When visiting Cologne, stay curious and observant—public art proposes the chance to take a cultural and artistic break with options for reflection during a city tour, a museum visit, or a shopping spree.
Whether it's the oversized ice cream cone near Schildergasse, perhaps signaling the ice age of our consumerism, or subtle hints at the constant transmutability of the world that provoke thought. It could also prompt critical engagement with urban life and traffic, personal identity, or sculptural reminders of another time, for instance, when we wondered: How does the sand reach the beach—and happily got the answer from the WDR-Maus show, an educational program for children.
In many places in Cologne, public art invites you to reflect or perhaps to pause and interpret collectively: Is this art and can it convey a message to us? Renowned artists such as Claes Oldenburg, Dani Karavan, Wolf Vostell, Merlin Bauer, George Warren Rickey, and others contribute to the permanent presence of art in Cologne's public spaces.