Person in a bright art gallery looking through a window onto a green outdoor area; abstract, colorful paintings on the right and left.

Art in the green

A Hamburg collector has bought an old park. And transformed it into a magical place for sculptures and contemporary art. A visit to the Woods Art Institute in Wentorf

An afternoon in late summer. The sun is low and bathes the world in warm light. We set off from Reinbek station a few minutes ago, past the Renaissance Reinbek Castle and on along the mill pond into the western foothills of the Sachsenwald forest. We almost missed it: W A I is written in white letters on dark wood right next to a wide-open entrance gate that leads into a park. The acronym stands for Woods Art Institute. We step inside.

Green park in front of modern red brick buildings; visitors gather at the entrance, sign — “Think of something else”: The Woods Art Institute is located at Sachsenwald. And invites new perspectives

Small sculpture of a person on a rusty metal cube in the park, green meadow and trees in the background. — Miniature figure of the brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman

Stone figure sitting on a bench next to a round basin; pink sculpture and dense grove of trees in the background. — The stone sculpture of a resting woman was created by sculptor Laura Eckert

Yellow-orange transparent sculpture in the Wentorf forest park; surrounded by trees, light emphasizes the surface. — Works of art keep popping up in the ten-hectare park

A great, soothing silence lies over everything

The last rays of sunlight fall through the leaves of the old weeping beeches. A row of buildings ducks underneath. An old villa, thatched half-timbered houses and a modern gallery. A great, soothing silence lies over everything, with only a few birds singing their melodies. We look around the extensive, ten-hectare landscaped park, which slopes gently towards the Bille river. Our gaze falls on a circle of five stelae made of rust-red Corten steel. On each stele stands a tiny sculpture, like a pewter figure, just a few centimetres high. One of them seems to be tearing its hair out. A few steps further on, a small golden fox sits on the edge of the path. Then the historic outdoor swimming pool with the pink sculpture! It has two openings that look at us like eyes. As we walk around the sculpture, we discover a little resting place at the back. What a wonderful place to look, to read, to think!
Around 80 works of art are scattered around the park. For example, a four-metre-high bronze sculpture from which water trickles into a fountain – and which, on closer inspection, is made up of meat grinders. The park is like a big grab bag from which we pull the most exciting treasures. It stimulates our spirit of discovery. It’s a bit like an Easter egg hunt in the garden; behind every bush, under every tree, we now suspect a surprise, another exciting combination of contemporary art in a historic park atmosphere.
Hamburg art collector Rik Reinking and his wife Anna-Julia, who, together with Frida, the Weimaraner dog, welcome visitors to the exhibition house. They are delighted when we tell them about our impressions. In 2017, they acquired the large, overgrown grounds, including the Tudor-style manor house, Villa Weltevreden, farm buildings and a former school building. After renovating the property, they founded the Woods Art Institute there.

Temporary exhibitions are also organized at the WAI

Man photographing colorful geometric wall art with water reflection in gallery. — “35 Years Of Graffiti Art” is the title of Mirko Reisser’s temporary exhibition at the WAI

Large abstract painting with geometric shapes on a white wall; a man speaks in front of a group in a gallery. — Mirko Reisser himself leads through the exhibition of his works

Large sculptural figure with oval head, long limbs, stands on concrete ground in the park; green art — Encounter by the wayside: “Enterich” sculpture by Joakim Ojanen

“We are interested in a harmonious triad of architecture, art and nature,” says Rik Reinking, explaining the concept. His collection has not only found a place in the park, which the couple have restored, but also in the modern galleries, where nature peeks in through large windows. “We see ourselves as an interdisciplinary meeting place for the visual arts, dance and performance, music and literature,” says Anna-Julia Reinking as we walk through the grounds and show us the studios for local and international artists. The WAI also regularly hosts temporary exhibitions, such as that of Hamburg graffiti artist Mirko Reisser, who is known internationally under the name DAIM. “The WAI was the perfect place for this retrospective of my 35-year career,” says the artist, whom we meet by chance in the park. And we are delighted with him. Because the Woods Art Institute is a place where you not only see art, but also feel it. You experience it. You can let it take effect on you. The park is the perfect place to unwind. It’s wonderful to linger under old apple trees and heed the advice on the sign at the entrance to the park: “Think of something else.” And that simply feels good.

More information

More information about the Woods Art Institute can be found on the website.

To the website