Black-and-red all around at 22nd Leverkusen Art Night

Highlights from many decades

In a place where fans usually gather to get in the mood for Werkself matches – and where black and red are the dominant colours – a different sort of crowd was present this time. ‘Art in Fan Culture’ was the theme at Stadioneck. Shortly after it opened at 6 pm, people began streaming into the small pub area. The photographs on display, depicting tifos from the past three decades, provided a fascinating overview of the development of a unique art form. From the modest beginnings in the mid-1990s with simple cardboard signs to the technically sophisticated LED installation of a 15-by-15-metre Bayer cross and the impressive championship choreography following the 2024 title win: At Stadioneck, many people saw for the first time the full artistic range that the Leverkusen fan scene has to offer. “That’s the beauty of tonight: we’re getting to know lots of new people who’ve never before engaged with tifos as an art form,” said Nils Peters of Ultras Leverkusen, who are usually responsible for planning and executing the choreographed displays. “It’s brilliant to chat to people who have no idea how much time and effort goes into it.”

They were on display not only on the exhibition walls but also on a large screen: the two ‘Goatbusters’ choreographed displays, with warm regards to our neighbours in the Rhineland; the spectacular show in the stands during club legend Stefan Kießling’s final match; the impressive fan performance in the stands at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium during the 2024 DFB Cup final; and many other highlights besides. Florian, a qualified roofer and carpenter and one of many creative minds in the Bayer 04 fan scene, demonstrated over the course of the evening outside the Stadioneck how a design is transferred onto large lengths of fabric. It was a fascinating insight into the production process, which often takes months to complete.

black and red fashion at the Schwadbud

The results of a long period of artistic creation could also be viewed a few hundred metres away from Stadioneck. At the Schwadbud, students from the Academy of Fashion & Design in Düsseldorf (AMD) exhibited their work under the theme ‘Disrupted Sportswear’. Discarded sportswear from Bayer 04 is transformed into art. Jerseys, scarves, training jackets and sweatpants, T-shirts: the club provided the materials, and the students developed and designed concepts using them. The result is outfits that place tradition and the Bayer 04 identity in a new, fashionable context. Not for everyday wear. more of a high-fashion line. And the Schwadbud, with its museum-like atmosphere, provided the perfect setting for the exhibition. “A lovely contrast to the old photos on the walls – although I think our club’s history has also been captured very well in these outfits here,” said Bayer 04 fan Simone, who was particularly impressed by the “No Tradition Since 1904” (Keine Tradition Seit 1904) ​design, which drew on the fashion of that era. Sketchbooks and booklets provided insights into the making of the exhibits. During a photoshoot at the BayArena, models wore the upcycled garments; these life-size images were also part of the exhibition.

At times, it was a little crowded in the Schwadbud; the turnout was huge. It wasn’t just the extraordinary fashion on display. The superhero collage by the championship team, displayed on canvas or on a stadium seat, also attracted a lot of interest. In addition, many visitors took the opportunity to visit the Fanwelt, which had extended its opening hours.

journey through time with Vollborn

Anyone leaving the BayArena afterwards only had to walk a few metres to find themselves once again immersed in the club’s history. In the clubhouse of Lev-Szene 86, Bayer 04’s honorary captain Rüdiger Vollborn chatted at length about the old days. The legendary goalkeeper had brought along 26 shirts, which served as the starting point for many of his stories. The small bar area was packed to the rafters; with all its pictures and fan memorabilia, it provided the perfect setting for ‘Rudi Relates’. Vollborn has now been working for Bayer 04 for 45 years. And, of course, the man with an amazing memory can still vividly recall his first Bundesliga appearance for the Werkself. He naturally brought along his goalkeeper’s shirt from that match against FC Bayern Munich in the summer of 1983. The kit he wore when they won their first DFB-Pokal ten years later is also on display – though not the original, which hangs in the Schwadbud. “My favourite shirt,” says Vollborn, “because it was so loose-fitting and I didn’t like playing in tight shirts.” He brought along some plain ones and some garishly colourful ones. Not all of them are of artistic value, of course. But every shirt has its own story.

Of course, this evening isn’t just about shirts. The club historian talks about his time as a goalkeeping coach and about René Adler, who lived with the Vollborn family for a few years. The discussion also takes us much further back in time, right back to the 1960s. “The older guests can reminisce, whilst the younger ones learn something new – there’s something for everyone,” Vollborn said with a twinkle in his eye. Sitting opposite him this evening was Uwe Miserius. The photographer and artist, who works for the Rheinische Post newspaper and others, exhibited portraits of 14 members of the Lev-Szene 86 as part of the Art Night. The fan club celebrated its 40th anniversary at the end of last season and was now taking part in Leverkusen’s Art Night for the third time. The premises, furnished with great attention to detail, also serve as a small Bayer 04 museum. “And it’s particularly at the Art Night that we don’t just get great feedback,” says chairman Marco Giese. “What makes these evenings so special are the encounters with people, some of whom don’t know us yet, who are amazed and strike up a conversation with us.”

Martin Kowatzki, Bayer 04 staffer and artist

Marvelling, striking up a conversation – that was also the focus at the Schlebusch branch of Heicken Optik. This is where Martin Kowatzki exhibited his works. A native of Leverkusen, he has been a coach and kit man at Bayer 04 for many years - and a passionate jersey collector. But he is also an artist. His ‘Championship Collage’, created after the club’s first title win in 2024 – featuring numerous photos, fan stickers and newspaper headlines – found many enthusiastic buyers, not just amongst the players and coaching staff. Kowatzki donates the proceeds from the prints to social projects in the town.

But art relating to Bayer 04 makes up only a tiny fraction of his artistic output. In the Schlebusch pedestrian zone, Kowatzki has now showcased his wide-ranging body of work: collages featuring a vast array of themes, materials and motifs. From Kurt Cobain to Barack Obama to Queen Elizabeth. Abstract and very concrete. Provocative and deconstructive. Large-scale works and small ones. “I took art as an A-level at school; art has always been important to me. It’s a meditative, creative process that somehow has to come out of me. A hobby, no more and no less,” says Kowatzki.

He, too, found himself chatting with art enthusiasts time and again that evening. Just like his friend Jens Lagemann, who was exhibiting alongside him. Two years ago, Lagemann created a 400-square-metre painting on the A1 motorway in Leverkusen – also depicting the championship-winning team. An adaptation of the artwork was also on display as a diorama on Friday evening and attracted a great deal of attention.

Bayer 04 and art – as this 22nd Leverkusen Art Night has once again demonstrated – go hand in hand.