We are pleased to announce that documentary filmmaker Fosco Dubini has been selected for the Artist Fellowship as part of the Powering Wealth research project, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. The fellowship complements the project's academic research with an artistic perspective. Archival materials and data collected and analyzed within the project provide the shared foundation for both academic research and artistic exploration.

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The selection took place through a multi-stage process. On February 27, 2026, the shortlisted candidates presented their concepts to an artistic jury consisting of Gabriela Löffel (visual artist, Geneva), Christoph Westermeier (visual artist and president of the Malkasten Artists’ Association, Düsseldorf), and Prof. Martin Pfeifle (sculptor and professor of Body-Space-Structure at Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences).

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The jury was impressed by Fosco Dubini’s cinematic concept. Particular emphasis was placed on his approach to translating research findings into a distinct visual language and developing images that make the subject matter accessible on a new level.

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As part of the fellowship, Fosco Dubini will produce a documentary film. The film centers on the question of what legacies entrepreneurial family dynasties in the energy industry leave behind across generations—in landscapes as well as in social and economic structures. Archival material, wills, and interviews from the research project form the basis for a cinematic exploration of ownership, memory, and social change.

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Dubini works at the intersection of documentary film, essay film, and visual research. His projects are characterized by a dense interplay of archival material, historical narratives, and experimental visual languages. His documentary "Bärbel Bohley – Tagebuch einer Auflehnung" (2025) is currently showing in German cinemas.

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In addition to Fosco Dubini, Benedikt Hartl / Opposite Office (architecture), Chloé Colin (photography), and Pinkas Fritscher (photography) were also on the shortlist.

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The fellowship is worth a total of 48,000 euros and runs through the end of 2028.

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We warmly congratulate Fosco Dubini and look forward to working with him.