Ole Ukena toys with his own childhood memories as a means to provoke meaningful examination of adult values and of the art world.  As a conceptual artist, he interweaves a wide variety of media including text, video, photography, drawing, sculpture and documentary film. Ukena’s work in diverse media takes various forms, bound by common thread: an unfolding dance between challenging, artistic practice and innocent questioning of the “is-ness” of our world.

Ukena’s dance mesmerizes as the juvenile forms an unlikely, impactful partnership with the spiritually refined.  With a wink and a nudge, youthful, playful enthusiasm confronts buttoned-up “maturity”. At times poetically narrative, while at other moments more purposefully reduced, Ukena frequently uses language as a tool to build riddles that await completion in the viewer’s mind.  The choice of material often becomes a metaphor that challenges status quo. The play ever continues while the underlying message invites ongoing personal reflection.

As founder and conceptual mastermind of CRE8 Foundation, he engages professional artists and kids worldwide to create collaborative artworks. The workshops and exhibitions draw on collaborative creativity to verify the power and richness that lies in valuing diversity and authentic self-expression rather than conformity.

CV

Ole Ukena
*1983 in Göttingen
lives and works in Berlin, Bangkok & Bogotà

Education
2004-2009  University of Fine Arts, Berlin / Class of  Lothar Baumgarten, Hito Steyerl & Daniel Richter
2010  Master of Fine Arts with Prof. Lothar Baumgarten

Affiliations
2006 Founder & Creative Director of the Nonprofit Organisation CRE8 Foundation
2005 Founder &  Director of Spielraum Gallery, Berlin

Teaching
2011 Collaborative Art Workshops in  with CRE8 Foundation in India & Thailand
2010 Collaborative Art Workshops  with CRE8 Foundation in India,Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Spain & Germany
2010 Ramana´s Garden School Rishikesh, India / Workshop leader Photography & Video
2010 Gymnasium Brandenburg, Germany / Art & Improvisation Workshop leader
2009 Goethe Institut Novosibirsk, Russia
2006 Guest Dozent at Hunsrück School, Berlin
2006  Videoworkshops for Youth, FEZ Berlin
2004 Assistant Art Teacher at Glen Avon Elementary, Los Angeles CA

Selected Exhibitions

2011
Hors Pistes, Centre Pompidou  |  Paris, France
Hetik, DST Gallery  |  Münster, Germany
So weit. So gut.  DST Gallery  |  Münster, Germany

2010
Chambres a Part IV,  La Reserve |   Paris
Something Strange Happened Here,  Tattinger Collection |  Brussels, Belgium
Meisterschülerausstellung , University of the Arts |  Berlin, Germany
Collaborative Communication,  Ramanas Garden Gallery |  Rishikesh, India
Souvenirs on Earth , Palais de Tokyo | Paris, France

2009
Kunsthalle: Deutschland nach Portland,  Homeland Gallery |  Portland, USA
Chambres a Part III,  La Reserve |  Paris, France
FRESH, DasHotel Gallery |  Berlin, Germany
Flashback (Solo Exhibition), DST Galerie |  Münster, Germany
Absolventenasutellung, University of Fine Arts |  Berlin, Germany
Ausgangspositionen II, DST Galerie | Münster, Germany
Clicks & Crayons, Ramanas Garden |  Rishikesh, India

2008
Loop Video Festival | Barcelona, Spain
Rundgang, University of fine Arts| Berlin, Germany
25frames, Spielraum Gallery | Berlin, Germany

2007
Mmm,Berlin. Ääh, Kunst. Danke, gut. Okay, bis dann, Spielraum Gallery |  Berlin, Germany
4. Berliner Kunstsalon, Art Fair |  Berlin, Germany
Rundgang, University of fine Arts|  Berlin, Germany
Fabrikneu, Spielraum Gallery | Berlin, Germany

2006
Trauma & Art – shards of delineating absence, Spielraum Gallery |  Berlin, Germany
Wanted , Galerie L´Espace |  Berlin, Germany

2005
Whatever this is, Premise Gallery |  San Diego, USA

 

FILMOGRAPHY

2011 Breath of a Trumpet, 28’12″ (HD)
2009 Important message from a parallel universe, 2’36″ (HD)
2009 Planet Littlewonder, 10’29″, (HD)
2008 Through Kids Eyes, 45’00″, Documentary (HD)
2007 Spieltrieb On Tour, 42’22″, Documentary (HD)
2006 Dada Wegweg, 43’18″, Documentary (HD)
2009 Bad, 6’09″ (HD)
2004-2007 Don´t Worry, 3’51″ (DV)
2006 Mlif Reschlaf, 20’52″ (DV)
2004 Y+Y, 3’25″ (DV)
2004 IDABIBADI, 2’00″ (DV)
2004 H.T.S. vs S.T.H, 1’28″ (DV)
2004 Dualitäten des Seins, 1’00″ (DV)