The Austrian conceptual artist Merlin Bauer (*1974) lives and works in Cologne since 1999.

Over the past twenty-five years, Merlin Bauer has developed various approaches through projects such as ‘Unter dem Pflaster der Strand – Momentane Orte’ (Beneath the Pavement of the Strand – Temporary Places), ‘Ihr seid Künstler und wir nicht!’ (‘You Are Artists and We Are Not!’) and ‘Mit dem Maultier durch Köln – In öffentlichen Angelegenheiten unterwegs’ (‘Through Cologne by Mule – On the Move in Public Affairs’), which stimulate lively public debate on how to engage with established urban, architectural and cultural-political structures.

The project, titled “Liebe deine Stadt – Architektur & Demokratie” (Love thy City – Architecture & Democracy), emerged in response to the threat of demolition of the city’s opera and theatre complex. Designed by the architect Wilhelm Riphahn, this iconic post-war modernist building faced a similar fate to other significant cultural buildings in Cologne from this era, such as the Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle on Neumarkt.

With the installation of the 26-metre-wide, 4-metre-high sculpture “Liebe deine Stadt” (Love thy City) near the Schauspielhaus in 2007 and the associated project, Merlin Bauer manifested a lasting call to take a closer look, recognise qualities and counter a lack of respect and knowledge.

Since 2024, Merlin Bauer has once again been focusing heavily on photography, working on his extensive series "Grand Tour". These new photographic works will be presented for the first time in July 2026 at the "Les Rencontres Photography Festival" in Arles. A publication on the subject is also in preparation.

In 2025, the KOLUMBA Museum acquired several of Merlin Bauer's key artworks with the support of the Kunststiftung NRW and other partners. The "Strandbox" from the project "Unter dem Pflaster der Strand – Momentane Orte" and the "Liebe deine Stadt" – Museum are now among the collection's focal points. The KAP Cologne Architecture Prize was awarded to both of these in 2003 and 2017, respectively.

From 2004 to 2008, Bauer was a fellow of the Kölnischer Kunstverein and the Imhoff Foundation. From 2006 to 2009 and again in 2014 and 2025, he was also a fellow of the Kunststiftung NRW. In 2021, he received a one-year working grant from the Kunstfonds Bonn Foundation.

Merlin Bauer is an associate member of the Bund Deutscher Architekten BDA (Association of German Architects).