The JULIA STOSCHEK COLLECTION is one of the world’s most comprehensive private collections of time-based art, dedicated to the public presentation, advancement, conservation, and scholarship of media and performance practices.
With over 850 artworks by 255 artists from around the world, the collection’s contemporary focus is rooted in artists’ moving image experiments from the 1960s and ’70s.
Works in the collection span video, film, single- and multi-channel moving image installation, multimedia environments, performance, sound, and virtual reality. Photography, sculpture, and painting supplement its time-based emphasis. Characterized by an ever-growing technological convergence and an interdisciplinary approach, the collection is unique in its heterogeneity.
Artworks from the collection have been presented in large-scale solo and group exhibitions at the JULIA STOSCHEK COLLECTION in Düsseldorf, Germany (JSC Düsseldorf) since 2007. In 2016, a second exhibition space opened in Berlin (JSC Berlin). Both locations are open to the public on weekends and by appointment. A wide range of public programs, comprised of tours, performances, screenings, lectures, artist talks, and workshops invite visitors and scholars to engage with time-based art on multiple levels and from various perspectives. Accessibility and mediation are central to the collection’s mission. Beginning in fall 2019, the collection will be gradually made available online, eventually leading to an open access digital collection platform.
The JULIA STOSCHEK COLLECTION welcomes requests to lend artworks and contributes to exhibitions around the world. The collection also invites artists and curators to develop projects and commissions. External collaborations with institutions in Germany and abroad also play a vital role. Past collaborations include Berliner Festspiele, Berlin; Deichtorhallen, Hamburg; Kunstsammlung NRW, Düsseldorf; Moderna Museet Malmö, Sweden; MoMA PS1, New York; Performa Biennial, New York; Serpentine Galleries, London; Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel; and ZKM | Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe.
Conservation is central for the collection. Together with artists and galleries, the conservation department has developed and implemented a state-of-the-art long-term archival strategy for time-based works. To ensure long-term conservation, constant monitoring, refreshing, migration, and maintenance help prevent generation loss. This applies to data carriers, the integrity of files, software and hardware, as well as to monitoring whether data formats are becoming obsolete.
As the collection continues to grow, new and emerging positions are added on a regular basis. In addition, artworks and groups of works by artists already represented in the collection are continuously acquired. The JULIA STOSCHEK COLLECTION strives to build long-term, sustainable relationships and collaborations with both artists and galleries.
Public access to the collection is made possible by the support of the JULIA STOSCHEK FOUNDATION. Established by Julia Stoschek in 2017, the foundation is a non-profit organization committed to enabling institutions, researchers, and artists around the globe to produce ambitious programs and pioneering projects in the field of time-based art. The foundation also guarantees the long-term conservation of the collection.
Since 2019, the JULIA STOSCHEK FOUNDATION hosts a yearly summer residency for emerging curators in collaboration with the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College (CCS Bard), culminating in original research and an accompanying collection project. Further educational programs will be developed in coming years to establish the JULIA STOSCHEK COLLECTION as an international hub for the advancement of time-based art.