s first museum intended for the public from the very beginning. Conceived in the spirit of the Enlightenment and designed by Huguenot architect Simon Louis du Ry, Fridericianum in the following years experienced a history marked by various disruptions but remained a venue of historical import.
Since 1988, Fridericianum has been a central location of contemporary art. Significant positions and artistic currents and socially relevant questions are taken up, presented, and negotiated. The institution presents solo shows by international artists that often involve spatially expansive installations. Retrospectives are also part of the program. Thematically speaking, positions by artists critical of society and the period are given pride of place. Screenings and performances, conferences and symposia round out the program, covering the spectrum of contemporary art and debate.