“Rundgang 2026”: Art Students Showcase New Perspectives
Institute spokesperson Prof. Christian Freudenberger, who holds the Chair in Painting and Printmaking, encouraged the many interested guests of the “2026 Tour” to go on a journey of discovery through the Brauhaus. There are magnificent works of art to see on all four floors. And it’s worth taking a look in every corner: nestled among workshops and seminar rooms, the studios not only serve as the venue for the annual art exhibition but have themselves become works of art.
As part of the tour, art students took the opportunity to exhibit a selection of their artworks created over the past two semesters in their art practice courses. Each year, the annual art exhibition encompasses all areas of study—from drawing and painting to sculpture, photography, and printmaking, all the way to art in public spaces. Visitors gained unique insights into the diversity and interdisciplinary nature of the art program at the University of Siegen, which is constantly evolving through collaborations and technological advancements.
Art as a Universal Language
Iris Litty, Chancellor of the University of Siegen, emphasized in her welcoming remarks: “Art is a form of expression and a universal language that can reach people across all boundaries. It invites us to engage with it and to enter into dialogue through it. The tour offers an excellent opportunity to discuss and celebrate the wonderful works of our art students. Thank you very much to everyone involved for their great dedication!”
Jeannette Schnüttgen, acting professor in the Sculpture Department, also praised the tour as a great opportunity: “Here, young artists can gain the experience of exhibiting their work and engaging in conversation about it. Our students’ dedication, curiosity, and collaborative energy are evident in the exhibition and lend our institute a lively, open atmosphere. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to them for this.”
Insights into Art Practice
Jeannette Schnüttgen, together with Caroline Streck, led the introduction to the exhibition. On the top floor, the Printmaking Department showcased traditional printmaking techniques combined with contemporary visual and digital approaches and experiments. One floor below, works from Prof. Johanna Schwarz’s course “Artistic Strategies in Public Space” were on display, including pieces from the seminar “Let’s Play: The City as a Playground,” as well as works from Samuel Treindl’s course “Independent Projects in Sculpture.” The large studio featured large-scale works from Jeannette Schnüttgen’s seminar “Collaborative Sculptures Made of Paper and Cardboard,” which focused on the collaborative development of sculptural forms. On the first floor, the focus was on painting, where students created artworks on themes such as subcultural symbols, the body, autobiographical identity, landscape, and urbanity, as well as the tension between painting and the digital visual world.
On the ground floor, the Photography Department (Prof. Uschi Huber) presented, among other things, works from Julia Kernbach’s seminar “Pixels, Brushes, Prompts,” which is dedicated to the critical reflection, editing, and generation of digital images, and the course “Bricolage: Fake it till you make it” led by Tim Cullmann. For the first time, wooden display stands were constructed for the presentation, on which the photographs were displayed in the center of the room.
Awards for Outstanding Achievement
Three art students were awarded prizes during the tour for their outstanding work. This year, Julia Mikhaylova received the Lions Club Siegen-Rubens 2026 Art Prize, which comes with a cash award of 750 euros. She was honored for her interdisciplinary work in the fields of video, painting, and photography, through which, according to the jury, she has developed a distinctive visual language and explores themes of identity, biography, and origin. Vanessa Mazzei received the Lions Club Encouragement Award, worth 250 euros. She impressed the jury with her bold and intense artistic exploration of experimental techniques in printmaking, painting, photography, and drawing, through which she explores her own physicality as well as her perception of self and others. Dr. Petrico von Schweinichen, a board member of the Lions Club Siegen-Rubens, congratulated the award winners on their success and emphasized that art needs people who have the courage to question the familiar and try new things —the Department of Art at the University of Siegen offers students an excellent environment for doing so.
Robert Rychlik was awarded the 400-euro student prize from the Institute for Art, Art History, and Art Education at the University of Siegen for his precise artistic language of form in the field of sculpture: In his sculptural installations, he creates interactive spaces of resonance for viewers that combine visual and acoustic art.
Further information on the 2026 tour is available on the institute’s website.
