The MK&G will present 53 outstanding graduates from 23 renowned German art and design universities in the fields of product and industrial design under the title “Dare to Design” from 1 September through 8 October 2023. Initiated and curated by German Design Graduates, of the German Design Council, the presentation is unique in that it is the only exhibition to offer an overview of the latest trends in young design from Germany. The group exhibition, which takes place annually, will be a guest at the MK&G for the first time.

Given the challenges of our time, it is designers in particular who are called upon to seek new solutions, experiment, break new ground, and take risks. The younger generation’s projects frequently make a direct contribution to a more environmentally sustainable, socially just, and technologically innovative world. The topics of the graduates’ projects include police violence, children's rights, empowerment and inclusion, but also the coexistence of humans and animals, the development of new materials and the potential of invasive plant species. The exhibition seeks to provide graduates with a platform to present their ground-breaking ideas to a broader audience and to start a dialogue with experts, manufacturers, and guests. As one of the largest design museums of its kind, the MK&G is an ideal venue for this.

German university graduates are invited once per year to submit their work to the German Design Graduates initiative. Using their diverse perspectives during a multi-stage process, the nine distinguished members of the expert jury select approximately 47 exhibits for the show at the MK&G. Four nominees will be selected from a shortlist of 14 designers to win the GDG Awards, which include 2,500 euros of prize money. The four most outstanding final projects will be announced during the opening of the exhibition on 31 August 2023 at 8 pm.

German Design Graduates is an initiative with the purpose of supporting young product design graduates and presenting state-certified universities, art colleges, and universities of applied sciences. The initiative was started in 2019 by Prof. Ineke Hans, Prof. Hermann Weizenegger, Prof. Mark Braun and Katrin Krupka. GDG is supported by the German Design Council Foundation, which has been the project sponsor of the initiative since 2022.

An exhibition by the German Design Council Foundation in cooperation with the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg.

Media partners: brand eins, ndion