Prof. Dr. Aya Soika co-curates The Applied Arts of the Brücke Artists exhibition at the Brücke Museum. 

Prof. Dr. Aya Soika is a co-curator of a new exhibition at the Brücke Museum, Kunst Hand Werk - The Applied Arts of the Brücke Artists. The exhibition offers a new perspective on a rather unknown area of artistic work of the German Expressionists: their work with wood, metal, and textiles. Among the 170 everyday objects on display are a bed carved by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, a cushion sewed by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and a brooch by Erich Heckel. These objects embody the same fast, direct, and experimental style found in the artists’ more celebrated paintings, drawings, and prints.

“It is fascinating to see how these artists emerged directly from the reform movements in art and design that were so prominent in Germany in the early decades of the twentieth century. Unlike some of their contemporaries who later went on to teach at the Bauhaus, Kirchner’s and Pechstein’s attempt to establish an arts & crafts school failed. Nevertheless, throughout their lives they aspired to create an all-encompassing synthesis of the arts. Had they received more commissions in the field of the applied arts, they might have been able to realize their broader vision more fully.”

Soika is also a co-editor of the accompanying exhibition catalog, which “explores production processes and contexts, highlighting the dynamic interplay between artistic vision and craftsmanship. Long overlooked, the group’s artisanal practices are shown to be a vital manifestation of the bold, experimental spirit of German Expressionism.” 

Aya Soika’s previous curatorial work at the Brucke Museum includes the 2021 show Whose Expression? Die Brücke Artists and German Colonialism and the 2019 exhibition Escape into Art? Die Brücke during National Socialism as well as the 2014 exhibition on Die Brücke during the First World War. 

The exhibition is on display at the Brücke Museum until June 21, 2026.

Post Date: 03-12-2026