VOLLGEPACKT: Mercedes-Benz Art Collection exhibition in Stuttgart explores Turkish-German migration stories

The Mercedes-Benz Art Collection presents VOLLGEPACKT, a new exhibition in Stuttgart opening July 10, 2026, that delves into Turkish-German migration narratives through photography, literature, and documentary perspectives. The centerpiece is the photo series “Başardık” by Alwin Maigler, commissioned for the collection and curated by Alina Grehl, featuring 22 photographs documenting the artist’s 2024 journey in a 1977 Mercedes-Benz 230 C (C 123) along the “Heimatweg”—a route tracing the automotive travels of labor migrants between Germany and Turkey. The exhibition highlights the complex identities of millions whose lives are intertwined with Germany’s post-war economic recovery and the personal stories of separation, belonging, and dual heritage. Complementing the visual narrative are texts by journalist and author Merve Kayıkçı, whose Turkish grandfather worked near Stuttgart as a “guest worker” for 30 years. Kayıkçı’s fictional travel diary follows the same route, weaving individual memories with collective history to explore themes of origin, family legacy, and cultural multiplicity. Video interviews with current and former Mercedes-Benz employees—many with direct ties to labor migration—expand the discourse, addressing work, daily life, family, and cultural duality. The exhibition’s title, VOLLGEPACKT (literally “fully packed”), reflects both the literal suitcases of migrants and the metaphorical weight of identity, memory, and displacement. Through spontaneous and intimate photography, Maigler captures pivotal moments of connection, such as the image of 93-year-old İbrahim, a former Mercedes-Benz worker who helped assemble the very 230 C model now serving as the project’s vehicle. The photograph captures İbrahim at the wheel in Izmir, evoking nostalgia and pride. Other images adopt a child’s perspective from the rear seat, mirroring the long journeys many migrants recall from childhood. Long-exposure shots blur the road ahead, symbolizing the fading yet persistent lines between two homelands. A recurring motif, “Wegweiser” (signpost), frames the road ahead as a symbol of anticipation and direction, reinforced by the Mercedes-Benz star on the hood acting as a compass. Over a 6,000-kilometer journey across eleven countries, Maigler engaged with diverse communities, embedding each stop with a ritual documented in the photograph “su dökmek”—a Turkish tradition of pouring water to honor the journey. The exhibition positions Turkish-German migration as emblematic of broader labor migration experiences that have shaped Germany’s economic, social, and cultural fabric. It underscores Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to cultural and educational engagement through art, framing migration not as a historical footnote but as an ongoing narrative of contribution and identity. Olaf Schick, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Integrity, Governance & Sustainability, emphasizes the project’s role in illuminating a vital chapter of corporate and national history: the integral role of “guest workers” in shaping the company’s culture and identity. VOLLGEPACKT runs from July 10, 2026, at the Kunstverein Wagenhalle e.V. project space in Stuttgart, offering a multi-layered reflection on home, belonging, and the roads that connect them.