English:Karl Van Welden Q149884

Over ten years ago, Karl Van Welden launched Verenigde Planeten / United Planets, a cycle of visual and performative work based on the terrestrial or human presence in the universe. How does humanity relate to the awe-inspiring grandeur of the universe? Using the planets of our solar system as an anchor, he seeks visual answers to this crucial question. Within the cycle, he employs various media, depending on whether content and context demand a specific form. The work includes performances such as MARS, PLUTO, MERCURY, or SATURN, as well as video, installations, interventions, drawings, paintings, and three-dimensional works, which can function as reflections or preliminary studies, but can also exist autonomously or be combined into a single work. Whether sound or image, with these works the artist also explores versatility, balancing between autonomous poetry and subtle references to social or political themes.