Alicja Kwade
Alicja Kwade, born in Katowice (PL) lives and works in Berlin. Her sculptures, installations and works on paper question scientific and philosophical concepts by dissolving boundaries that seem to exist. With strategies such as mirroring, repetition and transformation of everyday materials, she explores reality and our idea of the world.
Manifesta 16 Ruhr takes place across Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bochum. The Manifesta 16+ Programme presents projects by local artists and initiatives in Dortmund, Herne, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Marl, Bottrop, Essen, Bochum, Gelsenkirchen, Duisburg and Oberhausen.
In the far north of Essen the former St. Marien Church forms a striking landmark in the cityscape. Built between 1961 and 1963 by architect Hans Schilling it is an architectural response to the identity of the Ruhr Area.
The design of St. Marien is characterised by distinct references to industrial culture. The church – with its dark brick facade and the high proportions of the sanctuary – consciously evokes the architecture of the Malakow towers. These fortress-like winding towers of early mining shaped the face of the region for generations. In this way, the building emphasises the inseparable link between sacred construction and the industrial past of the neighbourhood.
Inside, the heavy brick aesthetic is broken up by the expressionist stained-glass windows by artist Manfred Ott. His playful and abstract window cycles add another layer to the vast space, a contrast to the strict architecture of post-war modernism.
Address:
St. Marien
Meersternweg 10, 45329
Essen