Celebrating the Exhibition “Once in a Blue Moon” at Kunsthaus Hamburg, till November 4, 2023. In honor of the 60th anniversary of Kunsthaus Hamburg, the visionary GRAU presents the immersive light sculpture, Bonfire (2021), at the esteemed art venue. This larger-than-life digital campfire transforms the Kunsthaus into a participatory space, inviting people to experience the museum in a social context.
With the exhibition “Once in a Blue Moon” curated by Anna Nowak, the director of Hamburg Kunsthaus, GRAU transposes immersive sound, light, and colour installations alongside an extensive performance program centred around Bonfire (2021). This exhibition offers a fresh perspective on the institution as an applied space and a platform for gathering. To match the theme, the exhibition space will offer refreshments, with extended opening hours into the late evening hours.
From ancient times, people have gathered around the light of the fire, sharing stories, engaging in rituals, and fostering communities. GRAU takes inspiration from this primal symbol of fire with the sculpture Bonfire (2021), transforming the art institution into a dynamic space. This futuristic light sculpture presents an expressive light performance, creating an immersive and evocative experience. Bonfire activates sensations of closeness, warmth, and awe.
The artistic duo Timon and Melchior Grau helm the collaborative project GRAU. GRAU blurs the boundaries between conceptual art, industrial design, and anthropology by translating sculptural installations into applied light products, thus radically expanding the tradition of pop art.
GRAU’s creative directors, Timon Grau and Melchior Grau, have worked as an artistic duo since 2010. They studied under Professor Hito Steyerl and Ai Weiwei at the University of the Arts in Berlin before completing their education at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main. GRAU has exhibited in international institutions and biennials, including the Centre d’Art Contemporain Geneve as part of the Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement 2021, the Bergen Kunsthall as part of the Bergen Assembly 2022, the FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, the Julia Stoschek Foundation, and the Kunsthaus Hamburg. GRAU has also won numerous international design awards, such as the German Design Award in Gold, the Designpreis des Deutschen Bundes, and the Wallpaper* Design Award.
“GRAU expands our relationship with light. We believe in the creative and spiritual power of light, and with immersive and dynamic light sources, we aim to activate humans’ ability to feel their surroundings and reconnect.” – Timon and Melchior Grau
Experience the GRAU exhibition at Kunsthaus Hamburg, and let the captivating light of Bonfire ignite your senses like never before.
