The sitespecific sculpture HAUS DER MAGNET by KOO JEONG A (b. 1967, South Korea) is a key part of the ongoing exhibition "For Children. Art Stories since 1968". The artist creates skateable sculptures that occupy a unique place in contemporary art practice, where the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, public space, and embodied experience dissolve into a fluid, multisensory terrain. The title HAUS DER MAGNET reflects the artist’s playful engagement with the name of Haus der Kunst and the magnet shape of the work.
For KOO, their interest in qi– the Taoist notion of vital energy– is a grounding construct in their work. Since 2012, KOO has developed a series of skateable sculptures where qi becomes tangible: felt in the speeds of movement, the shifting daylight, the flows of playing, skating, and observing. Crafted in wood, HAUS DER MAGNET features a large magnetshaped form at its centre. The work is accessible to all and designed to engage skaters of all levels. Two extended platform wings create pathways for nonskaters, offering moments of pause and spaces for resting, watching, and gathering.
The sculpture’s circular geometry invites a spatial choreography between action and reflection, movement and stillness. Coated in a photoluminescent paint that absorbs sunlight and glows at night, the sculpture lives through daily activation– it wakes and sleeps with the light. The work links urban skate culture with the nearby Eisbachwelle surf spot, connecting local communities across generations. KOO’s boarder practice spans architectural elements, texts, drawings, paintings, sculptures, animations, sounds, films, words and sometimes ephemeral elements such as scents play a significant role. Their work often invokes the memory of individuals, as it perceives spaces as an immersive environment through mutidimensional sensorial experience.
Curated by Xue Tan with Lydia Antoniou
Important Information:
- We kindly ask skaters to enter through the middle entrance, and all other visitors to use the two side entrances.
- The facility is available to you during the opening hours.
- The sculpture is to be used at the visitor’s own risk.
- The facility may be used by adults, teenagers, and children aged 8 and above.
- Protective equipment must be worn by everyone under the age of 18.
- The facility may only be used with skateboards.
- Please keep the facility free of objects.
- The outdoor area may not be used in wet, icy or snowy conditions.
Please be considerate of each other, especially children. In the event of an accident, please call the emergency number 112.
