The third level of the Dortmund U is always good for irritations. There are the exhibition rooms of the https://hmkv.de/ Hartware MedienKunstVerein, whose extraordinary exhibitions and thematic setups draw attention. For example, in 2011, when colorful industrial piping systems snaked from the floor to the ceiling like from a refinery, pointing to the exhibition "The Oil Show," which analyzed the global struggle for oil. Or in 2016, when the Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi not only adorned the walls of level 3 with his spontaneous drawings but also did not stop before the stairwell and the foyer of the U.
Since its founding in 1996, the HMKV has been organizing exhibitions, initially in changing spaces. The large exhibition "Reservates of Desire" in 1998 received great attention, which showcased the then industrial wasteland of the Dortmund U with video and media art works by international artists. From 2003 to 2010, the Phoenix Hall of the former steelworks Phoenix-West in Dortmund-Hörde became the exhibition venue for the HMKV, and from 2010, they are back in the remodeled Dortmund U, the center for art and creativity. http://www.inkearns.de/ Inke Arns, who has been leading the HMKV since 2005, understands media art as a contemporary art form that engages with the media and technologically influenced present both in content and concept.
Current themes and questions, as well as addressing a broad public and an interdisciplinary artistic approach, are essential aspects of the exhibitions. With the means of art, understanding of social, political, economic, and ecological contexts is to be promoted. And not in a dry and didactic way, but casually and contemporarily. "Afro-Tech" presented Africa as a continent of technological innovations, "Storming the Winter Palace" explored the history of the most famous fake news. "Computer Grrrls" showed the relationships between women and technology, and "The Alt-Right Complex" ventured into racist and identity networks. The HMKV also offers workshops, film programs, performances, conferences, and symposiums related to each exhibition.
With this concept, the HMKV is unique in NRW and Germany, and through a multitude of cooperations, a broad network with institutions from many countries has developed over the years. The exhibitions also receive attention in the regional and international press and have repeatedly been awarded - in 2017, the HMKV received the ADKV-Art Cologne Prize for art associations, and in 2020, https://www.kulturwest.de/inhalt/staatsperformance/ Artists and Agents - Performance Art and Secret Services was awarded "Exhibition of the Year" by the German section of AICA. The HMKV in the Dortmund U is centrally accessible and is only a short walk from the main train station.
