Z Common Ground is one of those rare finds in Munich – somewhere entirely unpretentious, full of fascinating, provocative art, with a cafe (serving coffee, good waffles and excellent cake) for folks to chat, be inspired and make new friends.
Alas, it’s a temporary project, and the building is due to be knocked down in summer. All the more reason to enjoy it while it lasts (it’s set to close on 2nd June). You’ll find it by the Westendstr. U-Bahn stop. Entrance is free, but they ask for a €5 donation if possible.
Spread over 4 floors and 4,000 square metres, it comprises an outdoor graffiti area, a bar, an extensive gallery space, and a small shop. Z Common Ground is a haphazard, gloriously chaotic maze of work from local artists. Some of them are internationally celebrated artists, as in the case of Rafael Gerlach – the Süddeutsche wrote a great piece on his artistic development as a graffiti artist last year.
The bar is on the third floor, complete with a washing machine in the middle of the room, a phone to chat to others visiting the gallery, a bar made of old bottles and a lamp fashioned out of disposable grill grates (I want one).
Wherever you wander in Z Common Ground, you discover fun, bizarre and provocative pieces of art:
From graffiti to installations, performances, films, sculptures and photographs, there’s something for everyone. And you need a good few hours to get through it all – I must return to check out what I missed. There are a whole host of events planned for the duration of the exhibition. These include skateboarding courses for kids aged 6+, concerts, and sports classes – FOR FREE! For more, check out the website.
Z Common Ground is open Thursday – Sunday (2pm-9pm Thursday to Saturday, and 2pm-6pm on Sundays).
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