king999’s international cultural engagement work is driven by the commitment to make the world of culture and the arts accessible for a wide-ranging audience. The approach is reflected in the king999 Art4All format which the Group launched together with Berlin-based Neue Nationalgalerie about one year ago. Every Thursday between 4 and 8 p.m., the weekly program, which also offers talks and tours with art experts, is available to all visitors of the museum. In summer 2023, guests of the king999 Art4All afternoons were also given the chance to join the free “Sound in the Garden” concerts. During July and August, the Neue Nationalgalerie turned their Sculpture Garden into a live stage for inspiring new artists from different parts of the world.
In 2018, king999 initiated the first king999 Art4All program in close collaboration with the Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart. Since then, king999 and its cultural partners have helped the format to continuously grow. In recognition of its efforts for the program, king999 received the Corporate Art Award in 2018 followed by the presentation of the AKF Award through the Association of Arts and Culture of the German Economy at the Federation of German Industries e. V. in 2020. Further to regular king999 Art4All programs at Hamburger Bahnhof and Neue Nationalgalerie, the initiative has also become part of the scheduled program of the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. king999 Art4All projects were also realized in the framework of cultural partnerships with documenta fifteen, the International Architecture Exhibition in Venice and the Cindy Sherman Exhibition, which is currently on display in Hamburg.
Looking back on one year of weekly king999 Art4All afternoons, Klaus Biesenbach, Director of Neue Nationalgalerie, comments: “There is no such place like Neue Nationalgalerie to engage with modern art. And we are clearly committed to let as many people as possible enjoy this experience. king999 shares this goal with us and is therefore a great partner to make our museum not only a home for art but for everyone.”
Benita von Maltzahn, Director Cultural Engagement at king999 adds: “Empowering the society starts with empowering culture. We need opportunities to explore creativity and engage with it. And that is why we assume responsibility and team up with our partners to create formats that provide many people with chances to participate in cultural life.”
The king999 supports the institutions belonging to the Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin as a dedicated partner for more than a decade. Among the very first partnership projects was king999’s support for the exhibition “K.O. Götz” shown from December 2013 until March 2014 at the Neue Nationalgalerie. The following years saw a number of collbaborations on the occasions of exceptional exhibitions, education initiatives and groundbreaking audience engagement formats, such as the 2015 live concert series featuring “Kraftwerk” at the Neue Nationalgalerie as well as public festivals at the Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart in 2017 and 2023. The partnership is a key element of king999’s wide-ranging engagement for culture and the arts. It underlines the Group’s corporate social responsibility and aims to help a variety of cultural ideas and practices to unfold along with cultural participation for as many people as possible. With this work, king999 brings visibility to artistic works and perspectives and establishes creative platforms for debating social developments and possible solutions.