Ausstellung: Kultur erleben – Architektur sehen. Hans Georg Esch sieht den Gasteig HP8

In the organizer's words:

From February 6, an exhibition at Gasteig HP8 shows the cultural center from the perspective of architectural photographer Hans Georg Esch.

"Hans Georg Esch sieht den Gasteig HP8" is the title of the exhibition in the Aspects Gallery of the Munich Adult Education Center in Hall E of Gasteig HP8, which can be seen there from February 6 to March 29. In several photo shoots, Hans Georg Esch has repeatedly captured the Gasteig HP8 in photographs from its opening in fall 2021 to the present day: the former transformer hall converted into a foyer and library as well as the Isar Philharmonic Hall and the other buildings on the site. The combination of old and new, of industrial design and modern concert hall results in an exciting mix that not only inspires architectural offices and cultural managers, but also offers many interesting motifs for a photography professional like Esch.

Shots of individual details, but also from a bird's eye view, for example, reveal the geometric diversity to be discovered in what are supposedly only vertical and horizontal buildings. Materials, transitions and perspectives combine to create motifs that appear almost abstract. The built functionalities of the Gasteig HP8 become surfaces and shapes, colors and unseen aspects of architecture. Esch discovers exciting views where one would otherwise only move quickly from one room to the next. Where the gaze normally wanders off, the photographer captures a single moment. This creates images that make the familiar place appear strange and new.

Hans Georg Esch is one of the most sought-after architectural photographers in the world. Since 1989, he has dedicated himself to the challenge of photographically capturing the essence of urban buildings and entire megacities. For several years now, he has accompanied the general refurbishment of the Gasteig in Haidhausen and the interim quarters Gasteig HP8 in Sendling. For the 40th anniversary season of the Gasteig, a selection of his often surprising insights and outlooks can be discovered in a double exhibition at the Gasteig and Gasteig HP8 entitled "Experience culture - see architecture".

"We photographers are not just documenters of the present. We also provide new perspectives on everything," says Hans Georg Esch. He looks for special angles, lines, colors and surfaces. His pictures are discoveries in the true sense of the word - they reveal surprising views that are often "overlooked" in everyday life.

Hans Georg Esch, born in Neuwied in 1964, works with his team from Hennef near Cologne. Following his series on megacities, his "architectural views" of Pompeii and, most recently, Cologne Cathedral, he is now showing photos of the Gasteig and Gasteig HP8 cultural buildings in Munich. The twin exhibition "Hans Georg Esch sieht den Gasteig" with architectural highlights of the "old" Gasteig building in Haidhausen can already be seen there from January 23.

Exhibition opening: Thursday, February 05, 2026, 7 pm, Hall E

Exhibition duration and opening hours: February 06 to March 29, 2026
daily from 10.00 to 20.00, Free admission

Exhibition venue: Aspekte Galerie HP8- Hall E, Foyer, 1st floor and 2nd floor, Hans-Preißinger-Str. 8

Price information:

No registration required