The Julia Stoschek Foundation, one of the world’s foremost collections of time-based art, announces its first major presentation of work in the U.S.: What a Wonderful World: An Audiovisual Poem, a sweeping odyssey into the depths of human experience unfolding through film and video.
“Edited” by Udo Kittelmann, What a Wonderful World will transform the iconic Venetian-style Variety Arts Theater in downtown Los Angeles into a soul-stirring experience—a cinematic journey that confronts visitors with humanity’s trajectory and leaves them questioning the state of our world.
Bringing silent cinema and contemporary moving image art together for the first time in a city defined by film, this experimental presentation sparks a rare cross-disciplinary dialogue, dismantling hierarchies between art forms and dissolving the boundaries between visual art and cinema, museum and theater, white cube and black box. In doing so, it traces the evolution of visual storytelling over the past century, highlighting both the universality of human concerns and the shifting perspectives that shape their representation.
Unfolding across six floors, What a Wonderful World presents a wide range of groundbreaking works by artists, such as Arthur Jafa, Marina Abramović, Cyprien Gaillard, and Anne Imhof, alongside cinematic milestones by Alice Guy-Blaché, Georges Méliès, Luis Buñuel and Walt Disney. Together, these works form a panoramic and layered portrait of humanity across 120 years: altogether ironic, sincere, critical and compassionate, unflinching though ultimately hopeful.
What a Wonderful World is rooted in Udo Kittelmann’s curatorial approach, widely recognized for its conceptual rigor, critical engagement with contemporary issues, and emphasis on narrative and cross-disciplinary dialogue. Reflecting his practice, this collaboration with the Julia Stoschek Foundation creates an emotional encounter that positions visitors as active participants in a spatial, temporal, and sensory journey.
Featured artists: Marina Abramović, Doug Aitken, Kader Attia, Dara Birnbaum, Monica Bonvicini, Robert Boyd, Luis Buñuel, Chris Burden, Paul Chan, George Cowl & Travers Vale, Thomas Demand, Maya Deren, Walt Disney, Cyprien Gaillard, Douglas Gordon, Alice Guy-Blaché, Anne Imhof, Arthur Jafa, Ulysses Jenkins, Jesper Just, Sigalit Landau, Mark Leckey, Klara Lidén, Paul McCarthy, Winsor McCay, Alex McQuilkin, Georges Méliès, Ana Mendieta, Precious Okoyomon, Jon Rafman, Charles Reisner, Bunny Rogers, Jacolby Satterwhite, Christoph Schlingensief, Jeremy Shaw, Nina Simone, Max Skladanowsky, P. Staff, Sturtevant, Wolfgang Tillmans, Wu Tsang, T.R. Uthco & Ant Farm, Jordan Wolfson, and Lu Yang.
Julia Stoschek Foundation presents
What A Wonderful World: An Audiovisual Poem
February 6 – March 20, 2026 | Variety Arts Theater, L.A.
On the cover: Marina Abramović, The Hero,2001, video
Source: Cultural Counsel
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