Freedom

Oscar Niemeyer, Wolfgang Tillmans, Henrike Naumann

Opening hours
by appointment

Exhibition venue
Art space Techne Sphere
 

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On May 3 and 4, 2025, Techne Sphere Leipzig presented original drawings by Oscar Niemeyer, the photograph Ceiling Of The Sistine Chapel by Wolfgang Tillmans, and the video work BREATHE by Henrike Naumann under the title Freedom.

For the anniversary tour “20 Years of SpinnereiGalerien!” on May 3 and 4, 2025, the exhibition Freedom – or “the free house” – at Techne Sphere Leipzig explored how the idea of liberty is expressed in life and architecture and how the two are interdependent.

The original drawings by Oscar Niemeyer (1907–2012) captivate with their organically flowing lines and expressive aesthetics. In his sketch-like depictions of architecture and human figures, Niemeyer emphasizes the interplay of form and space. Niemeyer designed modern architecture that is functionally and aesthetically liberated from conventions. Concrete, an innovative building material at the time, enabled a flexible and liberated design language that also served as an expression of new social ideas.

In the snapshot The Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (2023) by Wolfgang Tillmans (*1968), the artist's self-empowerment is reflected in his disregard for the conservatory-based ban on photography in the Vatican chapel. The idea of liberty is already inscribed in the famous ceiling painting executed by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) between 1508 and 1512. Michelangelo's liberal depictions of biblical figures with naked, muscular bodies in a sacred environment were provocative.

Henrike Naumann (*1984) reflects on socio-political issues in her artistic practice at the level of design and interior design. BREATHE is a video documentation of the first performance project she staged herself. As part of the Kyiv Biennale 2023, it was performed at the Drama Theater in the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk. Naumann approaches the architecture of the Palace of Culture, built in the 1970s and special in many ways, with a humanistic gesture that underscores the idea of liberty.

_{Photo: © Wolfgang Tillmans, The Ceiling Of The Sistine Chapel, 2023}