Möglich Unvorhersehbar
St. Josef Church, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
June 19 – October 4 of 2026
50 x 8,5 x 15,40 m
Within the framework of the Manifesta 16 Biennial, and taking into account the geographical and symbolic context of the curatorial proposal, Penique productions proposes an installation in the church of Saint Josef, in Gelsenkirchen.
The work consists of a large blue inflatable that occupies the central nave of the church, establishing a dialogue with the architecture of the space. Inside, the installative nature of the piece can be experienced, with the plastic unifying the space through texture and colour, while a layer of beach sand anchors Curro Claret’s benches. From the outside, the sculptural version of the work reveals its inflatable nature through the bulges that form between the columns.
The central idea of the piece, in keeping with the Biennial’s project, is to transform the church into a space for the use and enjoyment of the local population; a space open to the public, open to being inhabited in whatever way people feel it should be inhabited and used; a terrain vague, in the words of Ignasi Solà-Morales; a space of possibilities and uncertainties; a space open to being open; an empty, open space where anything can happen, as long as the work is respected.
A work that deactivates the church and generously offers it to the local public, so that they can make it their own, use it, and enjoy it.
