What happens when social criticism meets artistic exaggeration? Alongside the exhibition project SPACES OF FREEDOM: Between change and resistance, Kunstmuseum Bonn is presenting a special exhibition devoted to the renowned satirist and artist Jacques Tilly (born in Düsseldorf in 1963). It explores the importance of carnival as a vital sphere of social freedom within our democracy.

At a time when the space for public debate is becoming increasingly restricted, the exhibition focuses on the central concern of Tilly’s work: the fight to preserve the freedom of artistic provocation and criticism. Known internationally for his uncompromising and often deliberately shocking designs for Düsseldorf Carnival, Jacques Tilly transforms the museum into a laboratory of criticism and resistance. His floats and figures take aim at political power structures, religious institutions and social injustice – pointedly, humorously and without compromise. In doing so, they spark debates that extend far beyond carnival itself and remind us of the importance of freedom of expression and the right to criticise in an open society.

The exhibition features models of Tilly’s large sculptures from several decades, together with design drawings, photographs, films and press reports. It spans works dating from the period of West Germany and the country’s division to recent international responses to his work – ranging from enthusiastic acclaim to protests, attempts at censorship and foreign persecution.

Jacques Tilly, born in Düsseldorf in 1963, studied communication design and has been shaping the image of the political carnival since the 1980s. With his internationally acclaimed parade floats, he is one of Germany’s best-known satirical artists. A Moscow court recently (on 2 April 2026) sentenced the artist to 8.5 years’ imprisonment for “defamation of state institutions” and banned him from working for four years.

Thumbnail: Jacques Tilly, Putin und die Satire, 2026, © Jacques Tilly