True Colours

For the Rotterdam artist Onno Poiesz, his work True Colours sounds “a cheerful note in turbulent times”. The goal, he says, is to bring people together. As such, his monumental palm tree cocktail sticks have found the ideal location at the World Heritage Site Völklinger Hütte. Here, on the Zimmerplatz, visitors to the World Heritage Site can take a break for refreshment or round off their visit with a cool drink in a relaxed atmosphere. Sun loungers have been placed in the shade now provided by his steel and aluminium palm trees. Brightly coloured and exuberant, they contrast not only with the rusty ironworks but also with the global situation in 2024. While some of us may not have made full use of life’s palette in recent years and opted for more-sombre colours, Poiesz invites us to take a break from our worries. Better then not to think about how long it will take before real palm trees are growing in Völklingen due to climate change...

Daniel Bauer