121 ARTISTS FROM ALL CONTINENTS EACH DESIGN A COLUMN
A hall of art in the midst of nature, supported by over 121 individually designed columns, created by internationally renowned artists from around the world: artist Bernd Zimmer pursued this idea for more than 35 years.
In the heart of Bavaria’s Pfaffenwinkel region, close to the banks of the River Ammer, on a meadow used for agriculture not far from the village of Polling, stands an open portico: STOA169. Artists from every continent were selected to design one column each. Like an archive of contemporary art, the columns support the shared roof of STOA169.
Bernd Zimmer developed the idea for this project back in 1990 during a trip through southern India. The impressive porticoes of Hindu temples, where each column is individually shaped, inspired him to create STOA169: STOA169 sends a joint message of peaceful coexistence, solidarity, international understanding and respect for nature worldwide.
Visitors can reach the portico on foot or by bike. From the car park near the railway crossing, it is about a 15-minute walk through beautiful surroundings along a path suitable for agricultural use, following the Ammer river upstream to a bend in the river. There, the portico comes into view. ‘It is important to me that the uniqueness of nature can be perceived at the same time as art in this place,’ says Bernd Zimmer.
