With the exhibition “Das Gespenst in der Kurve”, the Hamburger Kunsthalle is presenting an impressive donation of works by the Hamburg artist Hilka Nordhausen (1949 — 1993) from 1 October 2025 to 4 January 2026. The versatile artist had a formative influence on the local cultural scene and worked at the intersection of visual art, writing, curating and publishing. Her process-based work is particularly noteworthy, characterised by the subtle interweaving of different media and concepts as well as the spatial and temporal interpenetration of her work.
The Harzen-Kabinett at the Kunsthalle brings together central groups of Nordhausen’s works: early conceptual drawings, their expansion and interaction with space, paintings, collages, performative gestures, artistic collaborations as well as printed matter and in-situ installations. Nordhausen also became known for the BUCH HANDLUNG WELT, founded in 1976, which was not only a bookshop but also a meeting place and exhibition venue for Hamburg and international artists. The show honours Nordhausen’s multi-layered artistic practice and highlights the special significance of her works for art from the 1970s to the early 1990s.
