Ola Kolehmainen (b. 1964) got the idea for the series when he was in Istanbul to photograph mosques designed by architect Mimar Sinan (ca. 1490–1588). The series features various types of sacred buildings in Europe. Pictures of ancient churches, synagogues and mosques remind us of the interwoven history of the religions they represent.

Kolehmainen has used both old and new architecture as the primary material for his work throughout practically his entire career. In this series, the perspective and architecture of the sacred spaces are cut up and then reassembled. The result is an interpretation of the space that emphasises atmosphere and light. The pictures even convey a sense of how the space might be perceived by a person inside the building. Taking photographs of the empty spaces was a slow process: each site required a carefully selected time of day at a specific time of the year to be captured on film.

This exhibition presents a complete art work in which the walls, and the sequence of spaces between them, play an intrinsic role. The design – with its polychromatic treatment of all surfaces and the placement of artworks on these – was created by Berlin based architects Matthias Sauerbruch and Louisa Hutton.