»I WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MYSTERY OF THE WORLD«
- ARNE RAUTENBERG

The WAI Woods Art Institute is a permanent cultural meeting place near Hamburg's city limits.

The heart of the WAI is the Reinking Collection, which is presented in the exhibition halls and sculpture park. At WAI, art is understood as a source of strength and a tool for knowledge.

Curated by poet and artist Arne Rautenberg, the WAI offers poets the opportunity to engage in poetic exchange with art and nature through the project ONE WORD + ONE WORK + ONE PLACE.

Rautenberg writes poems but also works "in the visual arts, creating collages, visual poetry, and large-scale text installations."
He has received numerous awards and was elected to the German Academy for Language and Literature in 2017.

The „Work-Skull“ by Ateliers Van Lieshout creates the possibility of an unusual workplace. Poetic revitalization and atmospheric contemplation are possible both inside and outside the Work-Skull.

Joep van Lieshout is a Dutch sculptor and object artist whose work straddles the boundaries between art, craft, architecture, design, and the art of survival. Joep van Lieshout has been working under the name Atelier van Lieshout since 1995.

SEASON 1: JUNE - SEPTEMBER 2025

»I WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MYSTERY OF THE WORLD«
- ARNE RAUTENBERG

The WAI Woods Art Institute is a permanent cultural meeting place near Hamburg's city limits.

The heart of the WAI is the Reinking Collection, which is presented in the exhibition halls and sculpture park. At WAI, art is understood as a source of strength and a tool for knowledge.

Curated by poet and artist Arne Rautenberg, the WAI offers poets the opportunity to engage in poetic exchange with art and nature through the project ONE WORD + ONE WORK + ONE PLACE.

Rautenberg writes poems but also works "in the visual arts, creating collages, visual poetry, and large-scale text installations."
He has received numerous awards and was elected to the German Academy for Language and Literature in 2017.

The „Work-Skull“ by Ateliers Van Lieshout creates the possibility of an unusual workplace. Poetic revitalization and atmospheric contemplation are possible both inside and outside the Work-Skull.

Joep van Lieshout is a Dutch sculptor and object artist whose work straddles the boundaries between art, craft, architecture, design, and the art of survival. Joep van Lieshout has been working under the name Atelier van Lieshout since 1995.

Kathrin Niemela

She describes herself as a "cosmopoet" and exposes herself to "the wonders of the world with all her senses." Born in Regensburg in 1973, Kathrin Niemela has pursued a multifaceted career that led her through several languages ​​and countries to poetry. One trip took her to the WAI and gave rise to the Woods Art Poems.

skull poems (PDF, German)

https://kathrin-niemela.de/