MISHPOCHA

What does family mean: a group of people who are related to one other? A circle of friends who all share the same outlook on life, a community that grows out of creative collaboration?

Musician Mike Diamond has an answer to these questions, and it’s connected to the story of his band, the Beastie Boys: “We were only able to get this far thanks to all the amazing people we met and worked with along the way.” With their crossover of jazz, punk, and hip hop, as well as their synthesis of music, fashion, and art, the three Jewish kids from New York went on to become international stars. Based on conversations with Mike Diamond about family, background, community, and artistic collaboration, Atelier Markgraph, the IMA Clique, and the Jewish Museum created the interdisciplinary project MISHPOCHA—which makes the case for creative collaboration. It will now take place as part of Frankfurt’s and the Rhine-Main region’s year as World Design Capital, the theme of which is “Design for Democracy: Atmospheres for a Better Life.”

MISHPOCHA: THE ART OF COLLABORATION reinterprets the Yiddish term “Mishpoche” as a symbol for artistic networking and for solidarity beyond the biological family. The interdisciplinary project brings together contemporary artists, musicians, and creative industries to strengthen collaborative processes and a sense of community. MISHPOCHA invites participants to look past their differences and rethink family as a creative community that celebrates collaboration and practices democracy.

The heart of the project is an exhibition of contemporary art and participatory installations opening in April 2026 at the Jewish Museum. These vibrant, pop-cultural, interactive works will be complemented by a wide-ranging MISHPOCHA program featuring open stages, workshops, and partner exhibitions. The project is set to spread throughout Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region through the autumn of 2026, accompanied by an eponymous magazine.

The exhibition opens with a specially developed sound installation that explores the broad range of meanings and associations of the word “Mishpoche” (Yiddish for family). Visitors can hear various voices responding to the following questions spoken in different languages: What does Mishpoche mean? What role does family play in your life? And what experiences and ideas does the word evoke for you?

The second room presents drawings, paintings, conceptual art, photographs, and video works that delve into family histories. These contemporary works revolve around memories of migration and exile, alienation, new languages, and the search for a place that can become home. Mementos and heirlooms play a central role in the works, as do experiences of loss, of a mother or grandmother, for instance. Together, the works touch upon universal questions of origin, belonging, and memory.

The largest room in the exhibition is an explosion of the senses. It consists of an interactive multimedia installation that immerses the viewer in the spirit of musical subculture. Large-scale projections and immersive sound bring punk, the Riot Grrrls movement, techno, and hip-hop to life—scenes that were formative for the Beastie Boys.

At the center of the room is a large mixing console that invites visitors to help shape the sound, color, and light of the immersive 360-degree installation. Contemporary artworks hung in the anteroom and on the walls celebrate community spirit, social cohesion, and the interplay between life and art.

In the last room, the public is invited to become their own creators of electronic music. A studio atmosphere offers visitors digital equipment and sample-based technology and invites them to experiment. Making music together transforms people into a creative community—and enables them to form their own mishpoche.

MISHPOCHA: THE ART OF COLLABORATION also ventures out into public space: Deborah Kass’s sculpture OY/YO is already on display in the museum’s forecourt; concerts and happenings are planned around the city. Two partner exhibitions at other locations extend the MISHPOCHA universe into the larger Rhine-Main region. The Kunsthaus Wiesbaden will present works by Argentinian artist and photographer Marcelo Brodsky, while The Opel Villas Rüsselsheim will host the exhibition “Under the Skin: Focus on Tattoos,” featuring works by Jan Zappner, who is also part of MISHPOCHA.

We would like to thank the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Cultural Fund, World Design Capital, the Commerzbank Foundation, the Georg and Franziska Speyer University Foundation, the Ernst Max von Grunelius Foundation and the Dr. Hans Feith and Dr. Elisabeth Feith Foundation.