When can the exhibition be visited?

The exhibition is open on October 28, 2026, from 11:00 to 19:00. It runs from October 3 to December 6, 2026.

How much does the admission cost?

The regular admission costs 4 euros. A reduced ticket is available for 3 euros. Admission is free for visitors under 18 years.

Where is the exhibition taking place?

The exhibition takes place at the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art in the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus, Am Amtsteich 15, 03046 Cottbus.

What content does the exhibition show?

The exhibition showcases three decades of poster design by Fons Hickmann. It presents cultural commissioned works, series, self-reflective designs, and socio-political posters on self-commission.

Is there information about guided tours and workshops?

No specific information about guided tours or workshops is available for the event date.

Is the exhibition suitable for a museum visit indoors?

Yes. The exhibition takes place indoors at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus.

Fons Hickmann's Posters: Visual Experiments Between Art, Design, and Social Reflection

Name: Fons Hickmann. Posters of Today and Before
Start: 2026-10-28T11:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-10-28T19:00:00+01:00
Location: Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst - Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus

Fons Hickmann: Three Decades of Poster Art at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus

The Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art presents Fons Hickmann. Posters of Today and Before, a concentrated exhibition of the internationally awarded communication designer's work. The exhibition at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus spans three decades and makes visible how independent visual thought models emerge from typography, images, space, and rhythm.

The Poster as a Visual Experiment

Fons Hickmann, born in Hamm in 1966, studied photography and communication design in Düsseldorf, as well as aesthetics and media theory in Wuppertal. Since founding his Berlin design studio Fons Hickmann m23 in 2001, he has connected precise communication systems with a distinctly experimental design approach. His graphic work ranges from poster design, book design, magazines, corporate design to visual research.

Typography, Color, and Social Intervention

The focus of the exhibition is on posters, which were often created in series for cultural clients. Clear grids meet surprising image ideas; reduced color tones encounter expressive contrasts. This cultural commissioned work is complemented by self-reflective and media-reflective works as well as self-commissioned posters that negotiate socio-political themes as paper interventions.

The examination of the works shows the poster not merely as an advertising medium, but as an independent art form in public space. Text becomes visual movement, space becomes argumentative structure, and pictorial language becomes an impulse for critical perception. Especially in the exhibition atmosphere of the former diesel power plant, this connection of industrial spatial effect and graphic precision creates a unique tension.

Art History and Cultural Education

Hickmann's works are located within contemporary communication design and simultaneously address central questions of visual culture: How does design direct attention? How does a poster condense complex content? And when does information transform into aesthetic experience? The curation thus opens a vivid access to the history of modern graphic design.

The Berlin studio Fons Hickmann m23 is considered one of the most awarded design studios of the present. Hickmann is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale, the Type Directors Club New York, and the Art Directors Club of Germany. His teaching activities and work as a professor for communication design underline the significance of his approach to design, cultural education, and the training of future designers.

An Art Experience Between Design and Social Reflection

Visitors can expect an exhibition that combines visual stimuli with analytical consideration. The posters invite visitors to examine forms, materials, typographic arrangements, and image rhythms up close. This creates an art experience that is simultaneously sensual, informative, and thought-provoking.

Conclusion: Fons Hickmann. Posters of Today and Before opens a fascinating view of the power of the poster as a communication medium and art form. Those who wish to experience contemporary graphic design, typography, and socially engaged design firsthand will find a concise and inspiring exhibition at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus. The examination of the works on-site promises an aesthetic experience that resonates long after the museum visit.