Dear Friends & Colleagues,
As 2022 comes to a close, we are delighted to reminisce about some of the key projects and events that marked our work at Therme Art, Impact One, One Health Research Centre, MYND and Ikona Collection over the last 12 months. This time of year prompts a moment of reflection and gratitude, on which note we'd like to thank our partners, collaborators, friends and colleagues for their vital contributions in 2022.
From our first-ever Wellbeing Culture Symposium inspired by the legacy of the 12th-century Benedictine abbess Hildegard von Bingen held over the course of three days in Meisenheim, Germany, to our collaboration with Arthur Mamou-Mani on Catharsis, a fractal amphitheatre realised in Black Rock City, Nevada, in August after three years of development, this year has seen several exciting projects come to fruition that our team is incredibly proud of. During La Biennale di Venezia, we were honoured to support Sonia Boyce, OBE RA’s exhibition Feeling Her Way at the British Pavilion, which was awarded the Golden Lion. The week of the biennale also saw us co-host the Benefit in Aid of Ukraine’s People and Culture, an incredible event in partnership with the Brant Foundation and TBA21 that raised over 1.215 million euros towards critical humanitarian needs in Ukraine.
Throughout the year, we've held several iterations of our Wellbeing Culture Forumdiscussions co-curated with Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director at Serpentine Galleries, including a talk within Black Chapel, the 2022 Serpentine Pavilion designed by Theaster Gates with Adjaye Associates, marking the fifth consecutive year of Therme Art’s support of Serpentine’s Annual Architecture Programme. The Wellbeing Culture forum aims to address the complexity of living in today's hyper-connected and globalised world, creating spaces of open reflection, critical inquiry and integrative investigation. We would like to express a deep thank you to all of our participants and panellists who have contributed to such fruitful discussions and calls to action.
As Therme Art looks forward to welcoming 2023 with its various upcominginitiatives currently in development, we anticipate another year of productive, collaborative and engaging projects. On behalf of the entire team at Therme Art, we would like to wish you a restorative holiday season and a very happy New Year.
Mikolaj Sekutowicz, CEO & Co-Founder of Therme Art
2022 PROJECTS IN REVIEW
BLACK CHAPEL, 2022 SERPENTINE PAVILION BY THEASTER GATES
London, UK
10 June 2022
Watch the overviewvideo| In June, Therme Art attended the opening of Black Chapel, the 2022 Serpentine Paviliondesigned by Theaster Gates with Adjaye Associates, as proud supporters of Serpentine’s Annual Architecture Programme. Black Chapel's construction marks the fifth consecutive year of partnership with the Serpentine and Therme Art's ongoing collaboration in the exploration of bonds that link art and architecture and their impact on wellbeing.
From left: Bettina Korek, CEO, Serpentine Galleries; Sir David Frank Adjaye OBE RA, Architect and Founder & Principal of Adjaye Associates; Maja Hoffmann, Art Collector; Theaster Gates, Multimedia Artist; Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine Galleries; Sou Fujimoto, Architect; Mikolaj Sekutowicz, CEO & Co-Founder, Therme Art.
SONIA BOYCE'S FEELING HER WAY AT LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA Venice, Italy
April–November 2022
Therme Group and Therme Art were proud to support Sonia Boyce’s major solo exhibition Feeling Her Way, which won the Golden Lion at La Biennale di Venezia 2022. The work was commissioned by the British Council to represent Great Britain in the British Pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition.
Exhibited from April–November 2022, Feeling Her Way coalesces four award-winning Black female vocalists Poppy Ajudha, Jacqui Dankworth MBE, Sofia Jernberg, Tanita Tikaram, and composer Errollyn Wallen CBE. The musicians were invited to improvise and utilise their voices in an exploration of collaborative play.
This commission builds on Boyce’s Devotional collection, which consists of over 20 years of work paying homage to the contribution of Black British female musicians to transnational culture.
THE BENEFIT FOR UKRAINE'S PEOPLE AND CULTURE Venice, Italy
21 April 2022
Therme Art and the Ikona Collection co-hosted a special benefit at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco for La Biennale di Venezia in April, in partnership with the Brant Foundation and TBA21. The Benefit for Ukraine’s People and Culture, supported by the Pinchuk Foundation, raised a total of 1.215 million EUR with proceeds dedicated to supporting pressing humanitarian needs in Ukraine, including cultural workers and resources.
The evening consisted of a dinner and live auction of over 80 works, conducted by Simon de Pury, and welcomed over 230 attendees from across the cultural sphere. The event was held in celebration of Ukrainian culture, aligned with the mission to prevent the extinction of cultural identity targeted by genocide. A speech by President Zelenskyy played at the benefit.
EXPERIENTIAL ART ACTIVATIONS AT EVENING OF DISCOVERY St Tropez, France
22–23 July 2022
MYND Presents: Today I Feel Like... by Jeppe Hein at Aurora Institute's Evening of Discovery
Mental health initiative MYND and non-profit organisation Aurora Institute joined forces in July in St Tropez at the inaugural Evening of Discovery event to present a series of large-scale, experiential art commissions by Refik Anadol, Tino Sehgal, Jeppe Hein, and DRIFT along with a live musical performance by Tinie Tempah.
The evening also saw the unveiling of Refik Anadol's new software-based sculpture, Sense of Healing: AI Data Painting A, plus twelve NFTs created out of the data sculpture that were auctioned at Evening of Discovery for 120k euros each, raising more than 1.4 million euros in proceeds that will benefit charitable mental health initiatives such as Klitschko and Kevin Love Fund.
MYND Presents: Sense of Healing by Refik Anadol at Aurora Institute's Evening of Discovery
All of the commissioned artworks have been developed by the mental health initiative MYND in collaboration with Therme Art, reflecting on mental and physical health healing processes with the incentive to raise awareness about the more than 1 billion people suffering globally from mental health difficulties. Together with MYND, Therme Art also presented the latest edition of its Wellbeing Culture Forum exploring collective mental health and wellness.
LUISAVIAROMA x UNICEF SUMMER GALA 2022 Capri, Italy
30 July 2022
Simon de Pury and Refik Anadol at the Luisaviaroma x Unicef Summer Gala
On the occasion of the Luisaviaroma x UNICEF Summer Gala 2022 in Capri, Therme Art has donated the commissioned AI data painting Sense of Healing by Refik Anadol through its Ikona Collection initiative to help raise funds for UNICEF’s worldwide efforts. Sense of Healing was auctioned off at a record-breaking 1.7 million euros as the largest and first neurotherapeutic AI data sculpture to be produced using human brain data. The work marks the first iteration of an ongoing collaboration between new media artist Refik Anadol, Therme Art, and MYND. The work was unveiled at Aurora's Evening of Discovery event in St Tropez in July.
After over 3 years of research, French architect Arthur Mamou-Mani designed Catharsis, a “fractal gallery for our infinite dreams” (Mamou-Mani, 2022) that inspires reflection and renewal for our cities through a series of creative touchpoints. Therme Art and Ikona Collection supported the construction and programming of Catharsis in Black Rock City, Nevada, in collaboration with Mamou-Mani.
The site hosted a collective group show throughout its week-long programming in August, exploring how artificial intelligence and collective belonging can co-create spaces for wellbeing and creativity. Catharsis featured the following works and activations: Machine Hallucinations by Refik Anadol; Paragraph Zero VR Exploration and The Earth as a Legal Entity: Performance & Keynote by Joulia Strauss; Breathe With Me by Jeppe Hein; Catharsis Sound Healing by Gendalå + Jermey; Drum Performance by Noah Katz-Appel; Evolutionary Transition in Human Adaptation talk by Dr. Nate Walworth; Communal Motion and Terry Riley’s in C by Art Haus Collective; The Shared Sonic performance by Tinie Tempah; CatharsisDrone Show by Drone Stories; special musical guest performances by Amanda Gregory, David Kim, Seastars, Cello Joe and Romain Collin: Jazz Performance; a Wellbeing Culture Forum on Dreaming & Algorithmic Thinking; and Talk & Poetry Reading by Dr. Sian Proctor and MarieLiz Bender.
"THE INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITY" AT MAPPING THE POST-PANDEMIC (ART) WORLD London, England
7 October 2022
On 7 October the British Council, in collaboration with Samsung, hosted a day-long interdisciplinary forum at Samsung KX in London’s King’s Cross, entitled Mapping the Post-Pandemic (Art) World.
Therme Art participated in “The Institutional Responsibility,” a panel curated by cross-pollinator and global strategic adviser Johanna Zuleta comprisedof artists, curators, creative organisations and policymakers called on to discuss the future of the arts and cultural institutions post-COVID-19.
Other panellists included: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of Serpentine Galleries; Dirk Boll, President of Christie's; Alex Farquharson, Director of Tate Britain; Rebecca Salter, President of Royal Academy of Arts; and Sarah Wilson, Professor at Courtauld Institute of Art. The discussion centred around the ongoing reverberations of the pandemic and explored its effects on the art market, art production, and the wider cultural landscape.
14TH DELOITTE ART & FINANCE CONFERENCE Vatican City
25 October 2022
This October, Therme Art attended the 14th Deloitte Art & Finance Conference, Art & Humanity: New Art & Financing Trends, held in Vatican City. The conference explored vital current and future topics of technology, impact investment, philanthropy, and urban infrastructure. Mikolaj Sekutowicz, Co-Founder and CEO of Therme Art, took part in a panel titled Beyond Philanthropy: New Approaches for Private and Corporate Art Patrons, which discussed ways to embed forward-looking strategies in cultural philanthropy for meaningful impact.
Panellists included: Simone Bemporad, Group Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer of Assicurazioni Generali; Monica Heslington, Vice President and Head of Goldman Sachs Family Office Art and Collectibles Advisory at Goldman Sachs; Peter Goes, In-House Counsel at Stichting De Verre Bergen; and Marco Trevisan, Managing Director of Fondazione Alberto Peruzzo. The panel was moderated by Ernesto Lanzillo, Partner and Deloitte Private Leader at Deloitte Central Mediterranean.
COP27 UN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
6–18 November 2022
The programme, which featured a series of participatory activations, performances and panels, addressed how infrastructure and the construction industries can cease their destruction of the environment and become drivers of ecosystem protection and regeneration. The series of events invited pivotal figures in urban development, architecture and environmental industries to engage with the themes of Indigenous and environmental rights, collective responsibility, and sustainable futures.
The programme included the following events:
Wellbeing City Presentation, Green Obsession: Trees Towards Cities, Humans Towards Forests, with Stefano Boeri
Global Impact Series, Future of Cities; participants included Stefano Boeri, Mikolaj Sekutowicz, Tony Cho, Roksana Ciurysek Gedir, Mikkel Bulow-Lehnsby, Bedeir Rizk and Alexandre Allard, moderated by Anna Rosenberg
Forest One Event, in partnership with Future of Cities, Amazon Watch, The New York Times and Extreme Hangouts; participants included Stephen Dunbar Johnson, Patricia Ellen, Alexandre Allard, Vanda Witoto, Carlos Nobre, Ilona Szabó, Nina Gualinga, Leo Cerda, Isku Kua, Alexis Grefa, Maria Jose Andrade, Taily Terena, Tony Cho, Alexandre Allard, Jeanne de Kroon, Mariana Maia, Appolinaire Oussou Lio, Mindahi Bastida, and Mikolaj Sekutowicz, Rasu Yawanawa and Kenetsaini Yawanawa
Ancestral Wisdom and Possible Futures; participants included Rasu Yawanawa, Kenetsaini Yawanawa, Mikolaj Sekutowicz, Mariana Maia, Jeanne de Kroon, Nina Gualinga, Isku Kua, Patricia Gualinga, Celia Xakriabá, Sonia Guajajara, Jade Begay, Casey Camp-Horinek, and Patricia Ellen
Mikolaj Sekutowicz, (Impact One) and Stephen Dunbar Johnson (The New York Times) at Forest One Event
Isku Kua, Rasu and Kenetsaini Yawanawá, Forest One Event
2022 WELLBEING CULTURE FORUMS IN REVIEW
WELLBEING CULTURE SYMPOSIUM | HILDEGARD VON BINGEN
Meisenheim, Germany
1–3 April 2022
Therme Art partnered with One Health Research Centre, Serpentine Galleries and IKEM to present the Wellbeing Culture Symposium on the 12th-century Benedictine abbess Hildegard von Bingen in Meisenheim, Germany. The symposium, co-curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Mikolaj Sekutowicz and hosted by Christian Held, incorporated three days of multidisciplinary keynotes and roundtable discussions inspired by von Bingen’s integrative and progressive approach to life.
Themes and symposium contributors included: Metaphysics, Theology and Biology with Kennedy Yanko; Material Histories: A Prelude to Making Ground with Sumayya Vally; Disibodenberg Monastery Ruins and Winery; Kincentric Ecology with Tino Sehgal, Es Devlin, Jeanne de Kroon, and Sumayya Vally; Microcosms and the Mesocosm on Gaia with Jeanne de Kroon, Jakob Kudsk Steensen, and Claudia Paetzold; Social Empathy and the Natural World with Patricia Espinosa and Hoda El Shawadfy; Viriditas and Ariditas with Patricia Espinosa, Hoda El Shawadfy, Dorothea von Hantelmann, Es Devlin, Sumayya Vally, Alia Al-Senussi, Simon Schäfer Stradowsky and Florian Hertweck; Hildegard Healing with Koo Jeong A, Es Devlin, Patricia Espinosa, Kennedy Yanko, Sumayya Vally, Jakob Kudsk Steensen; Holistic Cultural Frameworks with Es Devlin and Dorothea von Hantelmann; Reception at Fürstenwalder Hof, an exhibition by Matthias Zinn; and Call for Symbiotic Futures by Tatiana Bilbao.
WELLBEING CULTURE FORUM | THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL PRACTICE
Venice, Italy
21 April 2022
In partnership with the British Council, and with an essential contribution from the Serpentine,The Impact of Social Practicefacilitated a conversation that explored the social components of Sonia Boyce, OBE RA’s process and installation. The panel highlighted her work's historical context and political significance and discussed other artists' socially engaged practices and how they use the synergies between people, communities, and environments as a catalyst to spur social change.
From left: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator and Artistic Director of Serpentine Galleries; Emma Dexter, Commissioner of the British Pavilion; Sonia Boyce, Artist of the 2022 British Pavilion exhibition, Feeling Her Way; Precious Okoyomon, Artist, Poet, and Chef; Monilola Ilupeju, Artist and Curator at Therme Art.
Panellists included: Sonia Boyce, Artist and Educator; Precious Okoyomon, Artist, Poet, and Chef; Emma Ridgway, The Shane Akeroyd Associate Curator of the British Pavilion; Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of Serpentine Galleries; and Monilola Ilupeju, Artist and Curator at Therme Art.
THE FUTURE OF WELLBEING | DLD22 CONFERENCE
Munich, Germany
22 May 2022
In May, leading wellbeing provider Therme Group and cultural incubator Therme Art partnered with the global conference network Digital Life Design (DLD) to host a Wellbeing Culture Forum at DLD22 in Munich.
In line with this year’s theme Reality Rules!?, the panel titled The Future of Wellbeing, explored how to use scientific advancements, architecture, and ancient Indigenous knowledge as vehicles for healing through our connection with the natural world.
Panellists included: Jeanne de Kroon, Social Entrepreneur; Moran Cerf, Neuroscientist and Business Professor; Nina Gualinga, Climate Activist and Indigenous Rights Defender; Sumayya Vally, Founder and Principal Architect of Counterspace; and Mikolaj Sekutowciz, Co-Founder and CEO of Therme Art and Vice President of Therme Group.
Watch the full talk hereand read about it on Dezeen here.
WELLBEING CULTURE FORUM | INVISIBLE SYMPHONIES
Basel, Switzerland
16 June 2022
Watch the full talk online | On 16 June, in collaboration with Superblue and MYND, and on the occasion of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s installation Pulse Topology opening at Design Miami/ Basel 2022, Therme Art presented the talk Invisible Symphonies: Healing Through Participatory Art and Human-Centred Technologies. The discussion, which drew inspiration from Lozano-Hemmer’s installation, explored the roles of art, science, and sustainable technologies in creating healing spaces that highlight the invisible mechanisms that keep our bodies alive.
Panellists included: Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Artist; Brandon Ndife, Artist; James Bantone, Artist; Simon Denny, Artist; Stephanie Comilang, Artist; Sveta Mordovskaya, Artist; and Co-Moderators: Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine, and Mikolaj Sekutowicz, CEO and Curator, Therme Art.
From left: Mikolaj Sekutowicz, Founder and CEO of Therme Art; Sveta Mordovskaya, Artist; Simon Denny, Artist; James Bantone, Artist; Brandon Ndife, Artist; Stephanie Comilang, Artist; Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Artist; Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine.
THE KLOSTER FORUM 2022
Klosters-Serneus, Switzerland
28–30 June 2022
Sumayya Vally at The Klosters Forum ⓒ Julian Tse
During The Klosters Forum 2022, Therme Group and One Health Research Centre partnered with the Klosters Forum to host a Wellbeing Culture Forum workshop titled Wellbeing Infrastructure: A Call for a New Evidence-based Approach Toward Built Environments. Following the forum’s current annual theme of “Habitat for Earth,” the workshop––led by architect Sumayya Vally––focused on the future of the built environment, with the goal of translating the methodologies of wellbeing infrastructure and regenerative architectures into policy-based, practical application.
Illustration by Menah, Images ⓒ Julian Tse for The Klosters Forum 2022
WELLBEING CULTURE FORUM | TOWARDS A CULTURE OF MENTAL WELLBEING St Tropez, France
22 July 2022
From left: Mikolaj Sekutowicz, Refik Anadol, Roksana Ciurysek-Gedir, and Benjamin Habbel
MYND and Therme Art’s Wellbeing Culture Forum talk, Towards a Culture of Mental Wellbeing, explored how the social, political and economical bones that build our current cultural framework need to be reimagined in order to serve collective wellness and vitality.
The panel was held in St Tropez in July as part of Aurora Dialogues, a series of roundtable discussions focusing on mental health-related topics, hosted by the Aurora Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organisation connecting the world's leaders to improve mental health globally. The discussion highlighted the positive impact that cultural regeneration, driven by productions such as experiential and immersive art, has on mental and environmental rehabilitation.
Panellists included: Refik Anadol, New Media Artist and Director; Roksana Ciurysek-Gedir, Founder of Possible X, Entrepreneur and Creative; Benjamin Habbel, CEO of Aethos Hotels and Founder & CEO of Limestone Capital AG; and Mikolaj Sekutowicz, Curator and CEO of Therme Art, Vice President of Therme Group, and Founder & Chairman of Impact One
IMPACT ONE X AYA CONFERENCE Cidade Matarazzo, São Paulo, Brazil
30 September 2022
Aya Conference, Cidade Matarazzo
Impact One joined the Aya Conference in Brazil alongside Aya Earth Partners to host two roundtable discussions, The Future of Cities and Living Labs: The Cities’ Opportunity for Innovation, to examine how cities can act as hubs for sustainable innovation and action.
Panellists included: Isku Hua,Yawanawa Representative; Alexandre Allard, Developer of Cidade Matarazzo; Robert Pittmann,Kei Cities Board Member and Founding Partner of Ihaka Capital; Machado-Filho,Senior Advisor of UNDP Haroldo; Leonardo Bichara,Senior Agricultural Economist at the World Bank; Mikolaj Sekutowicz,Impact One Founder and CEO; Roksana Ciurysek-Gedir, Impact One Chairwoman; and Refik Anadol, New Media Artist.
Mikolaj Sekutowicz, CEO and Founder of Impact One at Carlyle Forum 2022
Impact One hosted a panel discussion at Carlyle Forum to present MYND’s evidence-based and medical-grade advancements in its mission to improve collective mental health within the context of large-scale urban and infrastructure developments. Titled Visionary Science & Innovation Transforming Mind Health for All, the talk was held on World Mental Health Day and was moderated by CEO and Founder of Impact One, Mikolaj Sekutowicz. Experts in the fields of neuroscience and urban development were invited to discuss our urgent need to strengthen the healthcare and healing systems in our cities in light of rapid urban growth and expansion.
Panellists included: Tej Tadi, Founder of MindMaze; Roskana Ciurysek-Gedir, Chairwoman of Impact One; and Olaf Blanke, Professor of Neurology at Geneva University Hospital (HUG).
