Manifesta 16 biennial transforms Ruhr region churches into art venues

The Manifesta 16 European biennial is taking place in the Ruhr region, marking its first time being held simultaneously across multiple cities. The event utilizes twelve decommissioned churches in cities including Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Bochum, and Duisburg as venues for artistic exploration and community engagement.

In Duisburg’s Liebfrauenkirche, artist Abbas Zahedi has installed ‘Ouranophobia 47051’, a large-scale work featuring anti-aircraft gun structures that are actually components of a massive organ. The installation incorporates pipes from the St. Nikolaus Church in Kyiv, which was damaged by fire in 2021.

The exhibition arrives amid a period of decline for major Christian denominations in Germany, which saw a loss of 1.2 million members in 2025. As churches close, the biennial explores new uses for these spaces, ranging from libraries and climbing walls to public swimming pools.