Duration: 15 SEP—18 Sep 2022
Opening vernissage with music and painting performance on 15th September 7PM @ Genazareth Church, Herrfurthplatz / Neukoelln, Berlin

It is recommended to come shortly before 7PM as a welcoming performance will happen when the doors open.

With the exhibition “CHURCH OF NOW“ of German Berlin and Bali based artist Ole Ukena the Church of the Genezareth opens its doors to art and contemporary immersive praxis to examine further potentials of the church’s spatial and metaphorical arrangement, already constituted for higher experiences. Ole Ukena’s work is centered around the ‚Flow State‘ — a mental state of immersion, energized focus, full involvement and potential deep enjoyment rooted in being fully present in the “now". Therefore the artist showcases a mixture of textile works, installation, live painting, video and opens up his show to collaborative processes with other visual artists, musicians and the public that will happen during the constantly changing exhibition.

German artist Ole Ukena is based in Bali. After moving there he felt the need to work with textiles and hasn’t stopped since. He uses a range of techniques including hand and machine embroidery, quilting and weaving depending on the piece and has exhibited worldwide including The Centre Pompidou. “I create works that are located in the in-between space of abstraction and figurative exploring hidden tales from the micro and macrocosm.

It’s been a journey and I’m happy to share with you a video by my ultra talented director friend Sasha de Laage. It shows you my journey from my conceptual phase into my current textile work.

What is the primary role of an artist in society? Tell us about your own personal evolution and your ongoing commitment to arts.
An artist’s role in society is a big question. At the very core, I see him as a magician who expresses what couldn’t be expressed in other ways. Artist are here to seduce, inspire, mirror, digest, predict, criticize. It depends on what kind of an artist you are, but all of us are bringing ideas into the material realm to say things we find meaningful.

I am not really sure who started this whole trend of the “suffering artist” and that somehow the self image of a creative person is a lot of time linked to the idea of enduring hardship and pain. Society loves the stories of artists that kill themselves or have some mental issues, then they can stand it front of the work and tell each other the stories of how much suffering went into the creation process as if this would be a sign of excellence.

Vernissage: 1st Dec 13H
Galeria Lume, Sao Paulo
Rua Gumercindo Saraiva, 54
Brasil

ADOLFO MONTEJO NAVAS
ANA VITÓRIA MUSSI
GLARA IANNI
ILÊ SARTUZI
KILIAN GLASNER
NAZARETH PACHECO
OLE UKENA
TIAGO TEBET