Ocean Between VIII – Luminosity: Transatlantic Dialogues in Motion

[Lars Schumacher]

In Chicago, several cultural institutions have recently transformed into sites of transatlantic dialogue, hosting The Ocean Between VIII – Luminosity, an interdisciplinary symposium under the artistic direction of Marianna Buchwald and Tamara Wasserman. The program brings together international artists whose practices explore light, transformation, and cross‑cultural exchange, positioning the city as a resonant space for contemporary artistic inquiry. Within this framework, German artist Lars Schumacher contributes a major curatorial and artistic intervention with Fluxus 2025, a project that reactivates the participatory ethos of the Fluxus movement for a global audience.

A Contemporary Platform for Transatlantic Exchange

The symposium presents exhibitions, workshops, discussions, and interactive formats that emphasize art as a relational practice. Participating artists—including Franz Betz, Harro D. B. Schmidt, Michaela Hanemann, Jenny Chernansky, Judith Meyers, Lori Kaplan, Dale Pesman, Kevin B. Chatham, Bishal Manandhar, and Kathryn Hempel—engage with themes of luminosity and cultural connection. Their works form a constellation of perspectives that foreground the role of artistic exchange in shaping contemporary global discourse.

The collaboration with the Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, led by Ellyzabeth Adler, expands the symposium into the realm of performance. On August 1 and 2, 2025, the ensemble hosts a series of evening performances featuring artists such as Anniela Huidobro Castro, Erik Elizondo, Paula Sousa, Hannah Huang, Elaine Lemieux, Mary Iris Loncto, and Kaleigh Dent, moderated by Kao Ra Zen. These performances underscore the symposium’s commitment to interdisciplinary dialogue and embodied artistic experience.

Fluxus 2025: A Living Archive of Mail Art

At the heart of the symposium lies Fluxus 2025, curated and organized by Lars Schumacher, whose practice bridges Mail Art, conceptual strategies, and participatory forms. Presented at the Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, the project gathers more than 180 works submitted through an open international call. These works—ranging from postal interventions to conceptual objects—form a collective portrait of contemporary Mail Art as a democratic, transnational medium.

Fluxus 2025 features contributions from an extensive roster of artists, including Ai Weiwei, Luc Fierens, Ryosuke Cohen, Horst Tress, Ruggero Maggi, John M. Bennett, Catherine Mehrl Bennett, Beate Axmann, Stefan Brandstifter, Susanne Schumacher, Lutz Anders, Maks Dannecker, Roberto Scala, Vlado Goreski, Wim Scheere, Aaron Becker, Alberto Lamas, Angela Caporaso, Cinzia Farina, Daniel de Culla, Domenico Severino, Ed Hanssen, Guido Capuano, Heike Sackmann, Ina Bremer, Johann Leschinkohl, Katharina McKee, Keiichi Nakamura, Lara Favaro, Maria Teresa Cazzaro, Marilena Marson, Melanie Bäreis, Michael Georg Bregel, Nieves Salvador Bayarri, Ondřej Vavrečka, Paul Lorenz, Peer Smits, Philipp John, Rainer Wieczorek, Sabine Remy, Serse Luigetti, Silvia Dubois, Simon Warren, Spike Spence, Stella Maris Velasco, Stephen Tomasko, Susan Gold, Teresa Lucia Forstreuter, Valentina Ștefănescu, Verdiana Calia, Virginie Loreau, Wolfgang Günther, and many others.

This vast network of contributors reflects the global reach of Mail Art and its enduring relevance as a medium of artistic exchange. The project positions Mail Art not as a nostalgic revival, but as a living, evolving practice that continues to challenge institutional boundaries and expand the field of contemporary art.

Fluxus Reimagined

Fluxus, derived from the Latin fluere (“to flow”), emerged in the early 1960s as a challenge to artistic hierarchies and the commodification of art. It emphasized experimentation, humor, unpredictability, and the dissolution of boundaries between art and everyday life. Fluxus 2025 reinterprets these principles for the present moment, inviting artists and audiences alike to participate in a dynamic, process‑oriented experience.

Chicago, with its historical ties to Fluxus—from Wolf Vostell’s Concrete Traffic to the Fluxus festivals of the 1990s—serves as an ideal site for this contemporary reactivation. Fluxus 2025 situates itself within this lineage while forging new connections between Germany, the United States, and the global Mail Art community.

Mail Art as Social Sculpture

Mail Art has long been intertwined with Fluxus, functioning as a decentralized, accessible medium that resists institutional gatekeeping. In Fluxus 2025, Mail Art becomes a form of social sculpture, shaped collectively by hundreds of artists across continents. The works submitted—postcards, stamps, drawings, collages, conceptual instructions—embody the movement’s core values: openness, play, and the primacy of process over product.

By foregrounding Mail Art, the exhibition underscores the importance of communication, exchange, and relationality in contemporary artistic practice. It invites viewers to consider how art circulates, how networks form, and how creative gestures travel across borders.

Chicago as Resonance Space

The Ocean Between VIII and Fluxus 2025 together transform Chicago into a resonance space where artistic histories, cultural narratives, and contemporary practices intersect. The symposium highlights the city’s role as a site of experimentation and dialogue, continuing its legacy of hosting avant‑garde and interdisciplinary art.

Through exhibitions, performances, and participatory formats, the project demonstrates how art can build bridges between communities, ideas, and geographies. It stands as a testament to the power of collective creativity and the enduring vitality of Fluxus as a global movement.


VISUAL ARTIST OF FLUXUS 2025:
Aaron Becker | Ai Weiwei | Alberto Lamas | Alexander Limarev | Alexandru Jakabhazi | Alfonso Aguado Ortuño | Alp Aria | Andre Pace | Andrew Maximilian Niss | Angela Caporaso | Anna Flávia Schmitt Wyse Baranski | Annette Behlau | Antonio Amato | Asma Ounine | Fabrizio Bandini | Beata Joanna Przedpełska | Beate Axmann | Beate Senf-Hentsch | Binod Dawadi | Ildikó Biró | Bishal Manandhar | Bonnie Katz | Bruno Chiarlone | Carl Baker | Carmela Sarcina | Catherine Mehrl Bennett | Celeste Illazki | Christiane Carrè | Christophe Massé | Cinzia Farina | Claudia Catanzaro | Cris Piloto | Dadanautik | Dale Pesmen | Dame Mailarta | Daniel de Culla | Daniela Castro | Daniele Virgilio | David Dellafiora | Derya Avcı | Devin Cohen | Diana Magallón | Domenico Severino | Ed Hanssen | Edyta Dzierż | Enzo Correnti | Eren Görgülü | Fabrizio Pavolucci | Franz Betz | Friedrich Schumacher | Gabriele Klimek | Generoso Vella | Gianluigi Balsebre | Giovanni und Renata Stradada | Gloria Fu Keh | Guido Capuano | _guroga | Harro Schmidt | Heike Sackmann | Heiner Schlote | Henry Grahn Hermunen | Horst Tress | Hugo Pontes | Hwan Heo | Ilia Tufano | Ina Bremer | Ina Ripari | Joey Patrickt | Johann Leschinkohl | Johannes Klauke | John Held Jr. | John M. Bennett | José Nogueira | Julie Matevish | Jürgen Völkert-Marten | Katerina Mandarik | Katharina McKee | Kathryn E. Hempel | Keiichi Nakamura | Kevin Gillen | Kimberly Oliva | Klaus Pinter | La Toàn Vinh | Lara Favaro | Lars Schumacher | Leona K. | Lorenzo "Lome" Menguzzato | Lori Kaplan | Luc Fierens | Luis María Labrador | Luisela Pelizza | Lutz Anders | Maks Dannecker | Manuel Ruiz Ruiz | Manuel Sainz Serrano | Manuel Xio Blanco | Marcelo Eduardo Merino Falcón | Marcia Rosenberger | Marco Furia | María Castillo | Maria Do Carmo Both | Maria E. Quiroga | Maria Teresa Cazzaro | María Victoria Boné Ramírez | Marianna Buchwald | Mariano Lo Gerfo | Marilena Marson | Marina Salmaso | Marzia Braglia | Massimo Conti | Mattia Montemezzani & Verdiana Calia | Mehrangiz Talaiezadeh | Mehrangiz Yasemi | Melanie Bäreis | Meral Agar | Michael Georg Bregel | Michelangelo Mayo | Miguel Jiménez | El Taller de Zenon | Mikel Untzilla | Mirta Caccaro | Movie Aria | Nani Corina | Natacha Guiller | Nieves Salvador Bayarri | Nil Perez Peirano | NonLocal Variable | Nula Horo | Ondřej Vavrečka | Oronzo Liuzzi | Ovidiu Petca | Paul Lorenz | Paul Poclage | Peer Smits | Peter Abaijkovics | Philipp John | Piroska Horváth | Priscilla Ramos | R.F. Côté | Rafael González | Rainer Wieczorek | Renata Danicek | Rikard Larsson-Eng | Rita Rozynek | Rittiner & Gomez | Roberto Scala | Rosalle Gancie | Rosana Schmitt | Rosemarie Drews | Ruggero Maggi | Ruud Janssen | Ryosuke Cohen | Sabela Baña | Sabine Remy | Serdar Dartar | Sergiu Mihai Zegrean | Serse Luigetti | Silvano Pertone | Silvia Dubois | Simon Warren | Sinem Ünal Gerdan | Snappy | Spike Spence | Spunk Seipel | Stefan Brandstifter | Stella Maris Velasco | Stephan J. Mitterwieser | Stephen Tomasko | Suely Castro Mello | Susan Ferris Rights | Susan Gold | Susanne Mitterwieser | Susanne Schumacher | Teresa Lucia Forstreuter | Tohei Mano | Ümran Özbalcı Aria | Uwe Höfig | Valentina Ștefănescu | Verdiana Calia | Veronique Pozzi Paine | Virginie Loreau | Vladimir Ambrus | Vlado Goreski | William Lee | Wim Scheere | Wolfgang Günther | Wolfgang Rostek | Sergiu Zegrean