At regular intervals, artists redesign the café at the GfZK – Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig. Its interior design, name, and sometimes even gastronomic offerings change in the process. The new café was conceived by artist Ruth Buchanan as an outpost of the Artspace Aotearoa The new café was conceived by artist Ruth Buchanan as an outpost of the Artspace Aotearoa where she is currently Kaitohu Director.
Ruth Buchanan’s artistic work includes exhibition-making, writing, design, and teaching. Since November 2022, her practice has primarily been located within Artspace Aotearoa. Founded in 1987 by artists and arts workers, the publicly funded contemporary art gallery is located in the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Each year the entire programme orbits around one central question. In 2024, Artspace Aoteaora asks: “do I need territory?” Taking this question as a point of departure, Buchanan declared GfZK’s café to be an outpost of Artspace Aotearoa and named it after the gallery’s address: 292 Karangahape Road. By transferring details from the artspace’s structure, colours, and graphic design to the café, Buchanan invites visitors to participate in a speculative exchange that unfolds over time between Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Leipzig.
The café’s redesign was realised as part of the INFORM Prize for Conceptual Design 2024, sponsored by Dr Arend Oetker. Situated at the nexus between graphic design and art, the prize has been awarded since 2007.
292 Karangahape Road is run by Max Heyne, Felix Kastl, and Toni Krätzer (TREI GmbH). It is a daytime café serving breakfast, lunch, and coffee and home-baked cakes, as well as a place where guests can come together in the evening for light meals and selected drinks.
Opening hours:
Mon closed
Tue–Sat 9 am–12 am
Sun 9 am–9 pm
Contact Café:
TREI GmbH
Person of contact: Felix Kastl
cafe@gfzk.de
Interior spatial design and graphic concept by Ruth Buchanan with HIT and Andreas Müller, with the exception of the gastronomic offer, tableware, and outdoor setting