Foreword and Acknowledgements

The performance and video artist Luisa Eugeni and the composer and musician Mattia Bonafini, together with other members of the collective Sineumbra, have been developing interdisciplinary projects since 2019. They realize these projects in the form of multimedia spatial installations with video projections, sounds and performative elements. The first work by the German-based Italian duo was created on the occasion of the 2019 Masterclass Student Exhibition of the University of Arts Bremen, where it was awarded the prestigious Karin Hollweg Prize. Part of the prize money is earmarked for the realization of an exhibition. The Kunsthalle Bremen is delighted to be able to mark this occasion with the exhibition SOMA, the first solo museum exhibition of the artist duo. This catalog documents the comprehensive multimedia installation that spans four rooms in the Kunsthalle.

The interdisciplinary, collective and multimedia approach of the SOMA project offers an innovative contribution to contemporary art production. By hosting the exhibition of Luisa Eugeni and Mattia Bonafini, the Kunsthalle Bremen confirms its commitment to young contemporary art and the promotion of regional artists at a high level.

The Karin Hollweg Prize is the most generously endowed art sponsorship award conferred by art colleges in Germany. It is awarded annually by The Friends of the University of Arts Bremen to a master student. This award is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Karin and Uwe Hollweg Foundation. We join Luisa Eugeni and Mattia Bonafini in expressing our deep appreciation for their support.

This complex exhibition and this catalog would not have been possible without the support of the Foundation Kunstfonds. We are extremely grateful for their generous sponsorship.

The success of the exhibition and this catalog have been made possible by many people. We take this opportunity to thank all the members of the Kunsthalle team. Our thanks go to Tobias Hübel for the photographs of the installations printed here and to Frederick Hüttemann from the design studio Cabinet Gold van d'Vlies for the production of this book. In their customary manner, both have approached the project with great sensitivity and expertise. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Ernest Ah, Radek Krolczyk, Giulia Scandolara, Mona Schieren, and Dominik Schindler for their written contributions to this volume, which, from their various perspectives, broaden the installation in a multifaceted way and foster new approaches to the content. Special recognition goes to Eva Fischer-Hausdorf, who supervised the project at the Kunsthalle and edited the catalog. Her skillful curatorial sensitivity and expertise have contributed decisively to the success of the project and the accompanying publication.

We also wish to thank the many other participants who were invited by Luisa Eugeni and Mattia Bonafini over the past year to contribute their ideas and energy to the creation of the project. Our utmost gratitude goes to Luisa Eugeni and Mattia Bonafini, as well as to the entire Sineumbra collective with Gabrio Gabrielli, Anna Jäger, Anke Peters, Dominik Schindler, Antonio Stella and Simone Zoppellaro for their outstanding commitment throughout the project. They provided a wide variety of perspectives and their collaborative work has created a highly sophisticated work in terms of media and content. 

Nicole Lamotte
Chairwoman
Kunstverein in Bremen

Christoph Grunenberg
Director of the Kunsthalle Bremen