Werkstatt 
DER BEVÖLKERUNG 

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 Sites of DER BEVÖLKERUNG – 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,  Artistic director

Oliver was a co-initiator and project manager of DER BEVÖLKERUNG alongside Hans Haacke. Since 2000, he has been responsible for the archive and ongoing documentation, as well as exhibitions and publications related to the project. Born in Thuringia, he was politically imprisoned in East Germany after graduating from high school and ransomed by the West German government in 1984. He studied Fine Arts and Media Studies in West Berlin, Los Angeles, and Frankfurt am Main. As a co-founder and managing director, he has built companies in the fields of culture and digital infrastructure. His interest in systems theory and interdisciplinary practice has connected him closely with Hans Haacke since their first collaboration in 1990 on the project “Endlichkeit der Freiheit” (Finality of Freedom).

Marius Hasenheit, 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, Member advisory board

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, Partner program

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 DER BEVÖLKERUNG. Immediately afterwards, 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.