THE BOAT OF JOY & LOVE, 2022 Lili & Jesko for Berlin Art Week @ MaHalla Berlin

wood, canvas, robes, hard fibre, 2000 x 240 x 1000 cm [787.40 x 94.48 x 393.70 in]

photo: Lili Nalovi

SCULPTURES

In the field of sculpture, Jesko has always had a passion for the world’s oldest means of transport – the boat. On his travels with Lili, he makes sketches of boat forms on beaches, in harbours and wharfs. He has gone to see sampans and basket boats in Vietnam, pirogues in Laos, one-legged rowing boats in Burma, sewn boats in India, dugout canoes and trimarans in Indonesia and dhows in Kenia . . .

To Jesko, a boat is a floating sculpture. It is timeless, it connects people and moves in the beautiful watery landscapes often reflected in his paintings.

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In September 2022 Lili & Jesko for the first time built a boat sculpture together during Berlin Art Week for the group show “HUMAN ELECTRICITY. RE:CONNECT” @ MaHalla Berlin.

They set up their large-scale 20m wooden boat skeleton “The BOAT of JOY & LOVE” combined with their 10m high Childrens’ Action Painting Dhow Sail at MaHalla. To Lili & Jesko the feeling of JOY & LOVE is the most beautiful, energetic flow & exchange of emotions. RE:CONNECTION, so to speak „HUMAN ELECTRICITY“ between human beings.

In 2013 on the spur of the moment, like a playful toy, Jesko built the „Anita King“ fun-board; for Fock and Wonderbra Sails, he painted a canvas in turquoise and pink and hoisted a magnificent collection of bras up both sides of the Wonderbra Sail.

Inspired by his travels through south-east Asia in 2007 Jesko built the turquoise boat “Maluka Selatan” which is a mixture of Sampan and Pirogue. Jesko began hollowing out two trunks of plane trees in 2010 when he built his „Moon Boats“; two dugout canoes which are covered with silver leaves, rowlocks out of maple and bamboo and orange-coloured sails with silver leaf full moons.

In 2011 Jesko started constructing the shallop „Olga Gomez“, the planks were soaked in water and bent into shape using fire and weights. In 2012 he supplemented the construction with side fins and a mast and made a first attempt to sail the shallop with a dhow sail which was made from the huge Action Painting School Canvases on the Kenyan island of Lamu.

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JESKO IS SAILING THE FUN BOARD ANITA KING WITH THE WONDERBRA SAIL, 2013 Jesko Willert

spruce, 400 x 320 x 75 cm [157.48 x 125.98 x 29.53 in]

photo: Lili Nalovi

MOON BOAT, Wasserturmpalais, 2011 Jesko Willert

silver leaf/plane/maple/bamboo, 280 x 200 x 300 cm [110.24 x 78.74 x 118.11 in]

photo: Bettina Lewin

NORTHERN WOODS, 2010 Jesko Willert

pear/oak, 98 x 120 x 30 cm [38.58 x 47.24 x 11.81 in]

photo: Bettina Lewin

JESKO BUILDING THE SHALLOP OLGA GOMEZ, 2011 Jesko Willert

spruce/bitumen, 640 x 150 x 60 cm [251.97 x 59.6 x 23.62 in]

photo: Lili Nalovi

JESKO AND THE SHALLOP OLGA GOMEZ, 2011 Jesko Willert

spruce/bitumen, 640 x 150 x 60 cm [251.97 x 59.6 x 23.62 in]

photo: Lili Nalovi

JESKO AND THE SHALLOP OLGA GOMEZ, 2011 Jesko Willert

spruce/bitumen, 640 x 150 x 60 cm [251.97 x 59.6 x 23.62 in]

photo: Lili Nalovi

THE SHALLOP OLGA GOMEZ AND THE LAMU ACTION PAINTING DHOW SAIL, 2012 Jesko Willert

photo: Lili Nalovi

JESKO AND THE SHALLOP OGA GOMEZ, 2011 Jesko Willert

spruce/bitumen, 640 x 150 x 60 cm [251.97 x 59.6 x 23.62 in]

photo: Lili Nalovi

JESKO WORKING AT ABUS WORKSHOP, Lamu/Kenia, 2012 Jesko Willert

photo: Lili Nalovi

MANGOTREE SCULPTURE ENVIRONMENT BAITIL AMAN Lamu/Kenia, 2012 Jesko Willert

whitewashed mangowood, 270 x 50 cm [106.3 x 19.69 in]

photo: Lili Nalovi

BASE, 1996 Jesko Willert

chestnut wood, 120 x 60 cm [47.2 x 23.6 in]

photo: Lili Nalovi

YURT, 1996 Jesko Willert

Installation, detail: hand-carved furniture, pear wood, seven stools/table/bowls

photo: Lili Nalovi

MOON BOAT, Alster Citylake Hamburg/Germany 2010 Jesko Willert

silver leaf/plane tree/maple/bamboo, 280 x 200 x 300 cm [110.24 x 78.74 x 118.11 in]

photo: Lili Nalovi