The Art Project
Protestonaut (lat.: protestari – publicly testify, gr.: -nautes – sailor) is an art project intending to draw attention to important socio-political challenges through live performances, photos and short texts – or, in short, through photography, journalism, art, and humor.
As part of the project, a photo calendar has been published annually since 2014. It is a keynote speech in printed form. The wall calendar aims to provide food for thought and stimulate discussion. Although the selection of topics, motifs, and sources of information already represents an evaluation, the greatest possible objectivity was ensured and the texts were based on studies and literature.
The concept: Astronauts are explorers and they have to deal with a lot of tasks. In space they float above the problems of the blue planet. Anybody can be in that Protestonaut costume: the shop assistant, the cashier, the local politican, the student, the manager, the workless, the teacher, the person of independent means – even you.
The Protestonaut can now also be seen live on comedy and cabaret stages. Is it okay to have fun and entertain others in these (ongoing) times of crisis? It’s essential! The past few years have been exciting. Previous performances, research trips, and photo shoots have taken him as far as Greece. The Protestonaut’s furthest order to date came from Australia. So far, more than 130 motifs on various topics have been created. There has been and continues to be a lot of positive feedback. Even the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany sent a motivating letter.
The Protestonaut Calendar 2026
The 12th edition focuses on the issue of unreported cases, the phantom outside the statistics, the ninja
fighter among the numbers. Nothing is known for certain. And because that is the case, this edition manages almost entirely without figures – apart from the calendar, otherwise it wouldn’t be a calendar.
Topics in the Protestonaut Calendar 2026 include: cyberbullying and cybercrime, illegal waste disposal, attacks on emergency services, doping in sport, illegal car racing, domestic violence, shoddy construction, poaching, homelessness, tax fraud, unexplained deaths, and knockout drops. In keeping with the theme, all photos were taken after dark. To produce this edition, Alexander Hauk and Sophia Hauk visited numerous locations over the past few months, including a rescue station, a mountain in Italy and a football pitch in Berlin. This edition is bilingual. All texts are in German and English.
The Protestonaut Calendar 2018
Around 700 million children worldwide have no childhood worthy of the name. Instead of being able to learn and develop without a care, they are confronted with poverty, hunger, violence and physical exploitation. More than a quarter of a century ago, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted and ratified by almost all states. However, there is still a lack of legal implementation on an international level.
Themes: Child poverty (January), Right to day-care place (February), Right to free time (March), Healthy diet (April), Flight (May), Bullying (June), Inclusion (July), Child labour (August), Right to education (September), Social media (October), Violence against children (November) and Right to both parents (December).
The Protestonaut Calendar 2017
About ten years have passed since the outbreak of the financial and banking crisis. Hoping to be able to resolve the resulting upheavals in the globally networked financial and economic system, many countries have opted for a policy that takes different names: Euphemistically, it is known as „savings policy“, neutrally as „cost-cutting policy“ or „austerity policy“ and by many of those affected as „impoverishment policy „. No other country in Europe has as much experience with austerity as Greece. The Protestonaut went there to get to know and document effects and developments.
Themes: Nationalism, Closed shop (February), Solidarity (March), Building ruins (April), Industrial production (May), Health care (June), Tourism (July), Rural exodus (August), Schools and kindergartens (September), Forced privatisation (October), Suicide rate (November) and Self-organisation (December).
The Protestonaut Calendar 2016
There was a trend towards tabloid topics in the media. Banalities and rumours were blocking the perception of the key issues: That is what it said in the last edition of the Protestonaut calendar. Has anything changed since then? Thanks to extensive coverage, media consumers in Germany now know how the Queen of England lives in private. And as long as a candidate who falls at the first hurdle in a TV quiz show is news, the world seems to be in perfect order. Is that the case?
Themes: Digital Transformation (January), Pensions (February), Addiction (March), Refugees welcome (April), Bonus: T-Shirt Design against youth unemployment, Skilled Workers (May), Tax Evasion (June), Drinking Water (July), Overfishing (August), Gentrification (September), Wage Gap (October), To be or not to be (November) and Animal Welfare (December).
Exhibitions
The art project Protestonaut could be seen in three exhibitions in Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden and Heidelberg since 2015.
Protestonaut pictures for your Home
You get elegant pictures with the Protestonaut for your wall at Photocircle. More than only your wall makes our art happy: For any picture you buy Photocircle plants trees.
The T-Shirt
On the one hand, millions of qualified and highly motivated job seekers, and on the other, companies looking for skilled workers: On Labour Day on 1 May, the Protestonaut brought out a T-shirt which brings both groups together.
The purpose of the T-shirt is to provide a positive stimulus, to help companies searching for skilled worker, to support the unemployed in finding a job and to express solidarity with the unemployed. Because it is a transnational challenge, the message is also international.
The design can be downloaded free of charge and used for non-commercial purposes.
About Us
< Sophia Hauk
Kids, stars or fashion models: whomever, stands in front of Sophia’s lens, always shine. Amongst her clients are well-known companies, agencies and magazines. She lives and works as a freelance photographer in Hamburg and Berlin.
Alexander Hauk >
Who are the candidates for the next election? What are the issues that count? Which campaigns are getting the most attention? The Bundestag elections are as exciting for Alex as the Bundesliga is for the average German. The diploma political scientist works as a spokesman.
Contact and Legal Information:
Sophia Lukasch Photography // Studio Berlin // Simplonstraße 34 // 10245 Berlin // Germany // t: +49 171 7260007 // m: mail@sophialukasch.com