Aktuell

• von Dr. Alexandra Nießen
• 02.06.2026

What are students at the University of Duisburg-Essen creating? How can their work be made visible across the region? These are the kinds of questions that Professor Sebastian Freytag is keen to explore. One of his goals is to expand collaborations with cultural and artistic institutions throughout the Ruhr region.

[Dr. Alexandra Nießen:] How would you summarise your research in a few sentences? 

[Prof. Dr. Sebastian Freytag:] My artistic research focuses on painting in an expanded context. I am particularly interested in the intersections between painting and public space, and in how painting can extend beyond traditional formats. A central part of my work is engaging with art history, which I use as a foundation for developing new approaches. In addition, the question of collectivity plays an important role for me—namely, how artistic processes can be shaped collaboratively.

Are there any research projects or topics that are particularly close to your heart?

A central focus of my artistic work is mural painting. I explore both historical techniques and methods as well as aesthetic concepts, and I consider how this heritage can be reinterpreted today. Alongside the artistic questions, I am also interested in how wall paintings in the context of art commission works shape public space and makes it experientially accessible for people, ensuring its continued relevance for new generations.

What are your plans at the University of Duisburg-Essen? 

I would like to offer students diverse opportunities to actively engage in artistic practice within the region and to gain visibility. To this end, I plan to expand and deepen collaborations with various artistic institutions. Projects in cooperation with the Kunstmuseum Mülheim an der Ruhr and the Kunsthalle Barmen are already planned for this year.

Why did you choose our university? 

For my artistic research and teaching, the connection to the diverse and culturally rich Ruhr region is a highly exciting field of work that greatly appeals to me. The University of Duisburg-Essen offers me an inspiring space of resonance for transdisciplinary work and for exchange across disciplinary boundaries.

What should your students know about you?

I take on this position with great commitment to artistic practice and hope to share my fascination and enthusiasm for my field with my students. They can count on my genuine interest in their perspectives and artistic questions. At the same time, it is important to me to give them the same freedom that I experienced in my own artistic development and that has had a lasting influence on my work.

Professor Sebastian Freytag’s artistic career has been shaped by numerous exhibitions and projects in Germany and abroad. Key milestones include more than twenty years of collaboration with the artist collective Konsortium, as well as partnerships with renowned institutions such as Museum Folkwang, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf and the Ludwig Forum for International Art in Aachen. His international exhibition projects have also taken him to cities including Melbourne, Sydney, Pori and Chicago.

Further information:
Prof. Dr. Sebastian Freytag, Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, phone +49 (0)201/18-34155, sebastian.freytag@uni-due.de