Südpfeil
permanent
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| free admission |
| Outdoor space, north façade, Humboldt Forum |
With Südpfeil (“Southern Arrow”), the award‑winning Berlin architect and artist Jürgen Mayer H. installed an almost four‑metre‑long bronze‑coloured arrow into the north façade of the Humboldt Forum – an intervention that immediately catches the eye and raises questions. Inspired by the phenomenon of the so‑called “arrow storks” (Pfeilstörche) – migratory birds that first made global migration routes visible by returning with African arrows lodged in their plumage – Südpfeil engages with cultural and colonial references and sets a striking accent within the façade.
According to the artist and architect, the arrow “points to the tensions between industrialized nations and the former colonies of the Global South, tensions that continue to resonate today in economic, cultural, and political contexts. It stands not only for historical injustices, but also for contemporary challenges of global inequality and the need for a just reconciliation.”
The work is the eighth and final Kunst‑am‑Bau (art‑in‑architecture) commission at the Humboldt Forum and emerged from an open, anonymous competition with 130 submissions.
The jury praised the proposal for the work’s minimalist simplicity and subtlety, which stands in deliberate contrast to the massive building volume into which the arrow pierces.
“This intervention brings together historical, cultural, and artistic aspects and addresses colonial history and its consequences. The manner of design and the integration of the work into the façade invite viewers to reflect on the past, present, and future of the site. It is a work of art that provokes through its ambivalence, questions established perspectives, and at the same time encourages reflection. (…) The work integrates into the overall appearance without dominating the original design, yet nevertheless succeeds in conveying a strong conceptual statement. With Südpfeil, the artist achieves a precise artistic intervention that is not didactic and, without an elaborate theoretical superstructure, invites both intellectual and emotional responses. (…) What makes this work exceptional, beyond its interpretive power, ambivalence, multiplicity of meanings, and openness, is that – through both its inviting gesture and its aggressive danger – it can be further thought through and expanded on all levels.”