Dear art enthusiasts,

We cordially invite you to the artist talk with sculptor Ben Greber and a curators' tour of the current exhibition "New Memories – El Arbi Bouqdib Archive" with Eleonora Frolov and JMH Schindele on Saturday, 21 September 2024, at 4 PM, as well as to the closing event on 5 October.

Sculptor Ben Greber specializes in exploring the relationship between industrial and sacred objects. His works often combine relics and everyday objects, which he transforms into "memory machines" to address digitalization and alienation in modern society. Greber frequently selects subtle, inconspicuous materials to question the invisibility of many societal processes. He is known for his sculptural works that blend industrial forms with the aesthetics of the sacred. Greber has exhibited at prestigious institutions such as the Marta Museum in Herford, the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum in Ludwigshafen, and Konschthal in Esch.

For "New Memories", Ben Greber's work "Mr. & Mrs. Bouqdib" focuses on the relationship between the unequal pair El Arbi and Maggie Bouqdib. Greber has selected objects from the archive representing both of them, which he has combined into an impressive new memory.

The EBA (El Arbi Bouqdib Archive) is a unique autopoietic archive and a multi-author project. Nine artists are creating new works from the estate of Moroccan mathematician, poet, cyberpunk, and Quran scholar El Arbi Bouqdib, which serve as "New Memories" of this mysterious hermetic figure.

We look forward to your participation and a stimulating exchange with Ben Greber about his artistic engagement with the Bouqdib Archive.

Curator-guided tour and artist talk with sculptor Ben Greber
on Sunday, 24 August 2024 and on Saturday, 21 September 2024, at 4 PM
Book a free ticket here

Finissage of the exhibition "New Memories (El Arbi Bouqdib Archive)"
On Sunday, 5 October, 2024 | 6 - 10 PM
Book a free ticket here

Best regards,
Eleonora Frolov and JMH Schindele

How to find us

Please note that the exhibition and performance venue Pumpwerk Berlin (am Pumpwerk 4, 12524 Berlin) is in Grünau. The journey from Alexanderplatz takes around 55 minutes. We therefore recommend that you allow sufficient time for this.

NEW MEMORIES
EL ARBI BOUQDIB ARCHIVE

Artists: Sergey Bratkov, Elshan Ghasimi, Ben Greber, Markus Hoffmann, Michal Martychowiec, Patrick Panetta, Max Schaffer, Stark & Shakupa

Curated by Eleonora Frolov and JMH Schindele
Concept and initiative: JMH Schindele

Runtime: 18. August – 5. October 2024, Saturday and Sunday, 3 - 8 PM
Address: Pumpwerk Berlin, Am Pumpwerk 4, 12524 Berlin

Exhibition Opening + Events

NEW MEMORIES

EL ARBI BOUQDIB ARCHIVE

Dear reader,

We are delighted to invite you to the opening of the "New Memories" exhibition, which will be celebrated with a grand summer festival at Pumpwerk Berlin. Join us for a charming cultural afternoon with delicious tarte flambée and exquisite Crémant.

Take the opportunity to explore the nearby Tuschkastensiedlung, designed by the renowned Swiss modernist architect and pioneer Bruno Taut. Afterwards, you can visit the enchanting Art Nouveau Café Liebig on Regattastraße, which has delighted guests since 1870.

The highlight of your outing will undoubtedly be immersing yourself in the world of the "New Memories" exhibition. The official guest reception, with the artists in attendance, will occur at 6 PM.

As we are guests on private grounds with a park, we kindly ask you to register yourself and your friends for free here.

Warm regards,

Eleonora Frolov & JMH Schindele

About the exhibition

"NEW MEMORIES" - EL ARBI BOUQDIB ARCHIVE (EBA) showcases new artworks drawn from an autopoietic archive by nine authors from visual art, film, and music fields. New memories of an unknown hermeticist are created through individual interpretation and artistic realisation.

The El Arbi Bouqdib Archive was launched in 2017 as an inter- and transdisciplinary long-term project. It is based on the estate of the Moroccan mathematician, poet, cyberpunk, numerologist and Koran researcher El Arbi Bouqdib. Bouqdib (*1947, Khouribga - †2016, Bremen) was a multifaceted personality and a fascinating figure of the outsider and hermit. His life and work spanned several continents and united seemingly polar opposites such as rationality and faith, physics, mathematics and metaphysics. Bouqdib searched for the scientific verification and theory behind his early religious and magical experiences throughout his life. This field of tension, which he carried within himself, reflects fundamental conflicts in our civilisation between science and religion.

The multi-author project is dedicated to the multi-perspective interpretation of memories and identities and explores the process of collective narration. The exhibition includes visual art, music, literature and poetry that deal with Bouqdib's legacy. The outstanding exhibits include the "Elies Miniatures" concert cycle with the album "The Flower and Death", presented as a multi-channel video installation and a live concert on 7 September. This work results from a collaboration between the composer and virtuoso Elshan Ghasimi, the filmmakers Stark & Shakupa, and JMH Schindele. In "Mr & Mrs Bouqdib", sculptor Ben Greber sheds light on the relationship between the unlikely couple. Ukrainian artist Sergey Bratkov explores the Koranic code and the number 19 in his installation. Max Schaffer reflects on numerological speculation by approaching numbers in education. Patrick Panetta's new work deals with a book written by Bouqdib and monumentalises it. Further artistic positions by Markus Hoffmann and Michal Martychowiec will be on display in the historic Pumpwerk in Grünau, which is being used as an art and cultural centre for the first time.

Artists: Sergey Bratkov, Elshan Ghasimi, Ben Greber, Markus Hoffmann, Michal Martychowiec, Patrick Panetta, Max Schaffer, Stark & Shakupa

Curated by Eleonora Frolov and JMH Schindele
Concept and initiative: JMH Schindele

Opening: 17 August 2024, 3 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Pumpwerk Berlin, Am Pumpwerk 4, 12524 Berlin

Exhibition Period: 18 August – 6 October 2024, Saturday and Sunday, 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Events:

Opening
on Saturday, 17 August, from 3 - 8 pm
Book a free ticket here

Curator-guided tour with artist talks
On Sunday, 24 August 2024 and on Saturday, 21 September 2024, at 4 pm
Book a free ticket here

Concert
Elies Miniatures III - The Flower and Death
Elshan Ghasimi, Stark & Shakupa, JMH Schindele
On Saturday, 7 September 2024, at 7 pm
Book a ticket here

Concert
DUO Philipp Püschel and Elshan Ghasimi
On Sunday, 15 September 2024, at 5 pm
Book a free ticket here

Finissage
On Sunday, 6 October 2024, from 3 - 6 pm
Book a free ticket here

Further information about the programme