Moment: the deutsche bank art series

It all began with a competition launched by Deutsche Bank in 1999: they were looking for art projects by international artists to be displayed temporarily in public spaces, with a different artist and a different city featured each year. Due to its temporary nature and global orientation, the new art series was given the internationally understandable name "Moment."

The first Moment project followed in 2001 with "Shipped Ships" by Ayse Erkmen in Frankfurt am Main. In May, three ferries and their original crews from Japan, Turkey, and Italy operated a ferry service on the Main river, a service of a kind that does not normally exist there. With these foreign boats shipped to Frankfurt on large container freighters, a "transfer" was achieved in the truest sense of the word; bridges were built and understanding was created through international cooperation. This "crossing over" worked not just on a linguistic level, but on other levels as well, as the encounter between cultures changed familiar perspectives and gave rise to unique moments.

The second Moment project also reflects the interaction of different cultures. However, "wordsearch" mirrors current developments from a completely different angle and opens up access to contemporary ideas and concepts. The word sculpture allows viewers to become participants in foreign ideas. It conveys cultural identity and an artistic added value that, beyond the artwork in the newspaper, also redefines the urban space and makes it appear unmistakable.

The next Moment projects are planned for Venice and Hong Kong. Here, too, we aim to initiate moving works of art. The distances, which are not just spatial, cannot be overcome without the active and competent support of partners. Therefore, we thank everyone involved who has helped to make Moment a reality.