When does the finissage take place?

The finissage takes place on November 18, 2026, at 7 PM in the Old Cathedral St. Johannis in Mainz.

What can visitors expect at the event?

The event includes the finissage of the exhibition Present – Absent as well as a service for the Day of Repentance and Prayer with the Protestant Youth and Dean Andreas Klodt.

Who designed the exhibition Present – Absent?

The exhibition was designed by the sculptor and installation artist Madeleine Dietz.

What themes does the exhibition address?

The focus is on memory, transience, farewell, life, death, hope, and the relationship between presence and absence.

Is the finissage free of charge?

A specific admission price could not be confirmed in the available event information.

Is the event venue accessible for people with disabilities?

Confirmed information about accessibility for the finissage is not available in the current event details.

Present – Absent Mainz 2026

Name: "Present - Absent" Finissage by Madeleine Dietz
Start: 2026-11-18T19:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-11-18T21:00:00+01:00
Location: Alter Dom St. Johannis

When Memory Becomes Present in the Church Space

The finissage of the exhibition Present – Absent by Madeleine Dietz connects contemporary art with a liturgical moment. In the Old Cathedral of St. Johannis in Mainz, sculpture, installation, earth, steel, light, and language meet the historically rich atmosphere of a sacred place. The event on the Day of Repentance and Prayer invites reflection on transience, memory, farewell, and the conscious shaping of one's own life.

Earth, Steel, and Light as Elemental Visual Language

Madeleine Dietz is one of the formative German sculptors and installation artists of her generation. Her work has circled for decades around the dialectic of becoming and passing. Elemental materials such as earth, steel, light, and writing gain a physical and simultaneously symbolic presence in her work. The dried earth refers to origin, vulnerability, and return, while steel embodies stability, order, and human construction.

In her art, minimalism, sacred space, and existential questions meet. Dietz does not develop decorative objects but concentrated situations of artwork contemplation. Forms, material surfaces, and light effects open an aesthetic experience that unfolds fully only in slow viewing.

An Exhibition About Memory and Transience

The exhibition in the Old Cathedral of St. Johannis addresses the great themes of human existence: life and death, farewell and hope, presence and absence. For the historic church space, grave coverings made of royal blue fabric have been created, printed with questions and short sentences. Phrases like Will there be a reunion open a conceptual space without providing ready answers.

The special exhibition atmosphere arises from the dialogue between the works and the Old Cathedral, whose history dates back to the early history of Mainz. Archaeological traces, sacred architecture, and contemporary installation intertwine to create a place of silent concentration. The art is not only viewed but also spatially and physically experienced.

Finissage with Service and Protestant Youth

The finissage combines the art historical engagement with a service for the Day of Repentance and Prayer. The event is shaped with the Protestant Youth and Dean Andreas Klodt. Accordingly, the exhibition receives a communal conclusion, transferring its central themes into a religious and societal perspective.

The Day of Repentance and Prayer stands for reflection, return, and the examination of one’s own life attitudes. In conjunction with Dietz’s art, an evening is created where aesthetic experience, cultural education, and spiritual reflection intertwine. The church space becomes a resonance body for questions that extend beyond the exhibition.

Madeleine Dietz in the Art Historical Context

Madeleine Dietz studied at the Werkkunstschule Mannheim and has worked in the fields of sculpture, installation, painting, photography, and performance since the 1970s. She became known particularly for her works made of earth and steel as well as for site-specific interventions in museums, churches, memorials, and public spaces. Her art connects concrete materiality with themes of memory culture and human existence.

Important presentations include exhibitions in museums and art associations in Germany and abroad. In 2003, she received the Ernst Barlach Prize. In 2024, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Visual Arts by the District Association of Pfalz. The exhibition in Mainz ties to her longstanding engagement with sacred spaces, mourning, memory, and hope.

Conclusion: An Evening Between Art, Faith, and Memory

The finissage of Present – Absent promises a compelling art experience in an extraordinary historical space. Visitors can expect a combination of contemporary installation, sacred architecture, service, and communal reflection. Those who have not yet experienced the exhibition will have a final opportunity for artwork contemplation and personal engagement with the questions of presence, absence, and the value of life.

A visit to the Old Cathedral of St. Johannis enriches cultural perception and opens a quiet, intense aesthetic experience. The finissage invites one to not only view art but to understand it as a reason for memory, conversation, and renewed attention to one's own life.