On June 10, 2017, one of the most important art shows in the world, the Sculpture Projects Münster (SPM), launched its fifth edition in its namesake German city, the cultural heart of North Rhine-Westphalia. Running for 100 days, SPM features over 30 new productions of public art, ranging from sculpture to performance, spread across the city. But what’s so special about SPM? And how come most young people in the art world know so little about it? The answer might lie in its slow pace. One of the main features of the exhibition is that it has taken place once every 10 years since 1977. Why is SPM held once every 10 years? Here’s everything you need to know about the exhibition, its history, and what to see. And a piece of friendly advice to the uninitiated: Rent a bike!

As a sculptor, I first visited SPM in 2007, and I will never forget the impressions I had at that time. I encountered pieces of art everywhere while strolling through Münster, and there were many tourists who came to enjoy SPM in this small city. Münster is well known for being the “bicycle capital” of Germany. More than 100,000 bicyclists are on the road daily. That’s why it’s common to see tourists riding bicycles through the city while holding a map or a smartphone during the art show. Münster is also considered the cultural center of the Westphalia region. Since 1977, artists of world renown have been gathering together at SPM in order to present works specifically created for Münster. These and many more works of art in public spaces make Münster a city of sculptures. The art show highlights how indispensable public art is to sociocultural coexistence, making it one of the most representative festivals for public art. Since visiting SPM in 2007, I had been looking forward to returning in 2017.

This time, I rented a bike and had a map in my hand. Artworks that had leaped out of the exhibition hall covered the downtown area. Finding a specific piece of art is like going on a treasure hunt, but artworks pop up at any time and in any place!

The journey by bicycle began at Münster’s main train station. There, I encountered Cherry Column by German sculptor Thomas Schütte. Schütte created it after being inspired by a red vehicle. When he visited Harsewinkel Plaza in the 1980s, it was still a thoroughfare and parking area for cars, with a chaotic yet vibrant jumble of bicycle racks, parking meters, a few trees, and telephone booths. In the middle of the square, Schütte placed a monumental column of sandstone from the local area. The column consists of a base and shaft with a rounded capital that resembles a board game figure, a candlestick, or a chalice. A shiny pair of cherries rests on the capital.

During the decades that Cherry Column has been there, it has not only become a symbol of the city but has also provided the momentum for a structural redesign of the square. Thanks to the sculpture’s popularity, the parking lot where the sculpture is displayed has been transformed into a pedestrian area. Cherry Column has increased in value as an artistic creation while also enabling people to participate in more cultural activities in the square.

After leaving Cherry Column behind, I rode my bike excitedly for about 10 minutes before arriving at Pierre Huyghe’s installation After ALife Ahead. I had to wait in line for an hour because they only let in a certain number of visitors at a time. As soon as I entered, I was overwhelmed by the spectacle of this artwork. Huyghe dug up the floor of the ice rink, which closed in 2016, making it look like an archaeologist’s excavation site. In some spots, concrete and earth, layers of clay, gravel debris, and Ice Age sand were found just a few meters underground, interspersed with old surfaces. He created a new eco-environment in this location. Pyramidal structures on the ceiling open and close periodically, making interesting sounds and letting in light and rain. It started to rain while I was inside the building, and the raindrops fell directly to the ground. Water striders were living in a small pond with moss growing all around it. Bees were buzzing around a beehive that was made of soil.

It looked like the aftermath of humanity’s extinction, but it also suggested that people had landed on Mars and were constructing some sort of edifice. After ALife Ahead is a giant project in which biological life, real and symbolic architecture and landscapes, visible and invisible processes, and static and dynamic states are all fused into a precarious symbiosis. As suggested by the piece’s title, the artist is exploring questions such as who truly benefits from the redevelopment of the abandoned ice rink and whether it is possible for humans and the environment, development and preservation, to coexist.

As I was heading for the next installation, I decided to stop by Münster University to check out Square Depression, which was a huge success at SPM 2007. I wanted to see how the project had changed since 2007. The artist had conceived this artwork during the very first exhibition in 1977, but it wasn’t finished until 30 years later, due to a lack of funding and resources. It is a concrete structure that slopes from the edges to the center, gradually losing height. Instead of referring to it as a sculpture, it would be more appropriate to call it a structure or landscape. It offers a variety of views depending on the viewer’s position. Standing in the middle of Bruce Nauman’s artwork, you can enjoy the exceptional experience of seeing its horizon.

Square Depression gives the impression that an inverted pyramid has been embedded in the ground. Visitors would walk on the sloping surface or even lie down on top of the construction to rest while gazing up at the sky. It functions as a sort of plaza and a massive resting spot. Unlike in a museum, where the artwork frequently takes center stage, in this piece it seemed that the people on the plaza were the main characters.

I came across the permanent installation Giant Pool Balls while cycling across the lush terrain around Lake Aasee. Giant Pool Balls, which consists of three huge billiard balls, was created in 1977 by the American pop artist Claes Oldenburg as part of the first sculpture projects in Münster. Alluding to the city’s war history (there is a cannonball stuck in the city wall about 100 meters away) and the citizenry’s love of hot air balloons, Oldenburg transformed Münster into a billiard table. Although the balls are immobile and have a circumference of 3.5 meters, they nevertheless convey a sense of movement.

After several visits to points of interest in Münster, Oldenburg began thinking about a subject in separate parts, which together would form a whole. He had seen the cannonball embedded in an ancient wall in Münster and was also aware of the bombing attack on the city during World War II. The ball became the link he was looking for. The balls for Giant Pool Balls were cast in concrete, in halves that were joined at the site. Oldenburg chose not to paint the sculpture. Soon after the installation, citizens began covering the balls with images and graffiti, so the sculpture has become a kind of message center, like a notice board, as well as a perch for watching rock concerts. Giant Pool Balls had become undoubtedly a landmark of Münster.

I took a break and relaxed on a grassy field by Lake Aasee, feeling like a kid at a picnic while eating a delectable chocolate bar. Even though SPM is now a well-known sculpture event that draws a large number of visitors, the Münster community opposed it strongly at first. If you’re interested in the story behind SPM, you have to go back to the 1970s, when American sculptor George Rickey installed his bizarre kinetic sculpture Three Rotary Squares in Münster. Initially, the sculpture did not appeal to the public because of its unattractive appearance. Additionally, there was a significant public outcry against investing in artwork due to financial problems. To enhance the understanding of the importance of art in public places, Klaus Bussmann, then the director of the Westphalian State Museum in Münster, undertook a series of lectures and presentations at the museum in 1977. From this outreach program, the idea for SPM was born. Although protests of the project followed in later years, the citizens of Münster eventually came to embrace the project, and they are quite proud of it today.

Is it feasible to have public art that is invisible? I had heard that a special work of public art that was invisible to the public had sparked interest. After a brief rest, I followed my map and arrived at the canal. I could see visitors strolling barefoot along the canal as if they were floating above the water. Anyone who crosses Ayşe Erkmen’s underwater bridge can experience the miracle that Jesus performed in the Bible. Crossing a bridge in knee-high water is simple but incredibly enjoyable for visitors. With the intention of creating the impression that people were walking On Water, Erkmen installed a platform below the canal’s surface, linking the northern and southern piers. She then invited visitors to walk across her bridge as though they were actors on her stage.

Formerly a neighborhood of factories and warehouses, the harbor where the artwork was built has long been split in two by a canal. The north bank of the canal has become a hotspot in Münster thanks to the influx of hip eateries and cafés, while the south side is still primarily an industrial district. The artist was able to reconnect this urban space by installing the underwater bridge. Why are people so fascinated by this? I believe it’s because it marks a paradigm change in which art is no longer merely something to be contemplated but also something to be enjoyed and experienced, fostering greater public empathy and communication.

After my one-day tour, I thought about the significance of SPM while sitting on a bench at the main station. As the word “projects” implies, SPM is not just a showcase of the “finished product” that each artist has already created. SPM aims to explore and question the relationship between art, public space, and the urban environment. The artists who are invited to take part in the project research Münster’s past, present, and geography in order to create pieces that incorporate these qualities with current issues. They develop each piece in accordance with the chosen location, make a model or drawing, and then provide a final proposal for the piece. “Projects” in Münster inscribe themselves in the city’s structural, historical, and social contexts. This distinguishes SPM from other exhibitions, and now I understand why Münster is a huge gallery in and of itself.

After 100 days of exhibition, SPM does not come to an end. Some of the entries from this year will be permanently archived and kept in Münster. The social issues and memories of the era that were depicted in the artwork continue to exist in Münster and eventually traces from many historical eras will accumulate there layer by layer. Münster’s landscape, as well as its residents’ perspectives, will change as a result of the permanent installation of the works there. I’m quite interested to see what Münster will be like in ten years.

On my way back home, a famous quote popped into my mind: “Art is everywhere, everywhere is art.” And in Münster, you can really feel that this is true.