Das halbe Leben | Formen der Arbeit in Kunst und Geschichte

In the organizer's words:

The art collections of Ruhr-Universität Bochum are celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2025 with a large-scale, interdisciplinary exhibition on the subject of work. To mark the occasion, the rich holdings of the Art Collection of Antiquity and the Coin Collection will enter into a dialog with contemporary art in the underground museum and together shed light on one of the most important aspects of social, economic and art history. The exhibits cover a period of almost 3,000 years and are examined from several perspectives: The focus is on classic themes such as production, trade and consumption. After all, 'work and pleasure' have formed an indissoluble link since ancient times, or to put it another way: work is always only half of life.

Curators: Dr. Soi Agelidis, Head of the Art Collections of Antiquity, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Prof. Dr. Jon Albers, Professor of Classical Archaeology with a focus on settlements and landscapes in the ancient Mediterranean, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Dr. Karl-Ludwig Elvers, Head of the Coin Collection, Institute of History, Prof. Dr. Markus Heinzelmann, Chair of Museum Practice with a Focus on International Contemporary Art, Institute of Art History, in cooperation with the students of the Faculty of History of the Ruhr University Bochum.