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Ole Ukena (b. 1983, Germany) is a contemporary artist living and working between Bali and Berlin. Trained at the Universität der Künste Berlin as Meisterschüler of Lothar Baumgarten, he works in two parallel registers: conceptual sculpture that compresses opposed terms into single material objects, and large-scale embroidered textile paintings produced with a sustained studio of artisans in Ubud. His practice extends into spatial commission, wearable artwork, and institutional frame-building. Selected exhibitions include Centre Pompidou Paris, Palais de Tokyo, Grand Palais (Paris Photo), and Zona Maco Mexico City (2026).

Ole Ukena (b. 1983, Germany) is a contemporary artist living and working between Bali and Berlin, with extended formative periods in India, Thailand, Brazil, and Mexico. He trained at the Universität der Künste Berlin (2003–2009) as Meisterschüler of Lothar Baumgarten. He also attended classes by Daniel Richter and Katharina Sieverding — naming Hito Steyerl as the teacher who most shaped him.

Ukena's practice spans two registers. The first is conceptual: PEACE (~20,000 toy soldiers), TRUST (~15,000 nails), RAINBOW (barbed wire), CHER, CHAIR, SHARE, and most recently CINIS (2026), a time-bound work created for a wedding with a programmed seven-year fade. These works compress opposed terms into single material objects in the lineage of Marcel Broodthaers, Mona Hatoum, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres. The second register is intuitive: large-scale embroidered textile paintings made since 2017 with a sustained studio in Ubud, on reflective surfaces that shift with light and viewer position.

Large-scale spatial commissions include Space Bloom / Weltraumblüte (2022), a 12×3 m suspended kinetic sculpture permanently installed at Genezarethkirche Berlin during Berlin Art Week. Selected exhibitions include Centre Pompidou Paris, Palais de Tokyo, Grand Palais (Paris Photo), Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Funkhaus Berlin, and Zona Maco Mexico City (2026).