Oscar Murillo. Social Mapping at BLMK: Experience art together in Cottbus

Oscar Murillo. Social Mapping at BLMK: An art experience between drawing, community, and space

With Social Mapping, the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art in Cottbus initiates a participatory art project that actively involves visitors in the creation process. In the diesel power plant, they can freely work with pens and colors on a large-format canvas during the project duration; from individual gestures, a collective image surface emerges as a visual cartography of shared experiences. The project runs in Cottbus from May 12 to May 30, 2026. ([cottbus.de](https://cottbus.de/veranstaltungen/oscar-murillo-social-mapping-4/))

A space for aesthetic experience

The exhibition atmosphere of BLMK in the former diesel power plant combines industrial architecture with contemporary art. It is this connection that sharpens the view for Murillo's method: painting here appears not as a closed surface but as an open process, as a trace of movement, language, and social presence. The large-format canvas becomes a place for viewing the work and simultaneously a social medium. ([blmk.de](https://www.blmk.de/))

Oscar Murillo: Art between painting, installation, and participation

Oscar Murillo is one of the internationally influential voices in contemporary art. His work moves between painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video, and performance, and frequently involves the audience. Institutions such as the Sharjah Art Foundation and Gagosian describe his oeuvre as shaped by community, social experience, and political as well as formal dimensions. Murillo studied at the Royal College of Art in London and exhibited solo shows at significant venues worldwide, including South London Gallery, Serpentine Gallery, The Mistake Room, Artpace, and the Museo de Arte de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. ([gagosian.com](https://gagosian.com/artists/oscar-murillo/))

Community as an artistic principle

Social Mapping is marked by an art that is not explained from above but emerges in dialogue. Visitors mark, write, and draw together; thus, the canvas transforms into an archive of lively presence. The project fits into the educational practice of BLMK, which regularly links aesthetic experience and cultural education with guided tours, courses, and educational offerings. ([cottbus.de](https://cottbus.de/veranstaltungen/oscar-murillo-social-mapping-4/))

The place: BLMK Diesel Power Plant Cottbus

BLMK is the only state museum for art in Brandenburg and was established in 2017 from the merger of the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus Art Museum and the Museum Junge Kunst Frankfurt (Oder). In Cottbus, the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm; all exhibition rooms, the event hall, and the mukk. are accessible by elevator. The address is Uferstraße/Am Amtsteich 15, 03046 Cottbus. ([blmk.de](https://www.blmk.de/museum/geschichte/?utm_source=openai))

Conclusion

Oscar Murillo. Social Mapping promises not a silent viewing but a lively art experience, where visitors themselves become part of the exhibition. Those searching for contemporary art as a social and sensory experience will find an exceptional reason to visit Cottbus here. This exhibition invites you to leave traces and experience art in the making. ([cottbus.de](https://cottbus.de/veranstaltungen/oscar-murillo-social-mapping-4/))

Official channels of Oscar Murillo:

• Instagram: no official profile found
• Facebook: no official profile found
• YouTube: no official profile found
• Website: no official profile found

Sources:

• City of Cottbus/Chóśebuz - Oscar Murillo. Social Mapping
• BLMK - Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art
• BLMK - History of the Museum
• BLMK - Events and Educational Offers
• Gagosian - Oscar Murillo
• Sharjah Art Foundation - Oscar Murillo
• The Guardian - Interview with Oscar Murillo