Founded in 2012, Affenfaust Galerie showcases urban art of all kinds in collaboration with local and international artists. In addition to its own spaces, the organisation also uses public places and unused industrial buildings for its exhibitions. As for the gallery's name, Affenfaust translates to ‘monkey’s fist’ and refers to an intertwined maritime knot – symbolising the interconnectedness of culture and the arts.
Centre for young urban art
As such, the gallery hosts the annual art festival Knotenpunkt, another wordplay on knots, which also means ‘nodal point’ – or simply ‘hub’. Beside stationary art exhibitions, temporary installations and performances, the festival is well-known for its huge murals adorning the streets all over Hamburg and created by internationally renowned artists.
In the years since its start, the gallery has firmly established itself as a new starting point for young international artists in northern Germany thanks to its unique exhibitions and beloved art festival. Curators Frederik Schäfer and Marcus Schild therefore put an emphasis on an uncompromising openness to new ways of artistic expression and projects for the public sphere in or even outside of Hamburg.
Hamburg’s largest private art gallery
When Affenfaust Galerie moved to its current location in a former supermarket on Paul-Roosen-Straße, it became the largest privately owned gallery in Hamburg, with an exhibition area of roughly 1,000 square metres. According to the team, the number of visitors had skyrocketed, and the old premises no longer did justice to the art.
Since its relocation, Affenfaust has produced projects and exhibitions at the Artville festival, Kampnagel and Elbphilharmonie concert venues, and Bucerius Kunstforum museum, to name but a few. What’s more, the gallery has travelled beyond Hamburg to Cologne and even Tel Aviv.
Address
Affenfaust Galerie
Paul-Roosen-Straße 43
22767 Hamburg
For more information and exhibition schedule, see Affenfaust Galerie
