“Wa! Germany – The Expo Comes to Germany”
For the first time, the exhibition of a German pavilion goes on tour through Germany after the end of Expo: with “Wa! Germany – The Expo Comes to Germany”, we bring the German Pavilion of Expo 2025 Osaka back home. We have translated the idea of national pavilions into a mobile format and set off on a nationwide tour. Commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, we are responsible for the concept, organisation and implementation of the tour.
Travelling Exhibition German Pavilion Expo 2025
Client: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE)
Year: 2026–2027
Museums and Exhibitions
From Osaka back home
From 13 April to 13 October 2025, Expo 2025 took place in Osaka, Japan, under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, with around 150 participating countries. Under the title “Wa! Germany”, the German Pavilion focused on the circular economy and welcomed around 3 million visitors over its entire run. The exhibits of a German World Expo pavilion are thus transferred into a new context beyond the Expo and themselves become an example of the circular economy.
Six exhibits on the circular economy
From the projects that could be experienced in the pavilion in Osaka, we selected six hands-on exhibits and prepared them for mobile use. They range from circular construction and hydrogen technologies to technology-based agriculture, urban food production and new materials for the fashion industry. Each exhibit follows the communication principle that already proved itself in Osaka: an introductory text panel presents the project, an interactive application makes it playfully tangible – as a multiplayer game, as a pinball machine or with an augmented mirror for virtually trying on new materials – and short films then explain concrete projects and innovations from Germany.
The Circulars
In Osaka, the Circulars were the communicative heart of the exhibition. As a further development of the classic audio guide, these interactive audio guides create an intuitive, personal experience and convey the principles of the circular economy in a likeable, playful and yet well-founded way. They play a central role in the travelling exhibition as well: they structure the visit, provide orientation and open up low-threshold access to complex topics.
Der virtuelle Pavillon
In addition to the physical exhibits, the exhibition offers digital stations where visitors can explore the German Pavilion virtually and discover further content from Expo 2025. The travelling exhibition does not see itself as a retrospective, but as a platform for innovative projects from Germany and for exchange and networking at every single stop.
The Tour
The travelling exhibition visits ten cities. After its opening at the Japanese-German Center Berlin (JDZB) (29 April to 29 May 2026), it travelled on to Stuttgart (10 to 30 June, Haus der Wirtschaft Baden-Württemberg), Munich (23 July to 17 August, Deutsches Museum), Cologne (24 August to 25 September, as part of the Cologne Climate Festival) and Hamburg (4 to 18 October, Bezirksamt Hamburg-Mitte). Since 25 October, it can be seen in Hanover (until 15 December, EXPOSEEUM). In 2027, it continues to Dresden (21 January to 12 February, Saxon State Ministry of Finance), Jena (18 February to 12 March, Stationenpark Jena of Imaginata e.V.), Wismar (18 March to 16 April, phanTECHNIKUM, Technical State Museum of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) and Gelsenkirchen (23 April to 17 October, International Garden Exhibition 2027 in the Zukunftsgarten Nordsternpark). From 23 October 2027, the exhibition will then be on permanent display at the EXPOSEEUM Hanover.