Press event: Presenting the new “Art in architecture” work Südpfeil at the Humboldt Forum

Dear members of the press,

Südpfeil (Southern Arrow), a bronze arrow of almost four metres in length piercing the northern facade of the Humboldt Forum, is an intervention by the award-winning Berlin architect and artist Jürgen Mayer H. that immediately catches the eye and raises questions. Inspired by the phenomenon of “arrow storks” – migratory birds with African arrows in their plumage who provided the first ever visible evidence of avian migration paths around the world – Südpfeil addresses cultural and colonial points of reference while adding a distinctive note to the facade. In explaining its decision, the jury commented: “This work is special not just for its abundance of significance, its ambivalent approach, its ambiguity, and its accessibility, but also because it can be reinterpreted at multiple levels, symbolizing a welcoming gesture as much as it does a pugnacious threat.”

This artwork is the eighth and final “Art in Architecture” project at the Humboldt Forum. The open and anonymous competition attracted 130 entries.

Now that Südpfeil has been mounted on the facade, Jürgen Mayer H. would like to introduce the work to you himself at a presentation also attended by Hartmut Dorgerloh, the general director of the Humboldt Forum. So we would like to take this opportunity to invite you to a press event and photo opportunity on:

Wednesday, 15 April 2026, at 11 am
Schlossplatz (the northern facade facing Lustgarten, near the corner of the eastern facade)

We would be delighted if you are interested in attending; please let us know by 14 April 2026 with an e-mail to [email protected].