Werkstatt 
DER BEVÖLKERUNG
(To the population) 

We support participatory processes surrounding Hans Haacke’s art project and manage the project archive. At the same time, we connect the work with educational initiatives and civil society projects throughout Germany. Together with local partners, we develop contemporary, interdisciplinary formats that address current social issues and encourage participation.

With the traveling project Places TO THE POPULATION– Places of Democracy, which started in Gera in 2025, we are bringing the artwork to the regions and opening up new spaces for exchange, participation and discussion.

The goal of our workshop is to preserve a vibrant and adaptable civil society.

Oliver Schwarz, initiator and artistic director

Oliver was co-initiator and project manager of the art project alongside Hans Haacke. Since 2000, he has been responsible for its ongoing documentation and associated website. In 2020, at the invitation of the nbk Berlin, he curated the exhibition “20 Years of the Population .” The positive feedback on this exhibition and the upcoming 25th anniversary year provided important impetus for the non-profit initiative to establish the workshop. His aim is to further expand the professional support and outreach work for the project and, together with committed partners, to foster the growing interest in cooperation from society, politics, and education.

Marius Hasenheit, co-initiator and managing director

Marius is the publisher of transform magazine. The entrepreneur and sustainability consultant supports organizations in developing and implementing sustainability strategies. He brings his experience in media, business, and society regarding the realization of transformation potential to the workshop of the population.

Dr. Sarah Alberti, co-initiator

Sarah is a journalist and art historian in Leipzig. Her doctoral thesis focuses on art as a reflection of German-German contemporary history, using the exhibition project “The End of Freedom” as a case study. This project took place in the summer of 1990 as a direct response to the opening of the Berlin Wall in East and West Berlin. Hans Haacke also participated in the exhibition. As a founding member, she is involved in the Saxon network kompliz* for culture and democracy. In 2018/2019, she collaborated with Hans Haacke on the installation of his documenta 14 banner, “We (All) Are the People,” in various cities in the former East Germany. She works as a freelance writer for magazines, artists, and institutions such as the Dresden State Art Collections and the Hamburger Bahnhof – National Gallery of Contemporary Art.

Valeska von Bonin

Valeska is an art historian and underwriter in the field of fine art insurance. At the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, she wrote her master’s thesis in 2000 on the ongoing public debate surrounding THE POPULATION. Immediately afterward, she joined the Berlin team responsible for implementing the project. Today, she volunteers with the workshop as a facilitator, promoting the work’s presence within the context of current social discourse.