Der Palast des typografischen Mauerwerks

The exhibition Palast des typografischen Mauerwerks (“Palace of Typographic Masonry”) at Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, that started in February 2025, opens a multifaceted view of the graphic design discipline: from basic graphic elements, their interplay in compositions and designs, to tools, techniques, design methods, and the professional practice amidst considerations of space, time, clients, and audience. The traveling exhibition by Dutch graphic designer Richard Niessen illustrates the poetic and visual power of graphic design, its cultural influence, political impact and its ability to convey societal values and ideals.

Reflecting on his own professional practice, Richard Niessen collects and describes visual artifacts from diverse temporal and cultural contexts. His thematic compilations reveal surprising new layers of meaning, inviting designers to expand his collection with their own works and visual commentaries. For the exhibition, Niessen designs a scenography characterized by intelligent minimalism and visual playfulness, embodying the essence of Dutch graphic design. To depict the boundless diversity of visual cultures, Niessen develops the narrative of an infinite imaginary architecture: the Palace of Typographic Masonry. Its unfolding rooms, wings, corridors and chambers provide a discursive space where linear histories are disrupted and new perspectives emerge.

Der Palast des typografischen Mauerwerks

When?
February 22nd, 2025 to May 11th, 2025

Where?
Museum für Angewandte Kunst,
Schaumainkai 17,
60594 Frankfurt am Main

Further information here.

Photos by Günzel&Rademacher and Joost van Asch.