Promotion of art
Balance in Einbeck
The AKB Foundation’s financial support has helped enrich Einbeck with several works of art in the public space. The most recent addition was the sculpture “1 and 1.”
Nine years ago, the idea was born to enrich Einbeck’s familiar townscape by placing contemporary art at prominent points as part of a joint cultural project. First of all, “Mobility” by Hans-Oiseau Kalkmann was installed at the PS.SPEICHER in 2014. Then, between 2015 and 2019, came “From zero to infinity” by Timm Ulrichs at the Marktkirche church. And they have now been joined by the sculpture “1 and 1,” which has been created by the artist Hartmut Stielow from Gehrden near Hanover and is located at the edge of Stukenbrok Park.
“Thanks to the AKB Foundation, Einbeck is not just a small town, it is now a small and special town,” says Günter Dietzek. The former school director was part of the panel of volunteers who curated this exceptional pilot project. Together with Hella Rabbethge-Schiller, Ursula Beckendorf and Margret Parpart, he helped turn the idea into reality.
Differences and yet in harmony: Hartmut Stielow has created a metaphor for Einbeck with his sculpture “1 and 1.”
A work of art relating to Einbeck
They also chose the artist for the “1 and 1” sculpture, accompanied its creation and together found the perfect place for it in the town’s center. The sculptor chosen was the regionally based artist Hartmut Stielow because of the reputation he had built up with his previous work, meaning that his new sculpture would prove a big draw. His work of art had to be related to Einbeck. That was no easy undertaking, but he succeeded in style.
“Uniting apparent differences and highlighting commonalities is what connects Stielow’s work to the town of Einbeck, and that’s why he was chosen as the artist,” states Günter Dietzek. “He works with materials that seem dissonant at first glance, but in their interplay with balance and strength exude this unique and exciting harmony, as only opposites can.” In Einbeck, that can be seen in many details, both socially and in terms of its buildings: in the interplay and compatibility of the past and the future, half-timbered houses and modernity, citizens’ wishes and decisions for the common good, the town and the villages of the municipality.
By reducing his sculpture to the two materials of steel and granite, Hartmut Stielow has forged a work of art with a special aesthetic and thus an impressive creative metaphor for Einbeck. It is a town whose cultural commitment now radiates beyond its borders: Outsiders visit it to view the works of art and thus discover the beauty of Einbeck and its surroundings, which they might not otherwise have come to know. |
INFO
The AKB Foundation
The AKB Foundation was established in 1998 by Carl-Ernst Büchting (1915–2010), the long-standing Chairperson of the Executive Board and later of the Supervisory Board at KWS. Its work centers on the Southern Lower Saxony region, specifically Einbeck, and on Klein Wanzleben (Saxony-Anhalt), the place where KWS was founded. The foundation’s values are steeped in the concepts of sustainability, humanity and future viability. The foundation promotes charitable goals and offers funding in five categories: “the church, Christian faith and ecumenism,” “art and culture,” “education and social welfare,” “science and research,” and “protection of the environment, countryside and nature.” More information: www.akb-stiftung.de |
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2025
