There are many ways to approach the Absolute: Art in the Pauluskirche Bochum
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Two artistic worlds in search of the Absolute
The exhibition There are many ways to approach the Absolute... transforms the Evangelical Pauluskirche in Bochum into a special place for art appreciation. From October 9 to 24, 2026, works by Renate von Charlottenburg and BĀLAVAT will meet there – two independent artistic positions that engage with existential, philosophical, and transcendent questions.
Philosophical Pop Art meets poetic drawing
BĀLAVAT develops an energetic, powerful, and striking visual language. Large-format object images connect with lyrical-philosophical texts, spanning wide arcs between the mundane, the universal, and the transcendent. His art uses contemporary means to reframe fundamental questions of humanity. The interplay of image, object, and language gives the works an immediate presence and creates sensuous spaces for thought.
Renate von Charlottenburg approaches the same intellectual horizon in nearly opposite ways. Her pencil-ink drawings appear quiet, detailed, tender, and playful. Myths and fairy tales from East and West form the cultural resonance space of her visual world. In her drawings, familiar oppositions shift, new perspectives open up, and a poetic form of aesthetic experience arises.
Art in a sacred space
The Pauluskirche provides a distinctive spatial impact for the exhibition. Sacred architecture, light, and silence enter into a tense dialogue with painting, drawing, object art, and installation. The exhibition atmosphere invites visitors to slow down their gaze and perceive the works not only analytically but also intuitively. Between the church space and the artwork, an intermediate realm emerges where questions about finitude, meaning, and the Absolute become dense.
A special artistic encounter
Renate von Charlottenburg and BĀLAVAT were connected as a couple on both personal and artistic levels for almost five decades. Despite shared motivation and mutual inspiration, their artistic expressions remained independent. After numerous separate exhibitions, their works will be presented together for the first time at the Pauluskirche. It is precisely this contrast that makes the curation particularly appealing: here, philosophical Pop Art encounters poetic drawing, meta-romanticism, and an intense engagement with the spiritual foundations of human existence.
Opening with reading and discussion
At the opening, actor Hansa Czypionka will read texts related to BĀLAVAT's images. The opening will be moderated by philosopher and publisher Andreas Mascha. Renate von Charlottenburg will be present at the opening. BĀLAVAT, who passed away in 2019, remains present through his images and writings.
Conclusion: An art experience between spirit, image, and space
This exhibition promises a concentrated aesthetic experience between philosophical reflection, poetic imagination, and sacred spatial effect. Art enthusiasts will experience two distinctive positions that seek the infinite within the finite in different ways. A visit to the Pauluskirche opens new perspectives on drawing, object art, and contemporary art – inviting visitors to approach the Absolute with open eyes and their own imagination.
Official channels of Renate von Charlottenburg and BĀLAVAT:
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