When is the exhibition open on October 29, 2026?

The exhibition is open on October 29, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

How long does the exhibition run?

Fons Hickmann. Posters of Today and Before can be seen from October 3 to December 6, 2026.

What is the entrance fee?

The regular entrance fee is 4 Euro. A reduced ticket costs 3 Euro.

Where is the exhibition taking place?

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

Are there guided tours or workshops?

Information on guided tours and workshops will follow.

Is the exhibition photographable and accessible for people with disabilities?

Information on photography rules and accessibility will follow.

Discover Fons Hickmann's Posters Between Experiment, Society, and Aesthetic Precision

Name: Fons Hickmann. Posters of Today and Before
Start: 2026-10-29T11:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-10-29T19:00:00+01:00
Location: Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst – Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus

Posters as Visual Thinking Spaces: Fons Hickmann at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus

With the exhibition Fons Hickmann. Posters of Today and Before, the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art dedicates a focused solo exhibition to the German communication designer and typographer. From October 3 to December 6, 2026, the showcase takes visitors through three decades of internationally awarded poster creation, making visible how design shapes public communication, cultural identity, and societal issues.

Three Decades of Experimental Communication Design

Fons Hickmann, born in Hamm in 1966, founded the design studio Fons Hickmann m23 in Berlin in 2001. His work includes posters, typographic systems, book design, magazines, corporate design, and digital media. The exhibition particularly focuses on his poster creations, characterized by precise compositions, visual intensification, and a pronounced love for experimentation.

Typography, Color, and Societal Reflection

The showcased posters often emerged in series for cultural clients. These works are complemented by self-referential and media-reflective designs, as well as self-commissioned posters that negotiate socio-political themes as paper interventions. Letters, surfaces, colors, and images merge into visual thinking models that not only convey information but actively guide perception.

Art Assessment in Historical Industrial Building

In the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus, the art of posters unfolds a special spatial effect. Between industrial architecture and museum curation, it becomes tangible how strongly graphic design communicates with its environment. The exhibition atmosphere invites a detailed contemplation of the works: contrasts, typographic rhythms, and serial references become prominent and open up an aesthetic experience between design history, media criticism, and contemporary art.

Cultural Education Through Visual Precision

The showcase vividly presents fundamental questions of communication design: How does attention arise? What role do legibility, irritation, and repetition play? And how does a functional medium transform into an independent cultural image? Hickmann's works connect applied art with conceptual research and demonstrate how posters can make societal debates visible.

Fons Hickmann's studio has been awarded internationally numerous times. Hickmann taught at renowned universities including the University of the Arts Berlin and received the Master's Eye Award from the Triennale Trnava in 2012 for his body of work. The exhibition at BLMK positions his work as a formative presence in German graphic and communication design.

Conclusion: Experience Poster Art Directly

Visitors can expect an intense artistic experience between typography, visual communication, and societal reflection. Fons Hickmann. Posters of Today and Before shows how independent image spaces emerge from letters, colors, and surfaces. Anyone wishing to experience the aesthetic power of the poster and the precision of contemporary design live should definitely visit this exhibition at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus.