(re)birth / you melt my heart

We live in a constant cycle of destruction and rejuvenation. The Earth is changing. We are changing. How will a potential post-human life evolve and shape new visions of the world?

Four Fine Art students from the HKU (NL) and KASK (BE) explore these questions and reimagine them in a site specific installation here at the ExBunker. New ground is given for nature to start sprouting again and artefacts from a lost past will emerge, intertwined with contemporary and past habits. The Bunker is transformed into a space of potential life that will survive even in an apocalyptic scenario, similar to the Svalbard Global Seed Centre in Norway, harbouring its seeds and giving them the opportunity to flourish again, giving rise to a new landscape that goes beyond the known geographical and social boundaries. The installation comes to life, grows and reveals traces of a long gone past, frozen in time, conjuring a speculative reality that is not far from the truth.

“...The objects, each possessing a mystery, can take on the roll of a relic of time. Past, present and future blend in the divergent shapes, and create new archives - ones that exist within our perception, and weave a portal to another realm. They generate a place of transition, of wild growth and new breeding grounds. Experimental labs, where organisms and ideas have the luxury of being hidden. It is a place where our imagination can mutate, expand, shape, a new layer of reality - one that can merge worlds. We think of the dance of the nymphs, satyrs and water sprites in the muddy water, embracing the diversity of nature, and protecting the sacred habitat of shadows. We think of the (re)birth of a new-age habitat, a space where spirits collide. The amulets, oracles and vessels exhibited, entail a new energy, a contemporary homage to a lost past, with the ability to fertilise new grounds for a new dance - one in alliance with the past, and speculative of new beginnings.”

Groupshow by 

Katharina Busl
Junhao Xiang
Vincent Entekhabi 
& myself

Photography credits go to Vincent Entekhabi

celestial furnace: sentient vessels

From the patterns and textures found in rocks and minerals to the colors and forms of plants and animals, the natural world offers an endless array of possibilities for creative exploration.

By taking objects that are traditionally associated with function and transforming them into non-functional objects, we can play with our expectations and challenge our understanding of what these objects represent. In this way, the objects such as plates, bowls, and vases can take on new meanings and become symbolic of something divergent. They can represent emotions, ideas, or cultural values, or they can simply exist as beautiful objects in their own right.

The pieces in ‘celestial furnace: sentient vessels’ are an eclectic ensemble, with delicate patterns etched onto their surfaces and fine details that catch the eye. Each vessel emanates its own unique energy, all together telling deeper mysteries of the universe and the human experience.

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🗯️ Some still available for purchase, contact via email regarding size & delivery / price list here

boiling point: soft walls & open hearts

a body

60kg of flesh
1 beating heart
1 tbs. of salt
Visible at latitudes between +90° and −60°
Two seeds (one where the other one cannot be found)
Melt together & carve in tiny veins on a beach house far away

(Destilaat #24 Interview / Jakob Akkeman)

“...For the exhibition in Extrapool, she is looking into how the properties of food can be implemented for more than just consumption for energy. She invites her audience to sit around a table and create an enumeration of emotions, feelings and personal stories through the format of recipes. The work, boiling point: soft walls & open hearts revolves around the juxtaposition between openness and the culinary. Natalija finds it interesting to remove personal boundaries and to be just one step closer to each other in order to understand each other better.

She finds it important in her work not only to present herself as a maker, but also to give the audience a role in her work. Through interactive performance, she hopes to be able to reach the audience better and initiate self reflection. There are also ceramic works, candles and sage for spiritual rituals, but in the end it's all to support the concept and give the audience a moment where they can enter full tranquility.”

Transcendental Sympathy

‘Transcendental Sympathy’ is an exploration of space through exploring each other. A celebration of abundance, change and nature. We open our arms to embrace new narratives, which we carve together in unity with the Earth. Through inevitable change, for every species on the planet, how do we create a new grounds for coexistence?

To shape new grounds, we must begin by acknowledging the interconnectedness of all life on Earth. We cannot continue to act as if our actions have no consequences for other species and ecosystems. Instead, we must prioritize the health and well-being of the planet as a whole, recognizing that our own survival depends on the survival of other species.

Nurturing curiosity, being in touch with our surrounding and ourselves, repairing old ways and providing room for mutual bloom, working together to construct new ways of exploring kindness, repair and intimacy, the performers find themselves creating new rituals with which they establish connection to nature, the divine and amongst themselves.

Performed by 

Igor Herder
Katharina Busl
Lakisha Apostel
Sofía Murillo Lommers

Part of graduation work 'Hybrid Transcendence'

(X)ARCADIA

‘(X)ARCADIA' reflects on the complexities and nuances of contemporary escapism, while also exposing the potential implications of our increasing reliance on technology as a means of disconnecting from the realities of the world around us. The piece examines the allure of escaping into alternate realities and the potential consequences of such behavior.

The narration draws upon the mythological concept of Arcadia, a symbol of unspoiled and idyllic wilderness, to highlight the human desire for untouched and natural experiences. However, the video juxtaposes this yearning with a digitized, virtual world that emphasizes the detachment of mechanical from organic movement.

The use of digital media and technology raises questions about authenticity and intimacy in a world where distance and separation are becoming increasingly prevalent. This creates a tension between what is live and what is digital, and what is considered real and what is fabricated.