Kenneth Letsoin

The Völklingen Ironworks flooded in red light
Copyright: Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte | Oliver Dietze

02 Artistieke visie Kenneth upscale

02 Artistieke visie Kenneth upscale

born 1971 in Almelo, Netherlands
lives and works in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Works

Ganzfeld

Ganzfeld KHV kompr

Ganzfeld KHV kompr
Copyright: Karl Heinrich Veith

Date

2024, in situ

Material

Stoff, Acrylfarbe

Description

Ganzfeld is a bright and colourful immersive installation on the burner platform of the sintering plant, where during the active years of the Völklingen Ironworks it was dark and dusty. To create this artwork for the Urban Art Biennale 2024, Dutch duo Krista Burger and Kenneth Letsoin harnessed the efforts of over 1,000 collaborators. Numerous school classes from the region took part in painting a host of pictures on a 500-metre length of fabric. Inspiration came from the immediate surroundings, including the architecture of the sintering plant, and also Paradise, the green wilderness in the former coking plant of the Völklingen Ironworks. Burger and Letsoin, who have been collaborating for ten years now, enjoy the dynamics and the bonds that emerge during in the creation of their participatory works.

Daniel Bauer

Che Casino

Krista Kenneth  Che Casino KHV kompr

Krista Kenneth Che Casino KHV kompr
Copyright: Karl Heinrich Veith

Date

2024, in situ

Description

The title of this work is to be understood in two senses: it refers, on the one hand, to the function of the building itself and, on the other, to the bright patches of colour attached to its facade – Che casino! (What a mess!). The building is the former works canteen of the company Gebrüder Röchling, which boasted a cellar for 20,000 bottles of wine, a state-of-the-art kitchen, restaurant and function rooms, eight guest rooms and a bowling alley. Kenneth Letsoin, alias Naamlooz, and Krista Burger, alias Heimprofi, have been collaborating as a duo since 2014. For this artwork, they drew inspiration from the urban environment and its architecture, including the windows of Völklingen’s St. Eligius Church. Although each artist designed their own window transparencies, the overall effect is of an abstract, expressionist whole that endows the drab, vacant building with a new radiance and creates an eye-catching sight for the people of Völklingen.

Jeanette Dittmar