The Oldenburg Kunstverein is one of the oldest art associations in Germany. It was founded in 1843 and has played a key part in the cultural life of the city and the surrounding region since then. It initiates and cultivates current debate on art and cultural politics among the ca. 300,000 to 500,000 people in its sphere of influence. It made itself open to the art of the former socialist states very early on and to a remarkable extent, and it already demonstrated a keen interest in photography at a time when the medium was still viewed with scepticism as an independent artistic genre. In accordance with its mission to mediate contemporary art, the exhibitions of the OKV focus on national and international trends in art development.