Modular Kitchen is a collaborative research project by Paula König, Liliana Escalhão and Johann König that combines artistic and culinary practices. The idea arose when Paula König and Liliana Escalhão met during an artist residency in Portugal in 2022. Discussions about seasonality, regional vegetable cultures and aesthetic translations developed into an ongoing collaboration in which recipes, drawings and graphic modules were equally important tools for artistic research.

The starting point for the Modular Kitchen for the Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung is an examination of regional foods and seasonal recipes from central Portugal and northern Germany – as carriers of local histories, ways of life and climatic conditions. The exhibition at the Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung on the first floor shows the results of this research through artistic illustrations, images and installations. Accompanying the exhibition is a comprehensive bilingual publication (German/Portuguese), designed by Johann König. It is not merely a documentation, but an independent artistic format between a recipe book, calendar and visual narrative through a week of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Recipes, drawings and articles combine culinary practice with ecological issues and cultural reflection.

Modular Kitchen thus shows how local knowledge production, artistic practice and everyday culture can intertwine. The exhibition opens up spaces of possibility for collective experience, exchange and awareness – and asks how a simple, colourful, vegetable garden-inspired cuisine can become the starting point for new forms of aesthetic and social practice.

Paula König (*1993, Kiel) is an artist based between Lisbon and Ostholstein. Her site-specific practice combines research, painting and critical perspectives on extractivism. Her projects have recently taken her to Svalbard, Portugal, Scotland and Czechia, among other places.

Liliana Escalhão (*1983, Castelo Branco) is a chef and concept developer in Lisbon. Her plant-based cuisine combines creativity, care and community. She has led the cultural project Primeiro Andar and a vegetarian-vegan restaurant at the Hangar art centre, among other things. Her workshops and formats focus on plant-based, holistic cuisine – driven by intuition, knowledge and social responsibility.

Johann König (*1999, Eutin) studied communication design in Hamburg. With a background in sociology, he designs projects on social and ecological topics. Participatory concepts and critical design approaches play an essential role in his work. Most recently, he has been exploring common goods and the possibilities for their design.

Advancement Awards

The Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung Advancement Awards are presented every two years and are aimed at artists with a connection to northern Germany. In addition to financial support and an exhibition at M.1, the winners are given the opportunity to use a guest apartment and a studio at M.1 in Hohenlockstedt for up to two months.

The call for entries for the 2025/26 awards was based on the curatorial programme Art as Ecological Practice by artistic director Ronald Kolb. It was aimed at artistic practices that work in a research-based and participatory manner at the intersection of art, science, ecology and sustainability.

The award was decided by a jury of experts, which this year comprised Liliana Gomez (Professor of Art and Society, University of Kassel), Alistair Hudson (Director of the Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe), Ulrike Boskamp (Director of the Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung) and Ronald Kolb (Artistic Director 2025/2026, Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung).

Exhibition dates: 10 May – 4 July 2026
Opening: 9 May 2026, 2 pm
Location: M.1, Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung, Breite Str. 18, 25551 Hohenlockstedt

Public dates with guided tours:
Sunday, 23 May 2026, 2 pm.
Saturday, 6 June 2026, 3 pm.

Closing event with guided tour and book launches:
4 July 2026, 3 pm., alongside the M.1 summer party

Regular opening hours during the exhibition dates:
Saturdays and Sundays, 2–6 pm
Guided tours are available by appointment: Ronald Kolb rk@arthurboskamp-stiftung.de