Augustas Serapinas transforms Essen church benches into tower for Manifesta 16
Lithuanian artist Augustas Serapinas will dismantle the wooden pews of Essen's Markuskirche to build a walkable tower structure for Manifesta 16. The church is to be deconsecrated after its final service in late May, with an uncertain future. Serapinas, known for reusing condemned wooden buildings, previously exhibited at the 2019 Venice Biennale and transformed the CAC Vilnius into a functioning gym in 2025 (travelling to Nottingham Contemporary in June). The aged glue in the pews allows their disassembly. His intervention includes a sound installation by Lilli Lake and offers visitors a view of the church's inaccessible balcony, which he will not expose. 'I respect the mystery,' Serapinas says.
Key facts
- Augustas Serapinas will build a walkable tower from wooden pews of Essen's Markuskirche for Manifesta 16.
- The church will be deconsecrated after its last service in late May 2025.
- Serapinas previously participated in the 2019 Venice Biennale main exhibition 'May You Live in Interesting Times'.
- His largest solo exhibition at CAC Vilnius in 2025 turned the hall into a gym with plaster casts of antique and Renaissance sculptures.
- That exhibition will be shown at Nottingham Contemporary from June 2025.
- The pews can be dismantled because their glue has lost binding strength over decades.
- The tower will reach up to 13 meters high and include a sound installation by Lilli Lake.
- Serapinas will not build a staircase to the church's balcony, respecting its hidden nature.
Entities
Artists
- Augustas Serapinas
- Lilli Lake
Institutions
- Manifesta
- Contemporary Art Centre (CAC) Vilnius
- Nottingham Contemporary
- Venice Biennale
Locations
- Essen
- Germany
- Vilnius
- Lithuania
- Venice
- Italy
- Nottingham
- United Kingdom