The MK&G messe is one of the oldest and most renowned fairs of its kind in Germany. For over 130 years, the arts & crafts fair has offered a platform for established international artisans as well as for the promotion of young talent from Germany and abroad. Today it is more committed than ever to cross-disciplinary and cross-genre positions, which are judged less by their adherence to tradition than by the quality of their hand craftsmanship. “Ever since it was founded, the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe has collected and presented to the public the very best in design from all over the world. We are therefore devoted to lastingly strengthening the position of the MK&G messe as an integral part of our institution and as a central platform for contemporary craft in Northern Europe. Our collaboration with Pascal Johanssen has been a vital step on the way toward achieving this goal, and we will also continue to work with our proven partner, the Friends of the Museum.” (Prof. Tulga Beyerle, Director of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg). Pascal Johanssen, curator of the Direktorenhaus Museum in Berlin, has been appointed as guest curator for the repositioning of the MK&G messe. On the basis of a concept he developed over a period of one year, the artistic organisation of the fair has been revised to give it a more international orientation. The fair will henceforward be dedicated both to classical craft as well as more experimental forms known as radical craft. The stage is now set for the new direction to be implemented. Led by Director Tulga Beyerle, with project management by Sonja Eichele (Managing Director of Fair Operations), plans for the upcoming show are progressing. “The aim of the reorientation is to establish Hamburg as an important trade fair location for arts & crafts in Europe in the coming years – with an exciting mix of relevant and surprising positions.” (Pascal Johanssen) Current discussions on values such as sustainability and the new luxury, on unique versus mass-produced items, and on production and working condition are lending craft fairs a new topicality. Situated between the poles of tradition and innovation, they offer a central forum for the engagement with cultural knowledge about craft techniques, material properties and sustainable processing.

The jury has made its selection: 72 exhibitors will be showing their works at the MK&G messe 2021, including many exciting young positions as well as esteemed, familiar faces. Click here for an overview of the exhibitors.

The MK&G messe has been held every year since 1887 by the Justus Brinckmann Gesellschaft, the friends’ society of the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (MK&G).