The Department for Public Appearances is the name of a group of artists consisting of Peter Boerboom, Gabriele Obermaier, Carola Vogt and Silke Witzsch. The institutional character of the name reflects the nature of the group’s activities, which since 1995 have centred on various areas of public life. In its artistic projects, products and processes the group addresses a wide variety of public phenomena, including institutions and physical appearances, and examines the means and forms of communication involved. In doing so, the Department for Public Appearances makes the language and operational modes employed by public institutions an integral part of their artistic ideas.