chanel and hamburger bahnhof unveil a bold new art collaboration
Chanel is deepening its ties to the art world with a new partnership at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart. Over the next three years, the Chanel Commission will see the museum’s vast historic hall transformed by a different artist each year, setting a new precedent for large-scale commissions in public institutions. The inaugural edition, launching on 1 May 2025, will be led by Berlin-based artist Klára Hosnedlová.
For Chanel, the commission is part of its wider Culture Fund initiative, which supports artists across disciplines and geographies. Through programmes like Chanel’s Art Partners, the Chanel Next Prize, and the Chanel Connects podcast, the fund supports artists, curators, and thought leaders across disciplines — whether at the Venice Biennale, the British Film Institute, or the MCA Chicago — helping shape the future of contemporary creativity.
Known for her meticulous sculptural work and intricate embroidery, Hosnedlová will unveil embrace, her most ambitious installation yet. Drawing on themes of belonging and utopia, the work will turn the museum’s industrial setting into a surreal, textural landscape, with nine-metre-high tapestries, sculptural objects, and hand-embroidered details crafted from flax fibres, cast glass, and sandstone. The exhibition will coincide with Berlin Gallery Weekend, cementing its place on the city’s cultural calendar.
“With the Chanel Commission at Hamburger Bahnhof, we are embarking on a bold new chapter that celebrates the transformative power of contemporary art within the unparalleled setting of the museum’s historic hall,” shared Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath, co-directors of Hamburger Bahnhof. “The collaboration reaffirms the shared commitment of Hamburger Bahnhof and Chanel to bring forth groundbreaking projects that challenge conventions. Klára Hosnedlová’s immersive installation will resonate deeply with audiences, igniting thought-provoking new perspectives.”
The house has long championed creative expression beyond fashion, from film and literature to contemporary art. With this latest venture, Chanel strengthens its presence in Berlin and expands its influence in the art world, aligning itself with a space known for its avant-garde approach to curation.
Running until 26 October 2025, the first Chanel Commission promises to bring a new energy to Hamburger Bahnhof, blending art, fashion, and cultural dialogue on an unprecedented scale.
Fabien Vallérian
International Director of Arts & Culture
at Maison Ruinart
photography. Alice Jacquemin
Fabien Vallérian
International Director of Arts & Culture
at Maison Ruinart
photography. Alice Jacquemin
Credits
Each year, Ruinart’s cultural program in Reims—the heart of Champagne’s winemaking tradition—invites leading contemporary artists with a strong ecological perspective. Within this rich setting of fine wine, Gothic heritage, and thought-provoking dialogue, artists not only immerse themselves in Ruinart’s storied history but also engage deeply with pressing environmental topics such as climate change and biodiversity. It’s why it’s important to the International Arts & Culture Director of La Maison Ruinart, Fabien Vallérian, to collaborate with some of the most innovative artists addressing environmental issues today. He firmly believes that “Artists are key ambassadors to drive change.” Since joining Ruinart in 2018, he has spearheaded artist commissions, forged partnerships with museums and galleries, and expanded the brand’s presence at 30 major international art fairs across Europe, Asia, and the U.S., including Art Basel and Frieze.
“We inhabit the earth like we own it, taking too much from the ecosystems without them able to renew themselves,” states Vallérian. “Artists are here to show us the beauty of a true relationship to nature and warn us against our endless search for more possessions and exploitation.”As part of this edition of Schön! alive, we turned to the expert to curate a lineup of visionary artists— Bianca Bondi, Florencia Sadir, Victoire Inchauspé, and Daniel Steegmann-Mangrané. The four are pioneering creatives whose distinctive artistic voices captivated Fabien Vallérian. “From the craftsmanship of Victoire Inchauspé to the mysteries of alchemy created by Bianca Bondi, these artists show us that we can learn from fauna and flora and interact with our environment in a way that is not harmful or dominant”, explains Vallérian. “They are at the vanguard of a sheer sensitivity which emerged from their new generation.”
Through biomorphic sculptures and organic installations, each artist inspires audiences with urgent, thought-provoking messages. What stands out most to Vallérian is their commitment to understanding and safeguarding the natural world. They make “nature understandable and approachable, not distant or abstract,” he explains. “I believe in the visions of these artists to create emotions and to convey a powerful message and change our behaviours. Art has the power and the desire to help save the planet and humanity.”
Read snippets of our chats with Bianca Bondi, Florencia Sadir, Victoire Inchauspé, and Daniel Steegmann-Mangrané and check out the full interviews in issue one of Schön! alive, available now.
Chef d’OEuvre #5 ‘Crayère’ + Chef d’OEuvre #6 ‘Bassin’.
by Eva Jospin, 2022.
for the Carte Blanche PROMENADE(S)
Chef d’OEuvre #5 ‘Crayère’ + Chef d’OEuvre #6 ‘Bassin’.
by Eva Jospin, 2022.
for the Carte Blanche PROMENADE(S)
Credits
La nuit, le jour, la nuit.
by Victoire Inchauspé, 2024
From the exhibition Une chambre à soi,
curated by Margaux Plessy,
Château La Coste, France
Courtesy of the artist
photography. Victoire Inchauspé
Nothing/Everything to Remember.
by Victoire Inchauspé, 2024
Installation created for the 17th Biennale
of Lyon, France
Courtesy of the artist
photography. Blandine Soulage
La nuit, le jour, la nuit.
by Victoire Inchauspé, 2024
From the exhibition Une chambre à soi,
curated by Margaux Plessy,
Château La Coste, France
Courtesy of the artist
photography. Victoire Inchauspé
Nothing/Everything to Remember.
by Victoire Inchauspé, 2024
Installation created for the 17th Biennale
of Lyon, France
Courtesy of the artist
photography. Blandine Soulage
Credits
Victoire Inchauspé’s sculptures and installations explore themes of life, death, strength, and fragility, drawing deeply from nature and personal memory. Raised in a small Basque village, she was the youngest-ever finalist for the SAM Prize for Contemporary Art at the Palais de Tokyo in 2022, the same year she graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris. Her work, recognized with multiple awards, resonates widely due to its introspective nature and emotional depth.
Inspired by her late mother, an art teacher, Inchauspé integrates childhood memories of wildlife—deer, spiders, bees, and sunflowers—into her art, creating a dialogue between the fleeting and the enduring. “She taught us to value creativity as a way of understanding the world,” Inchauspé recalls. “Her presence in my life was a guiding force.” She uses materials like wax and salt to symbolize rituals and light, while bronze preserves delicate flora in a timeless state. Her recent works include Nothing/Everything to Remember, showcased at the 17th Lyon Biennale, featuring a bronze sunflower and a wax boat inspired by ancient rites.
At its core, Inchauspé’s art invites audiences to slow down, reconnect with nature, and reflect on the transient yet enduring aspects of life. Her ability to evoke deep emotional responses is what she finds most fulfilling, particularly when viewers find comfort and inspiration in her work. She creates spaces for reflection through poetic and tactile expressions, encouraging a renewed sensitivity to both personal memories and the natural world.
Victoire Inchauspé
Victoire Inchauspé
Credits
Bianca Bondi.
image. Courtesy of Bianca Bondi
Bianca Bondi.
image. Courtesy of Bianca Bondi
Credits
“It started with magic,” says Bianca Bondi, an artist and environmental activist, who creates ethereal sculptures and site-specific installations infused with mysticism and a deep reverence for nature. Inspired by occult traditions and artists like Hieronymus Bosch and Leonora Carrington, her work blends magic with ecological awareness, incorporating crystallized surfaces, moss, plants, and dried herbs. Originally from South Africa, Bondi initially aspired to be a pilot, but her passion for science and geography ultimately shaped her artistic practice. Her works, such as Astral Ponds—crystallized pools immersed in chemical solutions—and plant-infused installations, reflect both her scientific background and her belief in nature’s transformative power. A lifelong fascination with Wicca has further influenced her approach, reinforcing her commitment to environmental activism.
Themes of life, death, and preservation are central to her art. Profoundly affected by the loss of her father at a young age, Bondi turned to ritual and spirituality to explore the continuity of existence. This philosophy extends to her ongoing collaboration with the Covid Foundation, which envisions submerging a whale-shaped sculpture in a marine sanctuary as a statement on ocean degradation. Inspired by her 2021 piece The Rise and Fall, which depicted the natural phenomenon of Whale Fall, the project aims to become an evolving underwater ecosystem.
Currently in residence at Villa Medici in Rome, Bondi remains dedicated to “rewilding” industrial spaces through her work. Her pieces captivate with their dazzling colours and crystals, yet upon closer inspection, they reveal organic decay and transformation. This interplay of beauty and entropy invites viewers to confront nature’s cycles, evoking both wonder and urgency in the face of environmental change. “When they look closer, they realise that these crystals and colours are coagulating or seeping,” Bondi reveals. “This can inspire feelings of attraction and repulsion; unveiling the true harmony of nature.”
Scrying in Astral Ponds
[Haciendo vaticinios en estanques astrales]
Installation by Bianca Bondi, 2024
La Casa Encendida,
curated by Pakui Hardware collective
courtesy. La Casa Encendida
photography. Maru Serrano
Scrying in Astral Ponds
[Haciendo vaticinios en estanques astrales]
Installation by Bianca Bondi, 2024
La Casa Encendida,
curated by Pakui Hardware collective
courtesy. La Casa Encendida
photography. Maru Serrano
Credits
Where the wind is born.
by Florencia Sadir, 2023
Open air drawings. Engraved clay tiles.
Site-specific installation CIMAM
Post-Conference Salta Tour Cafayate,
Argentina. Ivana Salfitty, Cecilia Lutufyan.
Where the wind is born.
by Florencia Sadir, 2023
Open air drawings. Engraved clay tiles.
Site-specific installation CIMAM
Post-Conference Salta Tour Cafayate,
Argentina. Ivana Salfitty, Cecilia Lutufyan.
Credits
Florencia Sadir
photography. Pablo Masino
Florencia Sadir
photography. Pablo Masino
Credits
Argentinian artist Florencia Sadir draws from the traditions and sustainable practices of her homeland, Valles Calchaquíes, crafting sculptures, installations, and drawings that connect deeply with the San Carlos community where she lives and works. Using natural materials like clay and vegetable fibres, she bridges the relationship between human production and the environment, creating works that critique capitalist excess while celebrating ancestral ways of living.
Her minimalist, earth-based artworks serve as both conversation starters and reflections on the fragile balance between nature and human influence. Exhibiting globally, including at the Aichi Triennial in Japan, Sadir highlights the impact of extractivist practices, emphasizing how they harm both communities and ecosystems. She transforms traditional materials like adobe and fertile soil into stripped-down installations, challenging viewers to rethink their relationship with the land.
Drawing also plays a crucial role in her practice, offering an intimate means of storytelling. In Where the Wind is Born, Open Sky, she engraved sun-dried clay tiles with memories and symbols of the Calchaquí Valleys, preserving a visual history of the region. While rooted in San Carlos, her work speaks to broader ecological concerns, urging us to recognize the vulnerability of our ecosystems. Sadir sees her art as an offering—one that restores “the wounded memory of the world” and invites us to reconsider the role of tenderness and ritual in our daily lives. “There is an urgent need in me to communicate the vulnerability of ecosystems and the fragility of the territories we inhabit,” she admits. “I often wonder what role tenderness and rituals play in our daily lives.”
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané.
photography. Teresa Estrada
Daniel Steegmann Mangrané.
photography. Teresa Estrada
Credits
Daniel Steegmann-Mangrané, a Barcelona-born artist based in Rio de Janeiro, merges biology and architecture in his abstract sculptures and immersive installations. His multidisciplinary practice—spanning holograms, sound, film, and photography—explores humanity’s entanglement with nature. “The only thing I ask for from a new work, is for it to bring me to places I didn’t even know existed before,” says Steegmann Mangrané. “I love finding myself at the beginning of a process and trying to do things I don’t know how to do.”
Believing art is a collective pursuit, he collaborates with specialists across disciplines to challenge the illusion of human separation from the natural world. His 2023 exhibition, A Leaf Instead of an Eye, spanning 25 years of work, confronted ecological crises through both physical and digital art. Now on sabbatical, Steegmann Mangrané is reimagining his practice—seeking a slower, more tactile, and deeply experimental approach to art. “The world is going to change in a scale and at a speed of which we have never seen before. It’s going to be extremely important to have a sharp imagination,” he explains. “It’s difficult to say how such changes will impact my practice or my thinking of art, but I’m already sure I want it to be slower, more sensual, more handmade, more fragile, more experimental, more raw, more essential, more alive.”
A Leaf Shapes the Eye.
by Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, 2023
courtesy the artist,
MACBA
Museu d‘Art Contemporani de Barcelona,
Mendes Wood DM,
São Paulo, Brussels, Paris, New York
and Esther Schipper Berlin/Paris/Seoul
photography. Andrea Rossetti
A Leaf Shapes the Eye.
by Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, 2023
courtesy the artist,
MACBA
Museu d‘Art Contemporani de Barcelona,
Mendes Wood DM,
São Paulo, Brussels, Paris, New York
and Esther Schipper Berlin/Paris/Seoul
photography. Andrea Rossetti
Maison Dior steps into an unexpected cultural exchange with the Vatican Apostolic Library in En route, an exhibition exploring the intersection of history, travel, and contemporary art. Opening as part of the Jubilee celebrations for 2025, the exhibition delves into the theme Pilgrims of Hope with a fusion of archival treasures and modern interpretations. Realised in collaboration with Dior and supported by Intesa Sanpaolo, Sparkle, and the ANAWIM Foundation, the project highlights the enduring relationship between fashion, knowledge, and exploration.
At the heart of the exhibition is the recently discovered Poma Periodici collection, an extraordinary archive of approximately 1,200 newspapers gathered from across the world by diplomat and scholar Cesare Poma (1862–1932). Among these historical artefacts lies En Route, a periodical published between 1895 and 1897 by two French journalists who used it to fund their global adventures. The exhibition not only traces their footsteps but also highlights the often-overlooked stories of women who defied Victorian-era expectations to travel the world — whether as journalists, archaeologists, or political figures.
Dior’s Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri takes centre stage in bringing this history into the present. In collaboration with Karishma Swali and the artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft, she presents a site-specific installation that examines the role of clothing in female mobility. Her work weaves together historical maps, sewing patterns, and the stories of six pioneering female travellers, reinforcing the power of fashion to enable movement and liberation. “Knowledge and creativity are completely intertwined for me,” Chiuri notes. “It is an honour to imagine a project in such a significant location.”
Alongside Chiuri’s contribution, the Vatican Library has enlisted two other contemporary creatives: musician Lorenzo Jovanotti Cherubini and illustrator Kristjana S Williams. Jovanotti, known for his free-spirited approach to both music and travel, offers a deeply personal installation featuring his sketches, books, and a specially curated soundtrack. “In La Habana, I found the Rome of the early 1970s where I was a child… I seemed to suddenly stumble upon protrusions in the ground and realise that they were my roots,” he reflects.
Meanwhile, Williams reinterprets the journeys of Poma and his contemporaries through her signature dreamlike, layered illustrations. “Having access to the Vatican Library archives has been an extraordinary experience,” she says. “The historical documents offer a fascinating insight into how humans have experienced and viewed the world over generations.”
Curated by Don Giacomo Cardinali and his team at the Vatican Library, the exhibition culminates in the Sistine Hall with Mappa (1984) by Alighiero Boetti, on loan from Intesa Sanpaolo’s Gallerie d’Italia in Naples. The initiative also has a digital dimension: thanks to support from Dior and the Galateri di Genola e di Suniglia family, the Poma Periodici collection will be catalogued and made freely accessible online.
“Until now, the Vatican Library has engaged its heritage in dialogue with visual artists, photographers, and book designers,” says Cardinali. “With En route, we go further — bringing together a musician, an illustrator, and a fashion designer. Our centuries-old institution proves its ability to embrace different worlds and react with vitality and flexibility.”
The exhibition will be open to the public from February 15th to December 20th, 2025. Find out more here.
As part of European Month of Photography, Fotografiska Berlin welcomes you into the creative world of Frank Ockenfels 3 and his forthcoming exhibition, Introspection. On view from January 30, Introspection delves into the artist’s journey, presenting his career through a series of interconnected sections, unified by his journals. What began as simple notes scribbled onto Polaroids—used to document lighting setups and plan upcoming shoots—morphed into a deeply personal medium. These journals became a space to record conversations with his subjects, explore creative ideas, work through artistic influences, and map his personal and professional evolution.
The exhibition blends new photographic works with unconventional, mixed-media creations where photography is no longer the primary focus. Skateboards, newspapers, and scrap metal become unconventional canvases for Ockenfels’s expressive use of paint, pen, and brush. Through his intentionally raw and experimental manipulation of images, portraits of others are transformed into mirrors of his own identity, offering a glimpse into his inner world and creative psyche.
To recognise the preview and opening of the exhibit in Berlin, Schön! chats with Frank Ockenfels 3 about his process, Introspection, and more.
Your creative process merges photography with journaling, drawing, and collage. How do you decide which medium best expresses a particular moment or emotion in your work?
A lot starts with photography. I’ll most of the time collaborate with a model and create images that start conversations or inspire. I’ll make prints from the shoot and leave them on my table, surrounded by scraps of paper I’ve found, inks, charcoal, and paint. As things pile up, pages fall together.
Your journaling began as a way to manage anxiety. How has this practice evolved over the years, and how does it continue to influence your art and mental health?
It actually started to flush my brain and also to illustrate the things I saw. The journals were only for me, not to share or show to anyone—a pure sense of creating for myself. As I’ve grown older, they have become more minimal, with fewer words, but they reflect who I am at this point in my life.
David Bowie encouraged you to share your journals with the world. How did his trust and collaboration shape your artistic journey and self-confidence?
His inspiration and trust in collaborating with a young artist allowed me to push further. The journals were a great example of how we worked together. He would tell me what he needed images for and give a few words. We would create together in that space, allowing us to find new things without the constraints of structure. I still hold this in my creative process.
Your work distorts traditional portraiture by incorporating elements like ink, charcoal, and scissors. What does this process of breaking down and rebuilding imagery represent to you emotionally and creatively?
I try not to go into creating a portrait with any preconceived ideas and allow the things given in the moment to create the image. Sometimes after, I will, for no reason, play with the image.
You’ve photographed cultural icons like Nirvana, David Lynch, and Milla Jovovich. How do you balance capturing their essence while infusing your own perspective into the image?
I strive to avoid imposing too much of myself when creating a portrait, instead allowing the moment to shape the image. I believe that excessive planning often interferes with being receptive to light, surroundings, and the flow of conversation.
Your exhibition at Fotografiska Berlin emphasizes introspection and breaking convention. How do you hope viewers will engage with and interpret your layered creative process?
I hope it inspires them to translate what they see and feel into their own creative expression.
With over 200 album covers and countless campaigns under your belt, how do you maintain originality and avoid creative burnout in such a prolific career?
Stay open to learning new things and embrace the lessons that come from failure. Be receptive to change and the opportunities it presents.
In a world dominated by digital manipulation, your hands-on approach of physically altering photographs feels deeply personal. How do you see your analog techniques resonating in today’s digital age?
Digital is simply another tool that allows you to break boundaries and reach the destinations you’re striving for.
Your journals contain backward-written text and fragmented visuals. What role does ambiguity play in inviting the audience to connect with your work?
I’m dyslexic, and I write faster when I approach it backward, which helps me avoid leaving out words. Over time, this method became an integral part of what I was trying to express, both in what I said and in what I didn’t say.
Your art often reflects a tension between control and chaos. How do you navigate that balance in your creative process, and how does it mirror your personal life?
I thrive in chaos, both in my personal and professional work. It allows me to let go of expectations and instead focus on working with what is given.