German curator Udo Kittelmann and leading time-based art collector Julia Stoschek have collaborated on "What a Wonderful World," an audiovisual poem on view at Los Angeles's Variety Arts Theater from February 6 through March 20. The project interweaves early film entries by Alice Guy-Blaché, Georges Méliès, and Walt Disney with contemporary video works from Stoschek's collection, featuring artists such as Lu Yang, Bunny Rogers, and Paul Chan. Kittelmann and Stoschek insist the work is not an exhibition but a "poem," designed to challenge how audiences consume art and moving images, urging viewers to move beyond entertainment toward a raw, emotional experience.
The project marks the Julia Stoschek Foundation's first major appearance in the United States, signaling the collector's deepening engagement with Los Angeles, where she served on MOCA's Board of Trustees from 2018 to 2022. By juxtaposing early cinema with contemporary video art, Kittelmann and Stoschek argue that the fundamental human themes—love, loss, conflict, and meaning-making—remain unchanged across a century of moving images. The work invites reflection on how technological advances shape perception while reasserting the enduring power of visual storytelling.