ART MATTERS 13
(für Deutsch bitte hier klicken)
WIN 1 OF 2 MORE SPOTS IN THE 1ST PHYSICAL "ART MATTERS" GROUP EXHIBITION IN OUR GALLERY IN COLOGNE!
APPLY NOW AND TAKE PART IN OUR OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS WORLDWIDE!
DEADLINE: SUNDAY 30 MARCH 6PM CET
APPLICATION FORM: SEE BELOW!
Dear artists,
Submissions for our new art competition are now open until Sunday 30 March 6pm CET! There is no theme, we don't want to limit your creativity!!
We are looking for 2 more artists to present them in our 1st "ART MATTERS" gallery group exhibition in Cologne planned for December 2025. Note: Hyein Yang and BERGERNISSEN (Alisa Berger/Lena Ditte Nissen) have already been selected for our physical ART MATTERS exhibition through our last Open Call in winter 2024.
No matter whether figurative or abstract, no matter in which medium: We do not specify a formal or content-related subject! Surprise us!!
SELECTION PROCESS:
Through our 13th ART MATTERS Open Call, we will select 9 international artists whose submitted works we will show in our carefully curated online group exhibition "ART MATTERS 13" from 7 to 15 April 2025 on our website and Instagram account.
A further 27 artists will be selected and receive an "Honourable Mention" in our Instagram stories during the duration of the ART MATTERS 13 exhibition.
On Wednesday 16 April, we will announce the 2 winners of our competition and invite both to participate in the physical group exhibition "ART MATTERS" in our gallery in Cologne (project planned for December 2025 – 2 further participants have already been selected via our ART MATTERS 12 Open Call last winter).
PLEASE NOTE:
In order to be able to continue this project, we have once again made the well-considered decision to charge a registration/processing fee of €20 (see below). This fee covers part of our administrative costs and is non-refundable.
To apply, please read the following FAQ carefully and then fill out the application form below. By registering for ART MATTERS 13, you agree to the terms and conditions of participation.
FAQ / Conditions of participation
Who can apply?
- Our Open Call is international: all visual artists aged 18 and over and from all artistic disciplines are invited to apply.
- All applicants will be considered as part of our selection/evaluation process. Please note that a submitted application does not automatically mean participation in ART MATTERS 13.
What can you apply with?
- 1 image of one of your artworks that is available for sale and can be offered by us in our online shop!
- You must own the copyright.
- Medium, technique or size: All art forms, techniques and formats are permitted. Whether figurative or abstract, we do not specify a formal or thematic subject!
- File size: max. 2MB
- CV including list of exhibitions
- Text (e.g. artist statement, article...)
- The artwork you upload must not contain pornographic, sexually explicit, violent or racist material.
Is there a participation fee?
- Yes, there is a non-refundable processing fee of €20 per artist for an application with one work. You can apply multiple times.
What is the commission arrangement when a work of art is sold?
- The artist and the gallery each receive 50% of the sales price. Further costs, such as shipping, will be borne by the gallery or the collector.
Which dates are important?
- The Open Call will run from 10 to 30 March 2025, after which no more applications will be accepted and our selection process will begin.
- ALL participants will be informed about our decision from Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 April. We therefore ask you to check your e-mail inbox and also your spam box!!
- We will individually notify the 9 artists as well as the 27 Honourable Mentions we select to participate in ART MATTERS 13.
- From Monday 7 to Tuesday 15 April, we will present the 9 selected artists and their submitted works one after the other and daily at 6 pm online (website, online shop, Instagram).
- We will post the "Honourable Mentions" in our Instagram stories from 8 to 16 April, 3 per day and between noon and 6pm each day.
- On the last day of the exhibition, Wednesday 16 April at 5pm and at 6pm, we will announce the 2 winners of our ART MATTERS 13 Open Call competition – they will be invited to participate in our 1st physical "ART MATTERS" group exhibition in our Cologne gallery in summer 2025. (2 further participants have already been selected via our ART MATTERS 12 Open Call last winter: Hyein Jang and BERGERNISSEN).
How can you submit an application?
- Please only use the following form, fill in the application form and complete the application by paying the participation fee via PayPal or credit/debit card. If neither is available to you, please let us know and we will find a solution!
- You will receive a receipt (= registration confirmation) for the payment made from us by e-mail within the following 24 hours.
- Once payment has been completed, your application is automatically sent and received by us. The confirmation of payment is also the confirmation of registration. And if anything is missing, we will get in touch with you!
If you need help (sometimes there may be browser-related problems with the form), please do not hesitate to contact us at art@galerie-biesenbach.com – we will respond as soon as possible!
And now good luck to you all!
Apropos:
You can simply scroll down to get an impression of our last ART MATTERS exhibitions in the archive.
Application ART MATTERS 13
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ARCHIVE
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ART MATTERS 12
Online Group Exhibition
9 – 18 December 2024
1 new artist daily at 6pm CET
exclusively on: galerie-biesenbach.de, Instagram and Facebook
FINALE: Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and at 6pm CET
We announce the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in December 2025.
Following our 12th Open Artist Call, we launch our new ART MATTERS online group exhibition on Monday 9 December at 6pm CET. From all applications received, we have selected 9 finalists, who will be presented with their submitted artworks here on our website, on Instagram and on Facebook, one after the other until 17 December. Every day at 6pm CET, a new name and artwork will be unveiled so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole. The presentation of our Top 9 is rounded off by the "Honourable Mentions" in our daily Instagram stories, in which we acknowledge the works of a selected number of artists who just missed the final cut (27, to be exact, posted in our Instagram stories from 10 to 18 December, 3 per day and between noon and 6pm).
Finals day: On Wednesday18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group group exhibition in our gallery space in Cologne in December 2025. (2 further participants of the exhibition will be determined by our next Open Call in spring 2025.)
We invite you to visit ART MATTERS 12 regularly here on our website, Instagram and Facebook.
About our ART MATTERS series:
As with our previous 11 Open Artist Calls since April 2020 – 9 regular editions and 2 special summer editions – we were aware of how diverse and eclectic this 12th online exhibition could be. But it is precisely the idea of an open call that continues to appeal to us: inviting artists from a wide variety of backgrounds to apply and submit their work. From this multitude of perspectives and positions, we hope to create an exhibition that shows a field of tension, but also a symbiotic dialogue between the individual works of art. An exhibition that fits in with the orientation and philosophy of the gallery, but also brings something new to our programme.
You can check out our first 11 ART MATTERS shows in the archive further down.
PS: Our next open call ART MATTERS 13 will take place in March/April 2025…
FINALS DAY: Wednesday 18 December
HYEIN JANG – WINNER 2/2 "ART MATTERS 12"
The time has come and we are announcing the second winner of our 12th ART MATTERS online competition: We congratulate the South Korean artist HYEIN JANG (*1993, lives and works in Karlsruhe and Würzburg), who we hereby invite to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in winter 2025 together with the already announced winning duo BERGERNISSEN! (2 more participants of the exhibition will be selected through our next Open Call in March/April 2025! Save the date!!) The young artist's work fascinates us with its impressive emotional depth.
Hyein Jang studied at Kyonggi University in Suwon South Korea and at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, where she completed her master's degree with Professor Daniel Roth. In her textile works, fabric installations are superimposed, creating a 3D effect and making the work appear to be in motion. The imperfection of our feelings and memories is expressed through repeated hand stitches.
Emotions are in a constant state of flux and are constantly being restructured within relationships. In her poetically touching work Wodurch werden sie bewegt, Jang depicts this through ‘fabric-like layers’. Over time, emotions can fade in our memories, but the more the layers overlap, the more intensely and clearly they emerge. These layers of fabric break out of the frame of the canvas and move freely in the wind, symbolising the imperfection of emotions. "The fabrics, which have different lengths, move with the wind caused by people passing by. This shows how emotions change and are influenced by relationships with others. With this representation I have visualised the imperfection of emotions and their reconstruction."
HYEIN JANG
Wodurch werden sie bewegt, 2024
hand sewing on fabric
210 x 120 cm
STATEMENT
The memory of emotions
In the society in which we live, our emotions are strongly influenced by our environment and other people. They are constantly changing, and this change also causes changes in ourselves. The self of the past, present and future can be different in each case.
However, these changes can return to their original state or be transformed into a new form through relationships with other people. Emotions are in a constant state of flux and are constantly being restructured within relationships.
I have visualised this through ‘fabric-like layers’. Over time, emotions can fade in our memory, but the more the layers overlap, the more intense and distinct they emerge. These layers of fabric break out of the frame of the canvas and move freely in the wind, symbolising the imperfection of emotions.
The fabrics, which are of different lengths, move with the wind caused by people passing by. This shows how emotions change and are influenced by relationships with others. With this representation, I have visualised the imperfection of emotions and their reconstruction.
Hyein Jang (*1993 in Gyeryong, South Korea) lives and works in Würzburg. She studied at Kyonggi University in Suwon South Korea and at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe and completed her master's degree at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe under Professor Daniel Roth.
CV
Hyein Jang
born 1993 in Gyeryong, South Korea
lives and works in Karlsruhe, DE
Education
2023-2024
- Master student, State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe with Prof Daniel Roth
2018-2023
- Free Art (Graphics & Painting), Diploma Programme, State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe with Prof. Daniel Roth, Olaf Quantius
2012-2016
- Fine Arts, Kyonggi University, Suwon, South Korea
Selected Exhibitions
2024
- Group Show, ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (online)
- Group Show, "ARE YOU HAPPY REALLY, AGAIN“, Puchheimer Kulturzentrum PUC, Puchheim
- Duo Show, “Never-ending ever-expanding”, Luisleu Galerie, Karlsruhe
- 4th Southwest German Art Prize, Stiftung Kreissparkasse Esslingen-Nürtingen
- VIII Ellwangen Art Exhibition 2024, im Kunstverein Ellwangen e.V.
- Dounaueschinger Regionale 2024, Donaueschingen Donauhallen, Bartók
- TOP_0024, The master students of the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe at the Ettlingen Museum and on the Wilhelmshöhe
- Kunst im Klub, the 19th Restaurant_Bar_lounge, Karlsruhe
- Karlsruhe Academy Square, Art Karlsruhe 2024
- Solo Show, "Come to mind" Swimmingpool Galerie, Berlin
2023
- Annual exhibition 2023, State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, juried and curated: Prof Franz Ackermann, Rita Vitorelli and Christian Kobald, Prof Marijke van Warmerdam, Prof Axel Heil
- Diploma exhibition, ‘Echo of memories’, Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe
2022
- Annual exhibition 2022, State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, juried and curated: Prof. Corinne Wasmuht, Prof. Sophie von Hellermann and Prof. David Ostrowski
2021
- NICHT KUSSEN NICHT HAUEN‘, Kunstparcours in Durlach Karlsruhe
2020
- Junge Kunstler*innen in der Villa, Kunstverein Neustadt an der Weinstraße e.V.
2019
- Kunst-, Handwerk-, Design- und Weihnachtsmesse Karlsruhe, Regierungspräsidium am Rondellplatz
2017
- 25 minutes before scattering, Städtische Galerie Suwon, Suwon, South Korea
2014
- The young painter in a new year, Galerie Gaia, Seoul, South Korea
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BERGERNISSEN – WINNERS 1/2 "ART MATTERS 12"
It's time to announce our decision and the first winners of our 12th ART MATTERS online competition (the second announcement will follow at 6pm!): We congratulate the artist duo BERGERNISSEN (consisting of Alisa Berger and Lena Ditte Nissen, both born in 1987), who we hereby invite to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in winter 2025! We are particularly impressed by the artists' subtly critical approach to controversial topics.
BERGERNISSEN have been working together on performative, filmic and curatorial projects since 2011 and deal with subjective mythologies and psychological spaces in their work. "The material of our work are group processes, collectively experienced realities and our relationship to cultural institutions. The illusionistic potential of film and cinema is a source of inspiration for the development of our performances and happenings that simulate realities. At the turning point where reason could destroy the illusion, the illusion solidifies to the point of incorruptibility, while at the same time the illusion appears fragile in precisely those places where it should appear consistent and self-evident."
The work European Sleep, submitted by BERGERNISSEN for ART MATTERS 12, is a hauntingly unsettling installation in which a suspended ceiling is faked and a fog machine is installed in it, which channels its smoke through a smoke detector. Instead of reacting to the smoke, the detector itself produces smoke. The work, which quickly reminds the viewer of a kind of gas chamber with an office aesthetic, reflects the problem of security and vigilance as a prerequisite for the destruction of freedom.
BERGERNISSEN
Alisa Berger & Lena Ditte Nissen
European Sleep, 2024
installation consisting of smoke detectors, fog machine, suspended ceiling, wood, plaster, ceiling-lights
dimensions variable
STATEMENT
The material of our work consists of group processes, collectively experienced realities, and our relationship to cultural institutions. The illusionistic potential of film and cinema serves as inspiration for the development of our performances and happenings that simulate realities. At the turning point where reason could destroy the illusion, the deception is consolidated to the point of being incorruptible, while simultaneously the illusion appears fragile in precisely the places where it should seem consistent and self-evident.
Through ritualistic actions or scientific research – and in collaboration with protagonists, objects, and institutional structures – we create situations that illuminate the artificial connections between science, art, spirituality, and politics. The viewer can intervene or withdraw. This exploration of illusory boundaries and their transgression unfolds its power through happening and performance, penetrating into the reality of the viewer.
With European Sleep, BERGERNISSEN create a fake suspended ceiling inside and install a fog machine within it, which directs its smoke through a smoke detector. The smoke detector on the drop ceiling is the only visible object in the room. Instead of reacting to the smoke, the detector generates smoke itself. The system is controlled by a timer, which lets the fog out in short intervals. The work, that quickly reminds the viewer of a sort of gas chamber with office aesthetics, reflects on the problem of security and alertness as a premise for the destruction of freedom. In recent years, freedom and security have often been juxtaposed in the European media in order to concern the masses with the ideas of total surveillance.
CV
Alisa Berger
born 1987 in Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russia
lives and works in Paris
www.alisabergermun.com
@alisa.berger.mun
www.bergernissen.com
@bergernissen
Education
2022-2024
- Le Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains, Promotion Claude Lévi-Strauss, Tourcoing, FR
2010-2016
- "Media Art" at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Cologne, DE
2013
- "Artes Plasticas" at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, COL (international exchange)
2010
- Psychology at the University of Hagen, Hagen, DE
Artistic Collectives/Collaborations
- since 2021 working with Maria Wildeis as sound art duo SONGS FOR SEALS
- since 2019 founded FORTIS FEM FILM production company
- since 2011 working with Lena Ditte Nissen in artistic duo as BERGERNISSEN
Selected Film Festivals
2024
- IDFA International Doc. Fest. Amsterdam Doclab - Immersive Non-Fiction Competition, Amsterdam, NL
- Gimme Some Truth - Dave Barber Cinematheque, Winnipeg, CA
- 14° Sicilia Queer filmfest – International New Visions Festival, Palermo, ITA
- 31° Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, screening, Toronto, CA
- 21o CPH:DOX Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival , screening, Copenhagen, DK
- 16o Imagine Science Film Festival, screening, New York, USA
- 56o Sitges Festival Internacional Cinema Fantastic, screening, Spain
- 19o Lucca Film Festival. Italy
2023
- 30° Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, screening, Toronto, CA
- 41° Festival Cinematográfico Internacional del Uruguay, screening, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Onion City Film Festival, screening, Chicago, USA
2022
- New Orleans Film Festival, screening, New Orleans, USA
- Saigon Experimental Film Festival IV, screening, Saigon, Vietnam
- 18o Lucca Film Festival, screening, Lucca, Italy
2018
- Sci-Fi Film Festival, screening, London, UK
- International Video Art Festival Now&After, Artplay St. Petersburg, group, St. Petersburg, RU
- DC Independent Film Festival, screening, Washington DC, USA
- Filmmor Women Film Festival Istanbul, screening, Istanbul, TURKEY
- Internacional Festival Cinematográfico del Uruguay, screening, Montevideo, URUGUAY
2017
- Filmfestival Max Ophüls Prize, screening, nominated for best feature film, Saarbrücken, DE
2016
- San Diego Underground Film Festival, screening, San Diego, USA
Selected Group Exhibitions/Screenings/Performances
2025
- Kunstpalast: Die Grosse, performance / group, Düsseldorf, DE
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne, DE (online)
- Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Benefiz Auktion, group, Aachen, DE
- London Migration Film Festival / Screening Rights, Lexi Cinema, screening, London, UK
- Midlands Art Centre Birmingham / Screening Rights Film Festival, screening, Birmingham, UK
- Pochen Biennale
- “Ex Oriente” , bergernissen, with Lena Ditte Nissen, group, Chemnitz, DE
- Le Fresnoy “Panorama 26”, group, Turcoing, FR
- Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, group “Unforeseen Deviations”, Tokyo, JP
- Biennale NOVA_XX: Plurivers & Contingence, Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, group, Paris, FR
2023
- Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Benefiz Auktion, group, Aachen, DE
- Le Fresnoy “Panorama 25”, group, Turcoing, FR
- Neuer Kunstraum Düsseldorf “TV Gardener”, group, Düsseldorf, DE
- Fire Flies V - Malkasten Kunstverein, group, Düsseldorf, DE
- Sinema Transtopia, screening, Berlin, DE
2022
- Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, screening, Washington DC, USA
- Kunsthaus NRW Kornelimünster, group, Aachen, DE
- NKR Neuer Kunstraum Düsseldorf VOR DEN BILDERN, group, Düsseldorf, DE
- Diaspora Film Festival, screening, Incheon, KR
- Institut français du Japon, Kyotographie Photography Festival CROWNLETTER, group, Kyoto, JPN
2021
- XIV Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale, Museum Ploshad Mira, group, Krasnoyarsk, RU
- Kunstverein Malkasten, “Starke Frauen in Kunst und Kultur” Frauenkulturbüro NRW, group, Düsseldorf, DE
- Weltkunstzimmer, “GHOST3”, group and curation of performances, Düsseldorf, DE
- Kunstverein Leverkusen Schloss Morsbroich, performance w/ Manfred Ruecker and Maria Wildeis, Leverkusen, DE
2020
- Literatur Biennale Wuppertal, performance w/ Thorsten Krämer, Andreas Oskar Hirsch, Taka Kagitomi, DE
- Lyrikfestival Literaturhaus Köln “Satelliten” , performance w/ Thorsten Krämer, Cologne, DE
- Kunstverein Malkasten “Culture Loop: Strange days - Erinnerung ist ein Gespenst” online with Dr. Doris Krystof (K21), Düsseldorf, DE
- Striped House Gallery, Arata-Alicia Kitamura’s “MURASAME in Pandemic Day”, performance Tokyo, JP
- SOLO Seoul Art Space Geumcheon “K-Saram”, solo exhibition, Seoul, KR
2019
- KOMAGOME 1-14 contemporary art space “Oriental Discourse” , group, Tokyo, JP
- 7th Nakanojo Biennale - 中之条ビエンナーレ 国際現代芸術祭, Gunma, JP
- Galerie der Künstler München im BBK, w/ Lena Ditte Nissen, group, Munich, DE
- Hay Art Center & Goethe-Institut Yerevan “Die Grenze”, group, Yerevan, Armenia
- Kindl – Centre for Contemporary Art / Babette Cafe, performance, Berlin, DE
- SOLO Gemeinde Köln, AWAKENING: FUTURE, solo of bergernissen, with Lena Ditte Nissen, Köln, DE
- Palace Of Youth Creativity & Goethe Institut Tashkent “Die Grenze”, group, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2018
- SOLO PATARA Gallery, Behind the Curtain, solo exhibition, Tbilisi, GEO
- Artisterium XI, Tbilisi International Contemporary Art Exhibition, group, GEO
- Kasteyev State Museum of Arts,“Die Grenze” group, Almaty, KAZ
- SOLO S.Y.P. artist space and gallery, solo exhibition of "Three Borders", Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, JPN
- Kunstverein Wolfenbüttel, “Surviving Fitness”, group, as BERGERNISSEN, Wolfenbüttel, DE
- NCCA - Ural National Centre of Contemporary Art, “Die Grenze” group, Yekaterinburg, RU
- Goethe-Institut Yerevan / Mirzoyan Library, screening and performance, Yerevan, ARMENIA
- OAG - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur und Völkerkunde Ostasiens, lecture and screening, Tokyo, JAPAN
- AUTOCENTER “last dance” at Kindl - Centre for Contemporary Art, group, Berlin, DE
2017
- SOLO HMKV Hartware MedienKunstverein Dortmund - video of the month “Three Borders”, solo exhibition, Dortmund, DE
- Hartware MedienKunstVerein Dortmund, “Die Grenze” group, Dortmund, DE
- History Museum Tbilisi & Goethe Institut, group, Tbilisi, Georgia
- Dovzhenko Centre / Plivka Art Center & Goethe Institute, group, Kyiv, UKRAINE
- Museum Centre Peace Square & Goethe Institut, group, Krasnoyarsk, RU
- Artplay St. Petersburg & Goethe Institut, group, St. Petersburg, RU
- BACC Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, group, w/ Lena Ditte Nissen as BERGERNISSEN, Bangkok, THA
- MMOMA - Moscow Museum of Modern Art & Goethe Institut, group, Moscow, RU
2016
- KAI 10, Arthena Foundation, performance “TAKE UP YOUR SPACE” as BERGERNISSEN, Düsseldorf, DE
- 2016 Anthology Film Archives - AXWFF, screening, NewYork, USA
- CCA - Center for Contemporary Art, artist talk, screening, curation, Tbilisi, GE
2015
- Kunsthalle Düsseldorf - Time Based Academy, performance, Düsseldorf, DE
- EMAF, group w/ Lena Ditte Nissen as BERGERNISSEN, Kunsthalle Osnabrück, DE
- Videonale Parcours, LVRMuseum & Fabrik45, group, Bonn, DE
2014
- Kunstfilmtage, group w/ Lena Ditte Nissen as BERGERNISSEN, Düsseldorf, DE
- FULL SATURATION. Kunstpavillon, group, München, DE
- Cinemateca Distrital, screening, Bogota, CO
- Synthetic Zero, Bronx Art Space, screening, New York, USA
- K21 Ständehaus Kunstsammlung NRW: Lichterfest , performance w/ Lena Ditte Nissen as BERGERNISSEN
CV
Lena Ditte Nissen
born 1987 in Munich, DE
short films distributed by LightCone Paris and Deutsche Kinemathek
www.lenadittenissen.com
@lenaditte
www.bergernissen.com
@bergernissen
Education
currently
- Kunstuni Linz . PhD candidate with Prof. Karin Harrasser . Linz . AU
2010-2016
- Academy of Media Art Cologne KHM . Cologne . DE
2014-2016
- Kunstakademie Düsseldorf . Düsseldorf . DE
2013
- Universidad Nacional de Bogotá . Fine Art Department . Bogotá . CO
Selected Research Activities/Teaching/Artist Talks
2024
- teaching Artistic Research at Universität zu Köln . DE
- curatorial team of the international symposium ‘PASSED ON’ - symposium on narrativization of vernacular archives . Kunstuniversiät Linz . AU
- guest lecture at Kunstuniversiät Linz . AU
2023
- research travelling in Argentina and Chile
- artist talk at Goethe Institute Buenos Aires . AR
- lecture at Parsons - The New School NYC . USA
- presentation at ÖAW Austrian Academy of the Sciences . AU
- presentation at IFK International Research Center for Cultural Studies Vienna . AU
2022
- moderation of panel discussion at Werkleitz Symposium . Halle . DE
- teaching Artistic Research at Katholische Hochschule NRW Münster . DE
- presentation at ICI - Institute for Cultural Inquiry . Berlin . DE
2021
- teaching Experimental Documentary Film at Katholische Hochschule NRW Münster . DE
- Project-Presentation at Universität Oldenburg . DE
- teaching Artistic Research at Katholische Hochschule NRW Münster . DE
202
- artist talk at ART HUB . Copenhagen . DK
- Lecture at UTOPIA Symposium . Filmbüro NW . DE with Alisa Berger as bergernissen
2019
- screening and master class at FAMU - Film and TV School . Prague . CZ
Selected Residencies/Labs
2024 Arctic Circle, Residency, Svalbard, Norway / 2022/2023 IFK - International Research Center for Cultural Studies, Junior Fellowship, Vienna, AU / 2022 Doc Station - Berlinale Talents, selected participant, Berlin, DE 2021/2022 Sommerakademie Paul Klee, Fellowship, Bern, CH / 2019/2020 KÜNSTLERHAUS BÜCHSENHAUSEN, art & theory fellowship, Innsbruck, AU / 2017 SOMA Summer, Mexico City, MX (residency) / 2016 LIGHT CONE; Atelier 105, Paris, FR (post-production residency) / 2013 lugar a dudas, Cali, Colombia (residency in collaboration with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) / 2012 International Summer Academy Salzburg (fully funding scholarship, course by Mara Mattuschka)
Selected Scholarships/Funding
2024 Danish Arts Foundation (residency funding), 2024 Goethe Institut Norway (residency funding), 2023 Government of Nordrhein-Westphalia (individual research travel scholarship), 2022 - 2025 Austrian Academy of the Sciences, AU (three-year artistic research grant), 2022 Stiftung Kunstfond (one year working grant) 2022 Film und Medien Stiftung NRW (research grant), 2022 Neustart Kultur (working grant), 2020/21 Kunststiftung NRW - Junge Szene (project funding), 2020 Danish Arts Foundation (production grant) 2019/20 Government of Nordrhein-Westphalia (individual travel scholarship) 2017 Bonner Kunstverein, Germany (studio stipend with Alisa Berger as bergernissen), 2017 DAAD (research scholarship for Mexico)
Selected Screenings/Performances/Exhibitions/Online (s/p/e/on)
2026
- Kunstmuseum Reutlingen . DE (e)
2025
- TENDENZ VERZERRUNG - exhibition on the occasion of the ver.di-grant for emerging artitsts . Kunstpavillon München . DE (solo - e)
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne, DE (on)
- Pochen Biennale . Chemnitz . DE (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (e)
2023
- Goethe Center Maputo . MOZ (e)
2022
- Filmmuseum Potsdam . DE (on)
- Gemeinde Köln . DE (solo - e)
2021
- PRISME . Nantes . FR (s)
- FRACTO . Acud Macht Neu . Berlin . DE (s)
- Experiments in Cinema . New Mexico . USA (s)
- IDENTITY IS UNCERTAINTY #2 . Kunstpavillon . Innsbruck . AT (e)
- Window Videos . Buchhandlung Walther König . Cologne . DE (e)
2020
- DOK Leipzig . DE (s) (German Premiere of short film THERE IS)
- A Handful of Dust . Berlin . DE (p) (in collaboration with historian Sandra Franz)
- KinoviSIEon LEO Kino. Innsbruck . AT (solo screening night)
- CPH:DOX . Copenhagen . DK (s) (World Premiere of short film THERE IS)
- Geumcheon Art Space . Seoul . CO (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (e)
2019
- Premierentage (Gallery Weekend) . Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen . Innsbruck . AT (s)
- Cicuito Nomadica . Bologna . ITA (s)
- Galerie der Künstler . München . DE (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (e)
- Queer Experimental Shorts . Filmpalette . Köln . DE (s)
- AWAKENING DESTRUCTION . Gemeinde Köln . Köln . DE (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (p/e)
- Vorspiel/Transmediale&CTM . Berlin . DE (s)
2018
- Spätgaben . Galerie ohne Namen . München . DE
- Rathausgalerie . DIE FREIHEIT ERHEBT IHR HAUPT . München . DE (e)
- Fragen ohne Antworten . München . DE (with Carl Nissen) (p/e)
- SOLILOQUY WITH MACHINE #1 . The Hub Gallery . München . DE (solo - p)
- Sisters Wild Cinema . Ulm . DE (s)
- SURVIVING THE FITNESS - Kunstverein Wolfenbüttel . DE (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (e)
- Rubenstein Arts Center . Duke University . Durham . USA (s)
- Schmalfilmtage Dresden . Dresden . DE (s/p)
2017
- De Ateliers . Amsterdam Gallery Weekend . NL (e)
- Museo de Arte Moderno . Rio de Janeiro . BRA (s)
- Espectro Electromagnético with Goethe Institut Mexico . Mexico City . MX (s)
- 25FPS . special screening programmed by Mads Mikkelsen of CPH:DOX . Zagreb . HR (s)
- La Lumière Collective . Montréal . CA (s)
- Pärnu International Documentary Film Festival . Pärnu . EST (s)
- Edinburgh International Film Festival . UK (s)
- Chicago Underground Film Festival . USA (s)
- Meconio - Muestra de Nuevos Artistas . Madrid . ES (s)
- CPH:DOX . Danish Artists film/video . Copenhagen . DK (s)
- Scratch Projection . LIGHT CONE . Paris . FR (s)
- EVA13 / Media Conference2017 . BACC Bangkok Art and Culture Center . Bangkok . THA (e)
- Gaze As Metaphor . DISPLAY . Berlin . DE (e)
2016
- aCinema . Milwaukee . USA (s)
- Festival de nouveau cinéma . Montréal . CA (s)
- KAI10 | Arthena Foundation . Düsseldorf . DE(with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (p)
- Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival . BRA (s)
- Chicago Underground Film Festival . USA (s)
- Edinburgh International Film Festival . UK (s)
- Anthology Film Archives . AXWFF . NewYork . USA (s)
- CCA - Center for Contemporary Art . Tbilisi . Georgia (s)
- Experiments in Cinema . Albuquerque . New Mexico . USA (s)
- Tiefgarage . Köln . DE (with Alisa Bergeras bergernissen) (e)
__________
__________
OUR TOP 9 AT ONE GLANCE:
Our final TOP 9 is complete – thank you for participating in our online group show ART MATTERS 12 (from top left):
Simone Pick – Amédé Ackermann – Julia Oram
Meike Schlemmer – Max Gehlofen Casper White
Marina Pagh & Susanne Schmidt-Nielsen – Hyein Jang – BERGERNISSEN (Alisa Berger & Lena Ditte NIssen)
Tonight at 5pm and again at 6pm we will announce the 2 winners of our Art Matters 12 competition!
About ART MATTERS 12:
Even with the 12th ART MATTERS round, it was not easy for us to select only 9 artists for our online exhibition from the many great submissions we received in response to our last Open Artist Call. But it was a great pleasure to discover and get to know so many great artistic positions!
We hope that this multitude of perspectives and positions results in an exhibition that shows a field of tension, but also a symbiotic dialogue between the individual works of art. An exhibition that fits in with the orientation and philosophy of our gallery, but also definitely brings something new to our programme.
There is so much remarkable art out there, but we can't show it all in our gallery. The ART MATTERS series allows us to present many artistic positions from around the world to a wider online audience for about two weeks, three times a year.
Many thanks to everyone who has been following this project, some for 10 editions already, and many thanks also – above all – to all participating artists, especially to our TOP 9 and the 27 Honourable Mentions (some of which we are still presenting today in our Instagram stories).
__________
OUR 9 FINALISTS:
Tuesday 17 December: BERGERNISSEN – Finalists 9 of 9
BERGERNISSEN
Alisa Berger & Lena Ditte Nissen
European Sleep, 2024
installation consisting of smoke detectors, fog machine, suspended ceiling, wood, plaster, ceiling-lights
dimensions variable
It's day 9 of our 12th ART MATTERS online group exhibition and we are delighted to present the last of our 9 finalists: the artist duo BERGERNISSEN. Alisa Berger (*1987) and Lena Ditte Nissen (*1987), who have both been working solo and as a duo for more than 10 years, shed light on the artificial connections between science, art, spirituality and politics with their collaborative work (installations, films, perfvormances). Read more about Bergernissen and their work below.
We have selected a total of 9 finalists from the applications received for our last Open Artist Call. Until 17 December, we will present these artists and their submitted works one after the other here on our website and on Instagram. Every day at 6pm CET we will unveil another name and a new artwork, so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole.
On Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce 1 of the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in summer 2025.
STATEMENT
The material of our work consists of group processes, collectively experienced realities, and our relationship to cultural institutions. The illusionistic potential of film and cinema serves as inspiration for the development of our performances and happenings that simulate realities. At the turning point where reason could destroy the illusion, the deception is consolidated to the point of being incorruptible, while simultaneously the illusion appears fragile in precisely the places where it should seem consistent and self-evident.
Through ritualistic actions or scientific research – and in collaboration with protagonists, objects, and institutional structures – we create situations that illuminate the artificial connections between science, art, spirituality, and politics. The viewer can intervene or withdraw. This exploration of illusory boundaries and their transgression unfolds its power through happening and performance, penetrating into the reality of the viewer.
With European Sleep, BERGERNISSEN create a fake suspended ceiling inside and install a fog machine within it, which directs its smoke through a smoke detector. The smoke detector on the drop ceiling is the only visible object in the room. Instead of reacting to the smoke, the detector generates smoke itself. The system is controlled by a timer, which lets the fog out in short intervals. The work, that quickly reminds the viewer of a sort of gas chamber with office aesthetics, reflects on the problem of security and alertness as a premise for the destruction of freedom. In recent years, freedom and security have often been juxtaposed in the European media in order to concern the masses with the ideas of total surveillance.
CV
Alisa Berger
born 1987 in Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan, Russia
lives and works in Paris
www.alisabergermun.com
@alisa.berger.mun
www.bergernissen.com
@bergernissen
Education
2022-2024
- Le Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains, Promotion Claude Lévi-Strauss, Tourcoing, FR
2010-2016
- "Media Art" at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Cologne, DE
2013
- "Artes Plasticas" at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, COL (international exchange)
2010
- Psychology at the University of Hagen, Hagen, DE
Artistic Collectives/Collaborations
- since 2021 working with Maria Wildeis as sound art duo SONGS FOR SEALS
- since 2019 founded FORTIS FEM FILM production company
- since 2011 working with Lena Ditte Nissen in artistic duo as BERGERNISSEN
Selected Film Festivals
2024
- IDFA International Doc. Fest. Amsterdam Doclab - Immersive Non-Fiction Competition, Amsterdam, NL
- Gimme Some Truth - Dave Barber Cinematheque, Winnipeg, CA
- 14° Sicilia Queer filmfest – International New Visions Festival, Palermo, ITA
- 31° Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, screening, Toronto, CA
- 21o CPH:DOX Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival , screening, Copenhagen, DK
- 16o Imagine Science Film Festival, screening, New York, USA
- 56o Sitges Festival Internacional Cinema Fantastic, screening, Spain
- 19o Lucca Film Festival. Italy
2023
- 30° Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, screening, Toronto, CA
- 41° Festival Cinematográfico Internacional del Uruguay, screening, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Onion City Film Festival, screening, Chicago, USA
2022
- New Orleans Film Festival, screening, New Orleans, USA
- Saigon Experimental Film Festival IV, screening, Saigon, Vietnam
- 18o Lucca Film Festival, screening, Lucca, Italy
2018
- Sci-Fi Film Festival, screening, London, UK
- International Video Art Festival Now&After, Artplay St. Petersburg, group, St. Petersburg, RU
- DC Independent Film Festival, screening, Washington DC, USA
- Filmmor Women Film Festival Istanbul, screening, Istanbul, TURKEY
- Internacional Festival Cinematográfico del Uruguay, screening, Montevideo, URUGUAY
2017
- Filmfestival Max Ophüls Prize, screening, nominated for best feature film, Saarbrücken, DE
2016
- San Diego Underground Film Festival, screening, San Diego, USA
Selected Group Exhibitions/Screenings/Performances
2025
- Kunstpalast: Die Grosse, performance / group, Düsseldorf, DE
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne, DE (online)
- Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Benefiz Auktion, group, Aachen, DE
- London Migration Film Festival / Screening Rights, Lexi Cinema, screening, London, UK
- Midlands Art Centre Birmingham / Screening Rights Film Festival, screening, Birmingham, UK
- Pochen Biennale
- “Ex Oriente” , bergernissen, with Lena Ditte Nissen, group, Chemnitz, DE
- Le Fresnoy “Panorama 26”, group, Turcoing, FR
- Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, group “Unforeseen Deviations”, Tokyo, JP
- Biennale NOVA_XX: Plurivers & Contingence, Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, group, Paris, FR
2023
- Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Benefiz Auktion, group, Aachen, DE
- Le Fresnoy “Panorama 25”, group, Turcoing, FR
- Neuer Kunstraum Düsseldorf “TV Gardener”, group, Düsseldorf, DE
- Fire Flies V - Malkasten Kunstverein, group, Düsseldorf, DE
- Sinema Transtopia, screening, Berlin, DE
2022
- Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, screening, Washington DC, USA
- Kunsthaus NRW Kornelimünster, group, Aachen, DE
- NKR Neuer Kunstraum Düsseldorf VOR DEN BILDERN, group, Düsseldorf, DE
- Diaspora Film Festival, screening, Incheon, KR
- Institut français du Japon, Kyotographie Photography Festival CROWNLETTER, group, Kyoto, JPN
2021
- XIV Krasnoyarsk Museum Biennale, Museum Ploshad Mira, group, Krasnoyarsk, RU
- Kunstverein Malkasten, “Starke Frauen in Kunst und Kultur” Frauenkulturbüro NRW, group, Düsseldorf, DE
- Weltkunstzimmer, “GHOST3”, group and curation of performances, Düsseldorf, DE
- Kunstverein Leverkusen Schloss Morsbroich, performance w/ Manfred Ruecker and Maria Wildeis, Leverkusen, DE
2020
- Literatur Biennale Wuppertal, performance w/ Thorsten Krämer, Andreas Oskar Hirsch, Taka Kagitomi, DE
- Lyrikfestival Literaturhaus Köln “Satelliten” , performance w/ Thorsten Krämer, Cologne, DE
- Kunstverein Malkasten “Culture Loop: Strange days - Erinnerung ist ein Gespenst” online with Dr. Doris Krystof (K21), Düsseldorf, DE
- Striped House Gallery, Arata-Alicia Kitamura’s “MURASAME in Pandemic Day”, performance Tokyo, JP
- SOLO Seoul Art Space Geumcheon “K-Saram”, solo exhibition, Seoul, KR
2019
- KOMAGOME 1-14 contemporary art space “Oriental Discourse” , group, Tokyo, JP
- 7th Nakanojo Biennale - 中之条ビエンナーレ 国際現代芸術祭, Gunma, JP
- Galerie der Künstler München im BBK, w/ Lena Ditte Nissen, group, Munich, DE
- Hay Art Center & Goethe-Institut Yerevan “Die Grenze”, group, Yerevan, Armenia
- Kindl – Centre for Contemporary Art / Babette Cafe, performance, Berlin, DE
- SOLO Gemeinde Köln, AWAKENING: FUTURE, solo of bergernissen, with Lena Ditte Nissen, Köln, DE
- Palace Of Youth Creativity & Goethe Institut Tashkent “Die Grenze”, group, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2018
- SOLO PATARA Gallery, Behind the Curtain, solo exhibition, Tbilisi, GEO
- Artisterium XI, Tbilisi International Contemporary Art Exhibition, group, GEO
- Kasteyev State Museum of Arts,“Die Grenze” group, Almaty, KAZ
- SOLO S.Y.P. artist space and gallery, solo exhibition of "Three Borders", Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, JPN
- Kunstverein Wolfenbüttel, “Surviving Fitness”, group, as BERGERNISSEN, Wolfenbüttel, DE
- NCCA - Ural National Centre of Contemporary Art, “Die Grenze” group, Yekaterinburg, RU
- Goethe-Institut Yerevan / Mirzoyan Library, screening and performance, Yerevan, ARMENIA
- OAG - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Natur und Völkerkunde Ostasiens, lecture and screening, Tokyo, JAPAN
- AUTOCENTER “last dance” at Kindl - Centre for Contemporary Art, group, Berlin, DE
2017
- SOLO HMKV Hartware MedienKunstverein Dortmund - video of the month “Three Borders”, solo exhibition, Dortmund, DE
- Hartware MedienKunstVerein Dortmund, “Die Grenze” group, Dortmund, DE
- History Museum Tbilisi & Goethe Institut, group, Tbilisi, Georgia
- Dovzhenko Centre / Plivka Art Center & Goethe Institute, group, Kyiv, UKRAINE
- Museum Centre Peace Square & Goethe Institut, group, Krasnoyarsk, RU
- Artplay St. Petersburg & Goethe Institut, group, St. Petersburg, RU
- BACC Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, group, w/ Lena Ditte Nissen as BERGERNISSEN, Bangkok, THA
- MMOMA - Moscow Museum of Modern Art & Goethe Institut, group, Moscow, RU
2016
- KAI 10, Arthena Foundation, performance “TAKE UP YOUR SPACE” as BERGERNISSEN, Düsseldorf, DE
- 2016 Anthology Film Archives - AXWFF, screening, NewYork, USA
- CCA - Center for Contemporary Art, artist talk, screening, curation, Tbilisi, GE
2015
- Kunsthalle Düsseldorf - Time Based Academy, performance, Düsseldorf, DE
- EMAF, group w/ Lena Ditte Nissen as BERGERNISSEN, Kunsthalle Osnabrück, DE
- Videonale Parcours, LVRMuseum & Fabrik45, group, Bonn, DE
2014
- Kunstfilmtage, group w/ Lena Ditte Nissen as BERGERNISSEN, Düsseldorf, DE
- FULL SATURATION. Kunstpavillon, group, München, DE
- Cinemateca Distrital, screening, Bogota, CO
- Synthetic Zero, Bronx Art Space, screening, New York, USA
- K21 Ständehaus Kunstsammlung NRW: Lichterfest , performance w/ Lena Ditte Nissen as BERGERNISSEN
CV
Lena Ditte Nissen
born 1987 in Munich, DE
short films distributed by LightCone Paris and Deutsche Kinemathek
www.lenadittenissen.com
@lenaditte
www.bergernissen.com
@bergernissen
Education
currently
- Kunstuni Linz . PhD candidate with Prof. Karin Harrasser . Linz . AU
2010-2016
- Academy of Media Art Cologne KHM . Cologne . DE
2014-2016
- Kunstakademie Düsseldorf . Düsseldorf . DE
2013
- Universidad Nacional de Bogotá . Fine Art Department . Bogotá . CO
Selected Research Activities/Teaching/Artist Talks
2024
- teaching Artistic Research at Universität zu Köln . DE
- curatorial team of the international symposium ‘PASSED ON’ - symposium on narrativization of vernacular archives . Kunstuniversiät Linz . AU
- guest lecture at Kunstuniversiät Linz . AU
2023
- research travelling in Argentina and Chile
- artist talk at Goethe Institute Buenos Aires . AR
- lecture at Parsons - The New School NYC . USA
- presentation at ÖAW Austrian Academy of the Sciences . AU
- presentation at IFK International Research Center for Cultural Studies Vienna . AU
2022
- moderation of panel discussion at Werkleitz Symposium . Halle . DE
- teaching Artistic Research at Katholische Hochschule NRW Münster . DE
- presentation at ICI - Institute for Cultural Inquiry . Berlin . DE
2021
- teaching Experimental Documentary Film at Katholische Hochschule NRW Münster . DE
- Project-Presentation at Universität Oldenburg . DE
- teaching Artistic Research at Katholische Hochschule NRW Münster . DE
202
- artist talk at ART HUB . Copenhagen . DK
- Lecture at UTOPIA Symposium . Filmbüro NW . DE with Alisa Berger as bergernissen
2019
- screening and master class at FAMU - Film and TV School . Prague . CZ
Selected Residencies/Labs
2024 Arctic Circle, Residency, Svalbard, Norway / 2022/2023 IFK - International Research Center for Cultural Studies, Junior Fellowship, Vienna, AU / 2022 Doc Station - Berlinale Talents, selected participant, Berlin, DE 2021/2022 Sommerakademie Paul Klee, Fellowship, Bern, CH / 2019/2020 KÜNSTLERHAUS BÜCHSENHAUSEN, art & theory fellowship, Innsbruck, AU / 2017 SOMA Summer, Mexico City, MX (residency) / 2016 LIGHT CONE; Atelier 105, Paris, FR (post-production residency) / 2013 lugar a dudas, Cali, Colombia (residency in collaboration with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) / 2012 International Summer Academy Salzburg (fully funding scholarship, course by Mara Mattuschka)
Selected Scholarships/Funding
2024 Danish Arts Foundation (residency funding), 2024 Goethe Institut Norway (residency funding), 2023 Government of Nordrhein-Westphalia (individual research travel scholarship), 2022 - 2025 Austrian Academy of the Sciences, AU (three-year artistic research grant), 2022 Stiftung Kunstfond (one year working grant) 2022 Film und Medien Stiftung NRW (research grant), 2022 Neustart Kultur (working grant), 2020/21 Kunststiftung NRW - Junge Szene (project funding), 2020 Danish Arts Foundation (production grant) 2019/20 Government of Nordrhein-Westphalia (individual travel scholarship) 2017 Bonner Kunstverein, Germany (studio stipend with Alisa Berger as bergernissen), 2017 DAAD (research scholarship for Mexico)
Selected Screenings/Performances/Exhibitions/Online (s/p/e/on)
2026
- Kunstmuseum Reutlingen . DE (e)
2025
- TENDENZ VERZERRUNG - exhibition on the occasion of the ver.di-grant for emerging artitsts . Kunstpavillon München . DE (solo - e)
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne, DE (on)
- Pochen Biennale . Chemnitz . DE (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (e)
2023
- Goethe Center Maputo . MOZ (e)
2022
- Filmmuseum Potsdam . DE (on)
- Gemeinde Köln . DE (solo - e)
2021
- PRISME . Nantes . FR (s)
- FRACTO . Acud Macht Neu . Berlin . DE (s)
- Experiments in Cinema . New Mexico . USA (s)
- IDENTITY IS UNCERTAINTY #2 . Kunstpavillon . Innsbruck . AT (e)
- Window Videos . Buchhandlung Walther König . Cologne . DE (e)
2020
- DOK Leipzig . DE (s) (German Premiere of short film THERE IS)
- A Handful of Dust . Berlin . DE (p) (in collaboration with historian Sandra Franz)
- KinoviSIEon LEO Kino. Innsbruck . AT (solo screening night)
- CPH:DOX . Copenhagen . DK (s) (World Premiere of short film THERE IS)
- Geumcheon Art Space . Seoul . CO (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (e)
2019
- Premierentage (Gallery Weekend) . Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen . Innsbruck . AT (s)
- Cicuito Nomadica . Bologna . ITA (s)
- Galerie der Künstler . München . DE (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (e)
- Queer Experimental Shorts . Filmpalette . Köln . DE (s)
- AWAKENING DESTRUCTION . Gemeinde Köln . Köln . DE (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (p/e)
- Vorspiel/Transmediale&CTM . Berlin . DE (s)
2018
- Spätgaben . Galerie ohne Namen . München . DE
- Rathausgalerie . DIE FREIHEIT ERHEBT IHR HAUPT . München . DE (e)
- Fragen ohne Antworten . München . DE (with Carl Nissen) (p/e)
- SOLILOQUY WITH MACHINE #1 . The Hub Gallery . München . DE (solo - p)
- Sisters Wild Cinema . Ulm . DE (s)
- SURVIVING THE FITNESS - Kunstverein Wolfenbüttel . DE (with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (e)
- Rubenstein Arts Center . Duke University . Durham . USA (s)
- Schmalfilmtage Dresden . Dresden . DE (s/p)
2017
- De Ateliers . Amsterdam Gallery Weekend . NL (e)
- Museo de Arte Moderno . Rio de Janeiro . BRA (s)
- Espectro Electromagnético with Goethe Institut Mexico . Mexico City . MX (s)
- 25FPS . special screening programmed by Mads Mikkelsen of CPH:DOX . Zagreb . HR (s)
- La Lumière Collective . Montréal . CA (s)
- Pärnu International Documentary Film Festival . Pärnu . EST (s)
- Edinburgh International Film Festival . UK (s)
- Chicago Underground Film Festival . USA (s)
- Meconio - Muestra de Nuevos Artistas . Madrid . ES (s)
- CPH:DOX . Danish Artists film/video . Copenhagen . DK (s)
- Scratch Projection . LIGHT CONE . Paris . FR (s)
- EVA13 / Media Conference2017 . BACC Bangkok Art and Culture Center . Bangkok . THA (e)
- Gaze As Metaphor . DISPLAY . Berlin . DE (e)
2016
- aCinema . Milwaukee . USA (s)
- Festival de nouveau cinéma . Montréal . CA (s)
- KAI10 | Arthena Foundation . Düsseldorf . DE(with Alisa Berger as bergernissen) (p)
- Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival . BRA (s)
- Chicago Underground Film Festival . USA (s)
- Edinburgh International Film Festival . UK (s)
- Anthology Film Archives . AXWFF . NewYork . USA (s)
- CCA - Center for Contemporary Art . Tbilisi . Georgia (s)
- Experiments in Cinema . Albuquerque . New Mexico . USA (s)
- Tiefgarage . Köln . DE (with Alisa Bergeras bergernissen) (e)
__________
__________
Monday 16 December: Hyein Jang – Finalist 8 of 9
HYEIN JANG
Wodurch werden sie bewegt, 2024
hand sewing on fabric
210 x 120 cm
It is the 8th day of our 12th ART MATTERS online group exhibition and we are pleased to present the South Korean artist HYEIN JANG (*1993 in Gyeryong, South Korea, lives and works in Karlsruhe). The layers of fabric of different lengths that break out of the frame of her textile work symbolise the imperfection of our emotions. They move with the breeze caused by people passing by and show how emotions change and are influenced by relationships with others. Read more about Hyein Jang and her work below.
We have selected a total of 9 finalists from the applications received for our last Open Artist Call. Until 17 December, we will present these artists and their submitted works one after the other here on our website and on Instagram. Every day at 6pm CET we will unveil another name and a new artwork, so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole.
On Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce 1 of the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in summer 2025.
STATEMENT
The memory of emotions
In the society in which we live, our emotions are strongly influenced by our environment and other people. They are constantly changing, and this change also causes changes in ourselves. The self of the past, present and future can be different in each case.
However, these changes can return to their original state or be transformed into a new form through relationships with other people. Emotions are in a constant state of flux and are constantly being restructured within relationships.
I have visualised this through ‘fabric-like layers’. Over time, emotions can fade in our memory, but the more the layers overlap, the more intense and distinct they emerge. These layers of fabric break out of the frame of the canvas and move freely in the wind, symbolising the imperfection of emotions.
The fabrics, which are of different lengths, move with the wind caused by people passing by. This shows how emotions change and are influenced by relationships with others. With this representation, I have visualised the imperfection of emotions and their reconstruction.
Hyein Jang (*1993 in Gyeryong, South Korea) lives and works in Würzburg. She studied at Kyonggi University in Suwon South Korea and at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe and completed her master's degree at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe under Professor Daniel Roth.
CV
Hyein Jang
born 1993 in Gyeryong, South Korea
lives and works in Karlsruhe, DE
Education
2023-2024
- Master student, State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe with Prof Daniel Roth
2018-2023
- Free Art (Graphics & Painting), Diploma Programme, State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe with Prof. Daniel Roth, Olaf Quantius
2012-2016
- Fine Arts, Kyonggi University, Suwon, South Korea
Selected Exhibitions
2024
- Group Show, ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (online)
- Group Show, "ARE YOU HAPPY REALLY, AGAIN“, Puchheimer Kulturzentrum PUC, Puchheim
- Duo Show, “Never-ending ever-expanding”, Luisleu Galerie, Karlsruhe
- 4th Southwest German Art Prize, Stiftung Kreissparkasse Esslingen-Nürtingen
- VIII Ellwangen Art Exhibition 2024, im Kunstverein Ellwangen e.V.
- Dounaueschinger Regionale 2024, Donaueschingen Donauhallen, Bartók
- TOP_0024, The master students of the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe at the Ettlingen Museum and on the Wilhelmshöhe
- Kunst im Klub, the 19th Restaurant_Bar_lounge, Karlsruhe
- Karlsruhe Academy Square, Art Karlsruhe 2024
- Solo Show, "Come to mind" Swimmingpool Galerie, Berlin
2023
- Annual exhibition 2023, State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, juried and curated: Prof Franz Ackermann, Rita Vitorelli and Christian Kobald, Prof Marijke van Warmerdam, Prof Axel Heil
- Diploma exhibition, ‘Echo of memories’, Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe
2022
- Annual exhibition 2022, State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, juried and curated: Prof. Corinne Wasmuht, Prof. Sophie von Hellermann and Prof. David Ostrowski
2021
- NICHT KUSSEN NICHT HAUEN‘, Kunstparcours in Durlach Karlsruhe
2020
- Junge Kunstler*innen in der Villa, Kunstverein Neustadt an der Weinstraße e.V.
2019
- Kunst-, Handwerk-, Design- und Weihnachtsmesse Karlsruhe, Regierungspräsidium am Rondellplatz
2017
- 25 minutes before scattering, Städtische Galerie Suwon, Suwon, South Korea
2014
- The young painter in a new year, Galerie Gaia, Seoul, South Korea
__________
__________
Sunday 15 December: Marina Pagh & Susanne Schmidt-Nielsen – Finalists 7 of 9
MARINA PAGH & SUSANNE SCHMIDT-NIELSEN
It's day 7 of our 12th ART MATTERS online group exhibition. Today we are pleased to present the Danish artist duo MARINA PAGH & SUSANNE SCHMIDT-NIELSEN (both live and work in Copenhagen). Pagh and Schmidt-Nielsen draw inspiration from personally significant and intimate places when creating their works. They translate these points of departure into non-figurative pieces, where the narrative is conveyed through a sensuous and poetic language. Read more about Marina Pagh & Susanne Schmidt-Nielsen and their work below.
We have selected a total of 9 finalists from the applications received for our last Open Artist Call. Until 17 December, we will present these artists and their submitted works one after the other here on our website and on Instagram. Every day at 6pm CET we will unveil another name and a new artwork, so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole.
On Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce 1 of the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in summer 2025.
STATEMENT
Marina Pagh and Susanne Schmidt-Nielsen have exhibited together since 2020, when their first joint work was a contribution to the Gangwon Kids Triennale in South Korea.
Both artists maintain individual artistic practices alongside their shared collaboration. This duality enriches, challenges, and nuances the thinking behind their exhibitions as well as the creation of their works.
Beyond the inherent joy of creating together, the collaboration is grounded in a shared artistic approach: an experimental curiosity about form and material. Both artists engage with formal contrasts such as weight versus lightness, rigid structure against the dissolved and diffuse. A key element is making space for the unforeseen and embracing chance.
Marina Pagh and Susanne Schmidt-Nielsen draw inspiration from personally significant and intimate places when creating their works. They translate these points of departure into non- figurative pieces, where the narrative is conveyed through a sensuous and poetic language.
CV
Marina Pagh
lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark
Education
- Design school Kolding 1983- 1987, Textile
- Haystack Mountain School of crafts, Maine, USA, 1986
- Graphic School, Aarhus 1988-90, architect school, Aarhus 1991-92
- Printing courses 2003-04, The Royal Danish Art Academy, Copenhagen
- SVFK, Ceramic modelling 2022
Grants/Residencies
1995
- Kaleidoscope, European Union Ministry of Cultural Affairs
- King Frederik og queen Ingrids Foundation
1997
- Århus kunstnerstipendium
- DANIDA, Rejselegat Cuba
1999
- Det danske Kulturinstitut
2008
- Statens Kunstråd, Danish Arts Council, Arvestykker
2009
- Artist of the year, Helsingør Kommune 2009
- International workshop, Remisen, Brande, 2012 Olkütz, Poland
2010
- Artist in Residency, Nagoya University of Arts, Japan
- Scandinavia - Japan Sasakawa Foundation
- Knud Højgaards Fondation
- Statens Kunstraad, Danish Arts Council
2012-13
- The Danske kulturinstitut, Casa Danese, Venezia, Italy
2015
- Artist in Residency, Largo das Artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Memberships
- BKF. Association of Artists international
- Danish association of graphic workers
- Royal Society of Sculptors 2024, Great Britain
Selected Exhibitions 2010-2024
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne, Germany. Group Exhibition (online)
- volume, Kunstbiblioteket, Cph.
- Stokrosebanden, Pakhusgalleriet, Nykøbing Sj.
- Midt i en overgang, BKF, Hillerød, Vandrehallen
- Tidselfeber, Anton Rosens Hus, Samsø, Group Exhibition
2023
- “Venterum” Mellemrummet, Aarhus with Susanne Schmidt-Nielsen
- Jord, Gjethuset Frederiksværk, DK, group show
2021
- “Gevækst” Galleri ARTC, Tønder, gruppe show invited
- “2020” Danske Grafikeres group show, “Huset I Asnæs“
2020
- Green connection of Gangwon Kids Triennale, S. Korea w. Susanne Schmidt-Nielsen
- Soloshow Marina Pagh, Mårup Gallery, Samsø
- Parallel tracks, The house in Asnæs
2019
- “Some things remain”, Greve Museum,Greve, Denmark, Group exhibition.
- “Printet”, danish graphic Arthouse, grafikerens hus, Copehagen Denmark
2018
- Entangled, Dronninglund kunstcenter, group show, Dronninglund Denmark
- The gardener of utopia, cobrarummet, Sofienholm, group exhibition, Denmark
2017
- A dream of flying, Denmarks Technical Museum, Helsingoer, Denmark
2016
- Pathways, skovhuset i Værløse, group show, Denmark
2015
- Galleri Largo Das Artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Sanatorium, Kunstcentret Silkeborg Bad, Denmark
2012
- Danskjävler, Galleri Halmstad, Sweden
2010
- Landmark, Galleri Bee, Nagoya, Japan
Bibliography
- Weilbach kunstleksikon, 4. Ed. Vol.6 p. 307, Munksgaard 1997
- Englehud, 2003, 101 Kunstnere, 2011
CV
Susanne Schmidt-Nielsen
born 1963
lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark
www.susanneschmidt-nielsen.com
@susanneschmidtnielsen
Education
2012-13
- Art School Spektrum with Ingela Skytte and Thomas Skytte
2008-11
- Copenhagen Art School with Bjørn Bråten, Peter Holck, Ole Tophøj, Karoline H. Larsen
Memberships
2023
- British Royal Society of Sculptors, RSS
2015
- Danish Visual Artists, BKF
2014
- Danish Women ́s Artist association, KKS
Selected Exhibitions 2014 – 2024
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne, Germany. Group Exhibition (online)
- Notes from the future, ROSL House, London, England. Group Exhibition
- cargo no. 28-30, Richard Winters House, Vindeby, Lolland, Denmark
- volume, Kunstbiblioteket, Copenhagen, Denmark. w/ Marina Pagh.
2023
- menneskelighed, Brønshøj WaterReservoir, Copenhagen, Denmark. w/ Guassora, Johansen.
2022
- Open Art, Örebro, Sweden. Public Art biennial. Juried
- this something, this in between, The House of Richard Winther, Vindeby, Denmark
- sketches for a dream, Muusmanns, Copenhagen, Denmark. Group Exhibition. Invited
2021
- Germination station Rum401, Meat packeting district, Copenhagen, Denmark. Rum401
2020
- Green Connection of Gangwon, KidsTrienale, South Korea. w/ Pagh. Invited. ArtDir. Jemma Han
- 10+10, Dongduk Art Gallery, South Korea. C. Lee, L. Antonsen. Invited. cancelled/covid19
- Blurring boundaries 2, Hello Museum, Seoul, South Korea. Duo Exhibition w/ Yoon Joo. Invited by Director Ysaac Kim
- The second annual openair artshow at Kikshh. Roskilde, Denmark. Curated by Jeppe Kruse. Invited
- a day last forever, Art Center Silkeborg Bath, Silkeborg, Denmark. Artist group DeV+
2019
- Blurring boundaries 1, Gallery 1707, Seoul, South Korea. Duo Exhibition w/ Yoon Joo. Invited by gallerist Sojin Hong
- I ́m my body, I ́m my memory, Officine Forte Marghera, Venice, Italy. Curated by Action Hybride. Invited
- Between thousands of times, Gammelgaard, Herlev, Denmark. Artist group DeV+
- Always Already / Vital Space, KIKshh, Roskilde, Denmark. Artist group DeV+
- something stays, Greve Museum, Greve, Denmark. Group Exhibition
- X-fiber, Masnedø Fortres, Vordingborg, Denmark. Invited
2018
- about a forward understood remembrance, Gallerie Pi, Copenhagen, Denmark. Artist group DeV+
- a pat on the back that stays, Tjörnedale Konsthall, Sweden. Solo Exhibition. Invited
- a quiet uttering, Kunstbiblioteket, Copenhagen, Denmark. Solo Exhibition. Invited
- FLESH, Group Exhibition at the artist run exhibition space, Copenhagen, Denmark. Invited
2017
- a vocabulary, Cobra Rummet, Sophienholm, Denmark. Solo Exhibition
- Tastings, KIKshh, Roskilde, Denmark. Group Exhibition. Invited
- I feel like a larva, Eks-rummet, Copenhagen, Denmark. Artist-run exhibition space. Solo Exhibition
- Mørke og lyse rum / dark and light room, Kalundborg, Denmark. Artist group DeV+
2016
- A talk with Vilhelm, Flensburg, Germany. Artist group DeV+
- A talk with Vilhelm, Ikast, Denmark. Artist group DeV+
- A talk with Vilhelm, Lindegaarden, Kalundborg, Denmark. Artist group DeV+
- 100, Kunsthal Gammelgaard, Herlev, Denmark. Group Exhibition
2015
- here today, Operations Hallway, Odder, Denmark. Artist-run exhibition space. Solo Exhibition
- Artists’ Easter Exhibition, KP15, Aarhus, Denmark. Juried Exhibition
2014
- Artists’ Autumn Exhibition, KE14, Copenhagen, Denmark. Juried Exhibition
- MAEP, the Museum of Contemporary Art CAMeC La Spezia, Italy
Commissions
2015
- The Law Courts, Roskilde, Denmark
2014
- Roskilde Congress and Sports Center, Roskilde, Denmark
Represented
- conditions, Kirsten Kjærs Museum, Frøstrup, Denmark
- cargo no. 27, Open Art, International Contemporary Art Biennale, Örebro, Sweden
- cargo no. 9, Hello Museum. Seoul, South Korea
- occurrences, KIKshh, Sankt Hans have, Roskilde, Denmark
- cargo no. 12, Artcenter Silkeborg Bath, Silkeborg, Denmark
- The days lasts forever, w K. Schauser and K. Djurhuus, Artcenter Silkeborg Bath, Silkeborg, Denmark
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Saturday 14 December: Casper White – Finalist 6 of 9
CASPER WHITE
Simone in fall, 2024
oil on copper
20 x 15 cm
It's the 6th day of our 12th ART MATTERS online group exhibition and today we are happy to present the British artist CASPER WHITE (*1981, lives and works in Cardiff, Wales, UK). White's painterly work centres on the history of portraiture and how an artist can approach the portrait; I am currently prioritizing how light articulates a subject and illuminates a surface. Read more about Casper White and his work below.
We have selected a total of 9 finalists from the applications received for our last Open Artist Call. Until 17 December, we will present these artists and their submitted works one after the other here on our website and on Instagram. Every day at 6pm CET we will unveil another name and a new artwork, so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole.
On Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce 1 of the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in summer 2025.
STATEMENT
This oil painting on copper draws inspiration from the work of designer Rei Kawakubo, particularly her collaborative exhibition at the Conciergerie, a medieval castle on Paris’s Île de la Cité, where Marie Antoinette was once imprisoned.
Kawakubo once stated, “There is beauty in the unfinished. The very fact of something being unfinished gives it more of a feeling of projecting ahead into the future.”
Painting on copper creates a sense of lightness that feels fresh, contrasting with the weight of history typically associated with this medium. By working from images of faces from a relatively recent past, the subjects appear as though they belong to another time. Their purpose remains unclear, yet they carry a poised presence.
CV
Casper White
born 1981 in Maesteg, Wales, UK
lives and works in Cardiff, Wales, UK
www.casperwhite.com
@casperwhitecasper
My work centres on the history of portraiture and how an artist can approach the portrait; I am currently prioritizing how light articulates a subject and illuminates a surface. This can be seen in my current candlelight paintings; these paintings play upon similarities between images of people crying in classical works and images shared on social media (BBC - Inside Culture - The Art of Crying ). Differently lit faces were also part of my series of nightclub/comedown paintings dealing with actual and simulated nightclub lighting (National Portrait Gallery Travel Award 2017— 2018). As Co-founder and Curator at LLE Projects, I try to focus on creating relationships between works and using this to create conversation.
Selected Exhibitions
2024
- ART MATTERS 12 - Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (online)
- John Moores Painting Prize - Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool 16 September 2023 - 25 February 2024
2023
- TO THE BIRDS / MAN DIGGING - Phoenix Gallery, Exeter 15 July 2023 - 03 Seprtember 2023
- Curator of STAGE partofPEBBLE/SHOE @kingsgateprojectspace
2022
- solo exhibition BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE (Arusha Bruton)
- Call Me A Hourse - Bark Berlin Gallery
- Selector of Contemporary British Painting Prize
- Call Me A Hourse, Bark Berlin Gallery, Köthener Str. 28, 10963 Berlin, Germany
- Paper After All, RCA, Conwy - PAPER, Manchester - Saul Hay Gallery, Manchester
- Vitalistic Fantasies, Elysium Gallery, 210 High Street, Swansea SA1 1PE
- Darkness at Noon, 4 -14 November Group show @ A.P.T. - Studios and Gallery, London
- Pleasure Scene- Trafalgar Avenue - London, 11 June - 25 July trafalgaravenue.co.uk
- Cruel Intentions - 9 - 18 October, 46 Great Titchfield street / London / W1W 7QA
- Stand close and breathe me in - Oceans Apart - Mancheter 25 June - 25 July oceansapart.uk
- The Top 100, The Auction Collective – London 18 - 23 June
2020
- Solo Exhibition, Come Fail at love, Casper White Mission Gallery – Swansea - 3 October - 14 November
2019
- Jochen Klein, Casper White, Kingsgate Project Space - London 18 May – 15 June
- BP Portrait Award, The Gallery, Winchester Discovery Centre 30 March - 26 June 2019
- ‘and you danced', Arusha Gallery - Edinburgh 12 April - 5 May
2018
- BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, 14 June to 23 September
- INTO A LIGHT, Saatchi Gallery PRINTS & ORIGINALS LLE / PAPER
- Nightswimming, LLE @ Mission Gallery 28 July - 08 September
- PaintLounge, Sluice Exchange Berlin 2018 - PaintLounge Berlin is a gathering of painters from the UK and Germany who will exhibit and share a weekend of conversations about contemporary painting on 16-19 November. https://www.paintlounge.info
- Y Lle Celf at the Cardiff National Eisteddfod, The Senedd, The National Assembly for Wale, Cardiff Bay 3 - 11 August
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Friday 13 December: Max Gehlofen – Finalist 5 of 9
MAX GEHLOFEN
Mitgeschöpf, 2024
alabaster and shell limestone
33 x 15 x 39 cm
It's day 5 of our 12th ART MATTERS online group exhibition and today we are delighted to present the German artist MAX GEHLOFEN (*1989, lives and works in Würzburg). The profound examination of human inner worlds and the living is a constant in Gehlofen's work – here a sculpture, worked directly into the material and without mechanical aids. Read more about Max Gehlofen and his work below.
We have selected a total of 9 finalists from the applications received for our last Open Artist Call. Until 17 December, we will present these artists and their submitted works one after the other here on our website and on Instagram. Every day at 6pm CET we will unveil another name and a new artwork, so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole.
On Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce 1 of the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in summer 2025.
STATEMENT
The profound exploration of human inner worlds and the living is a constant in my work. I am woven into the hidden structures of living matter. I am inspired by growth processes. Especially the creative morphology in living systems. The work always begins without templates directly into the material in order to allow a natural abstraction to grow. Pure manual labour is at the forefront of the entire process. Without mechanical aids, a temporal level and a concentration of energy develops instead of wasting it. Slowing down the process of form-finding, I consciously distance myself from the overcrowding of our environment in order to penetrate into deeper spheres of perception.
CV
Max Gehlofen
born 1989
lives and works in Würzburg
www.maxgehlofen.com
@maxgehlofen
Education
2010
- Start of art studies at the Ruhrakademie in Schwerte
2011
- Student exchange with the Academia di belli Arti Napoli
- Return visit to Italy, accompanying exhibition at the ‘cobbler’ gallery
2014
- Diploma in fine arts at the Ruhrakademie Schwerte with honours
Prizes and Scholarships
2024
- Cultural Award of the City of Würzburg
2021
- Working scholarship from the City of Würzburg for six months
2020
- Debutant Prize of the Free State of Bavaria
2018
- Prize for Young Culture of the City of Würzburg with the Leerraumpionieren
Selected Exhibitions
2024
- Group Show „ART MATTERS 12“, Galerie Biesenbach Cologne (online)
- Group Show „ARTLAB“, Galerie Benjamin Eck Munich
2023
- Group Show „In die Irre“, Microgalerie Cologne
- Group Show „Grenzgänger“, Galerie Dr. Fake Cabinet Turin
- Solo Show „Fragmente einer Wirklichkeit“ Kunstverein Schweinfurt
- Solo Show „Wahre Giganten“ at the Rathaus in Würzburg
2022
- Group Show for the Kahnweiler Prize at the Rockenhausen Art Museum
- „Dürer revisited“ Museum Otto Schäfer, Schweinfurt
2021
- Group Show „i want it deeper“ at the Geronimo Rebellion Gallery, Würzburg
- Group Show „Geronimo Rebellions“ at the Geronimo Rebellion Gallery, Würzburg
2020
- Solo Show „Am Ende der Wahrheit“, Debutante Prize of the Free State of Bavaria, with catalogue publication, Galerie im Kulturspeicher Würzburg
2019
- Group Show, „Mitgefühl im Keller?“ with the Leerraumpionieren, Würzburg
- Group Show „Die German Angst“ at the Kunstverein Würzburg
2018
- „printed society“ im MAD Museum at the Würzburg Cathedral
2017
- Group Show, Ostrale Biennale Dresden
- Group Show, „MultiM“ im Spitalseebunker Schweinfurt
2016
- Rückertnacht, Appropriation of a bronze sculpture in public space in Schweinfurt
2015
- „Endogener Versuch“ with the Leerraumpionieren in Würzburg
2012
- Group Show R-Pott im Ruhrtalmuseum Schwerte
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Thursday 12 December: Meike Schlemmer – Finalist 4 of 9
MEIKE SCHLEMMER
the grid, 2023
SnapPap paper, acrylic and spray paint
90 x 40 x 10 cm
Day 4 of our 12th ART MATTERS online group exhibition: Today we are pleased to present the German artist MEIKE SCHLEMMER (*1986, lives and works in Kiel, DE). Schlemmer's cut-out sculpture made of paper is itself in motion, falling and spreading out differently depending on how it is hung, looking different every time. Translucent and delicate, it invites us to walk around it and very close to it and, like the object itself, to enter into a different relationship with the space. Read more about Meike Schlemmer and her work below.
We have selected a total of 9 finalists from the applications received for our last Open Artist Call. Until 17 December, we will present these artists and their submitted works one after the other here on our website and on Instagram. Every day at 6pm CET we will unveil another name and a new artwork, so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole.
On Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce 1 of the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in summer 2025.
STATEMENT
My works are created in the field of tension between the image in the imagination and the three-dimensional pictorial space.
Hand-made perforations create amorphous objects and pictorial spaces that open up surfaces to space and move formally between intuitive action and constructed orders. This interplay and spatial themes are the starting point in terms of content.
This also results in site-specific works that take up, question, remodel and comment on situations in urban space and involve passers-by.
CATALOGUE FOREWORD BY ANTJE MAJEWSKI
Meike Schlemmer's works are themselves in motion and want to set us in motion. They invite us to walk around them and get very close. What is it that falls there and spreads out, that shines through and can look different every time? The supports stand in the room, the boxes hang on the wall, but above them and within them it becomes filigree, almost liquid. They could be organisms that have long since flown away, leaving their stripped skins behind.
How do they move? And how do we move? Always straight ahead, on the shortest route to our destination - or do we allow ourselves to be nudged, knocked off course, so that, like Meike Schlemmer's objects, we enter into a different relationship with space and experience ourselves anew in it?
Meike Schlemmer's works initially spread across the canvas and then increasingly conquered the space. At first it was an unused attic that was completely transformed by her art, then it went into the city and public space. There were works on which you could teeter; on which you could make yourself comfortable; or works that provided a new path. If a lot of street furniture wants to make itself invisible - who really wants to see a litter bin, a barrier, a handrail? - Meike Schlemmer's works force their way into our consciousness in a gentle, almost imperceptible way and change something there.
How could one deal with the world differently? Meike Schlemmer's productions, which always show an immense curiosity for new materials and the expansion of her craftsmanship, testify to a careful, conscious approach to the materials she uses. Her approach is by no means dogmatic. In addition to chemical spray paints, she also extracts colours from their natural environment: pigment extracted from seaweed or dyes made from barth lichen. She turns vegan leather into a new base material for paintings that can become agile, permeable and perforated, so that they can be read three-dimensionally and multi-layered. And her organic forms are always supported by rigid structures reminiscent of constructivism.
On the one hand, her works evoke memories of the works of Franz Erhardt Walther, Lygia Clark or Hélio Oiticica, which turn the passive viewer into a mover. But in the way they nestle into the space, they are also reminiscent of Valie Export's photographic series, except that here the objects show us what our bodies could do.
The particular beauty of Meike Schlemmer's works comes from the respect, indeed the tenderness, with which she treats her materials. The colours she uses are also very deliberate, sometimes soft and natural, sometimes iridescent and alluring. Her ensembles, which can be rearranged again and again - the skins, which can always throw different folds - offer a support, a point in time, and yet remain alive. And so the encounter with her objects in space or in the imagination gives us a very special pleasure that we can take with us into our everyday lives.
CV
Meike Schlemmer
born 1986 in Daun, Eifel, DE
lives and works in Kiel, DE
www.meikeschlemmer.de
@meike_schlemmer
Education
2005-2007
- FOS (Technical College) Augsburg Design department with internship with wood sculptor Sascha Kempter, Augsburg
2008-2009
- Study of Fashion and Textile Design, HAW Hamburg
2009-2013
- Bachelor of Arts, Illustration, HAW Hamburg
2011-2012
- Semester abroad Fine Arts, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem
2014-2017
- Master of Fine Arts, Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts Kiel, Prof. Antje Majewski, Michael Beutler
2019-2021
- Muthesius Project, Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts and Design Kiel, Frauke Gerstenberg, Prof. Antje Majewski
Grants
2022
- AIR Kaleidoscop Halle Neustadt
- Stiftungs Kunstfonds Work Grant
- Kulturfunke Lübeck
2021
- HANGAR Residency, Lisbon
- Live-in Lab ‘plastic democracy’, Düsseldorf
2019/2021
- Muthesius Project, Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Kiel
2020
- Projekt Förderung Kunstbeirat Kiel ‘Form Verhalten’
2019/2020
- Atelierstipendium Kunstverein Haus 8 e.V. Kiel
2018
- Arbeitsstipendium Kulturstiftung Schleswig Holstein
2017
- Arbeitsstipendium Maumaus Lissabon
2011
- Reiseförderung ‘circle of friends Bezalel
Selected Exhibitions
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (online)
- Grenzlandausstellung, Sønderjyllandshallen Apenrade, Denmark
2023
- Treffpunkt Schnittstelle, Bunker D, Kiel
-Vor Schwerfiguren und anderen Formen, Galerie im Marstall, Ahrensburg
2022
- Kacheln for Paravent, Kaleidoskop,partizipatives Projekt und Installation, Halle Neustadt
- Konglomerat, Kulturfunke, Installation im öffentlichen Raum, Lübeck
- future memories mit Vinicius Giusti, FREQUENZ_ festival, Installation
2021
- Form Verhalten, Foyer Stadtgalerie Kiel
- First international Festival of manuports, Kohta, Helsinki, Finland
- Laboratorium, Dronninglund Kunstcenter, Dronninglund, Denmark
2020
- REGIONALE, Palais für aktuelle Kunst Glücksstadt, Overbeckgesellschaft Lübeck, Galerie OnSpace Kiel
- Formverhalten, Futur 3 Festival, Installation im öffentlichen Raum, Kiel
2019
- coast to coast, mit Leticia Martínez Pérez, Atelier Umraum Kiel
- bildbildlich, gallery Cube+, Kiel
- Kunst hilft heilen, medizin-historisches Museum, Kiel
2018
- start up, Kulturministerium, Kiel
2017
- SCRATCH MY BACK,Kunsthalle St.Annen, Lübeck
- URD3, Offspace, Wall 40 Kiel
- MASTERS- Die Dritte, Kunstverein im Anscharpark/Haus 8, Kiel
2016
- Das Museum in der Nussschale, Stadtmuseum Pinneberg
- Nichts, Atelierhaus im Anscharpark/Kunstverein Haus 8, Kiel
2015
- MASTERS – Die Erste, Kunstverein im Anscharpark/Haus 1, Kiel
2014
- mühochzwei, Mü Galerie, Kiel
2013
- FLORIAN (mit “Familie Wirich”), Künstlerhaus Sootbörn, Hamburg
2012
- Miss Street, Jerusalem
- Hochdruck im Künstlerhaus, Lauenburg
- Hochdruck, sieben Positionen des Holzschnitts, Frappant, Hamburg
Publications
- Form Verhalten, Meike Schlemmer, Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel, 2021
- Konkrete Aufgabe, Maximale Freiheit, 2 Semester im Wall 40, Michael Beutler und Muthesius, Kunsthochschule, 2017
- Das Museum in der Nussschale, Raum der Publikation, Antje Majewski (ed.), Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel, 2017
- NICHTS, Raum der Publikation, Antje Majewski (ed.), Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel, 2016
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Wednesday 11 December: Julia Oram – Finalist 3 of 9
JULIA ORAM
Nostos, 2024
marble and glass
25 x 25 x 32 cm
Day 3 of our 12th ART MATTERS online group exhibition: Today we are happy to present the Canadian inter-disciplinary artist JULIA ORAM (*1990, lives and works in Berlin). Oram experiments with various visual techniques, encompassing an element of nature alongside abstract forms and textures. This integration allows her to explore the relationship between organic processes and artistic expression, often blurring the boundaries between natural environments and human-made creations. Read more about Julia Oram and her work below.
We have selected a total of 9 finalists from the applications received for our last Open Artist Call. Until 17 December, we will present these artists and their submitted works one after the other here on our website and on Instagram. Every day at 6pm CET we will unveil another name and a new artwork, so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole.
On Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce 1 of the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in summer 2025.
STATEMENT
Julia Oram is a Canadian inter-disciplinary artist with Greek and English heritage, currently based in Berlin. After overcoming addiction at 26, a pivotal turning point in her life, Julia found a deeper connection to her artistic practice. This period of self-discovery gave her art emotional depth and authenticity, inspiring her to explore different themes and unconventional materials. Her work has been exhibited in Berlin, Athens, Japan and Canada, explores themes of personal experience and experimentation. Notable exhibitions include upcoming show Nature 2025, Cica Museum, Seoul and the solo show Impermanence (2024), Fujiyoshida, Japan. Julia’s art ranges from bold to minimal, often incorporating unique materials like sunscreen lotion and honey in her recent chemical painting series.
Julia’s sculptures focus on purity of shape and simplicity, which inspire a deeper exploration of materials such as ceramic, marble, alabaster, and glass. Her pieces are influenced by the Archaic Greek period, and elements drawn from other tribal civilizations. The sculptures emit a balance of modernism and classicism, reflecting a reverence of nature. Julia’s focus on abstraction and essence may draw parallels to the Archaic period’s approach to simplicity and the distillation of form. Much like the kouros statues aimed to capture the eternal, Julia seeks to express universal truths through minimalism, and natural beauty.
Julia experiments with various visual techniques, including 3D rendering, chemical paintings, inks, and oil painting. Her vicarious curiosity leads her to encompass an element of nature alongside abstract forms and textures. This integration allows her to explore the relationship between organic processes and artistic expression, often blurring the boundaries between natural environments and human-made creations.
CV
Julia Oram
born 1990 in Canada
lives and works in Berlin
Education
2016
- Graphic Design, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, AB, Canada
2018-2022
- Communication Design (B.A.), University of Applied Sciences Europe BTK Berlin, Berlin
2022-2024
- Photography (M.A.), University of Applied Sciences Europe BTK Berlin, Berlin
Selected Exhibitions
2025
- Nature 2025, Cica Museum, Seoul, South Korea
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (online)
- Here Exhibition, KA32, Berlin
- Where Worlds Collide, 59 Rivoli, Paris
- CREAID Exhibitions, ErsterErster, Berlin
- Year Of The Dragon, Group Ceramic Show, Nest YYC, Calgary, Alberta
- Lager Lager, Berlin
- Impermanence, FabCafe Fuji, Fujiyoshida, Japan
- Recycling Narratives, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin
2023
- BAAM Paper Edition, POPKudamm, Berlin
- BAAM #6, Not A Gallery, Berlin
- Love&Riot Group Exhibition, Artzzz studio Neukölln, Berlin
- Synthesis of Nature: A Digital Odyssey Solo Exhibition, NIO Berlin, Berlin
2022
- ArtSoup, NFT, Berlin
- Was Machst Du Hier, Ohma Gallery, Berlin
- Athens Month of Art, Studio 747, Athens
2021
- Artists Collective Berlin, Berlin
- Give Art a Chance Group Exhibition, Haze Gallery, Berlin
2020
- Inertnational Art Collaborations Network, Berlin
2018
- Spolight Exhibition, ACAD, Calgary
Permanent Collections
- Artzzz studio Neukölln, Berlin
Curated Exhibitions
2024
- Recycling Narratives, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin
2022
- "Was Machst Du Hier” exhibition, Ohma Gallery, Berlin
Collectives
2024
- ARTSCOUTT, Founder, Berlin, Canada, & Greece
2022
- Spencer&Jones Collective, Co-Founder, Berlin & Paris
Residencies/Workshops
2024
- Glass x Stone Workshop, School of Scultpure, Berlin Glassworks, Berlin
- Saruya Artist Residency, Japan
Self-Published Books
2024
- NOSTOS; NOSTALGIA
- “Recycling Narratives” Group Exhibition Artist Book
2022
- Ebb&Flow - Immigrational Roots
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Tuesday 10 December: Amédé Ackermann – Finalist 2 of 9
AMÉDÉ ACKERMANN
Feuermark 1, 2024
photo collage, laminated fine art print on Hahnemühle Matt
100 x 70 cm
edition of 8 + 2AP
Day 2 of our 12th ART MATTERS online group exhibition: Today we are delighted to present the German photo artist AMÉDÉ ACKERMANN (*1991, lives and works in Kaarst). For his photographic work, buildings and landscapes are photographed and later merged into a single image through digital image processing. This creates fictitious but realistic-looking architectural photographs that provoke new perspectives for the viewer. Read more about Amédé Ackermann and his work below.
We have selected a total of 9 finalists from the applications received for our last Open Artist Call. Until 17 December, we will present these artists and their submitted works one after the other here on our website and on Instagram. Every day at 6pm CET we will unveil another name and a new artwork, so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole.
On Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce 1 of the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in summer 2025.
STATEMENT
Creating connections through art is the core of my work. In a world that is increasingly characterized by demarcation, I want to give an impulse for exchange and togetherness.
By visually bringing together different elements, I want to show new perspectives and encourage people to rethink boundaries. My work is an invitation to embrace diversity as a strength and to promote dialog between cultures.
In my series “Reality and Fiction”, buildings and landscapes are photographed and combined into new visual worlds with the help of digital image processing. This creates fictitious but realistic-looking architectural photographs. The submitted work “Feuermark 1” shows a Danish house that I placed in front of a German Alpine panorama.
CV
Amédé Ackermann
born 1991 in Neuss, DE
lives and works in Kaarst, DE
www.amede-ackermann.de
@amede_ackermann
Education
2012
- Technical draftsman (Düsseldorf)
2015
- Diploma in photo design (Köln)
Awards
2020
- Art sponsorship award of the city of Neuss
Selected Exhibitions since 2017
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne (online)
- Ellis Sotheby’s, Nyack New York / Charity-Event (USA)
- Galerie Tunnel19, Berlin / Neue Horizonte (Solo Show)
- Art Artist, Düsseldorf / Art Fair 2024
2023
- Edward Hopper House Museum, New York (USA)
- Carschhaus, Düsseldorf / Open-Space-Gallery
- Black Box Gallery, Portland Oregon / Taking Pictures (USA)
- Kö106, Düsseldorf / Fotoausstellung Tatorte
- Atelier Amédé Ackermann, Kaarst / Arbeitsplatz Kunst (Solo Show)
2022
- Agentur Blue Moon, Neuss / Amédé Ackermann (Solo Show)
- Teloy-Mühle, Meerbusch / Look+Feel - Zeitgenössische Fotografie
- Kulturforum Alte Post, Neuss / 75. Jahresausstellung Kunst aus Neuss
- Städtischen Galerie Kaarst / Herbstausstellung Kaarster Künstler
- DRU Industriepark, Ulft / Huntenkunst Art Fair (NL)
- Rathaus, Korschenbroich / Kunstfrühling
2021
- Rathaus, Korschenbroich / Kunst im Rathaus (Solo Show)
- Kunst in der Apsis, Osterath / Zukunft (Solo Show)
- Rathaus, Neuss / Kunstförderpreisträger*innen der Stadt Neuss seit 1985
- Museum Kulturbahnhof, Korschenbroich / Sommer in Schwarzweiß
- Kulturforum Alte Post, Neuss / 73.+74. Jahresausstellung Kunst aus Neuss
2020
- Galerie amschatzhaus, Neuss / 3030 – Back on Earth (Solo Show)
- Ballhaus, Düsseldorf / Zeit ist Leben. Lebenszeit
2019
- Galerie-Werkstatt Bayer Dormagen / Realität & Fiktion (Solo Show)
- Städtischen Galerie Kaarst / Herbstausstellung Kaarster Künstler
- Landgericht Düsseldorf / Fotografien vom Düsseldorfer „Fotoclub“
- Photo/Media art fair, Zollverein Essen / Förderfläche für junge Talente
2018
- Kulturforum Alte Post, Neuss / 71.Jahresausstellung Kunst aus Neuss
- Kunst/Mitte Kunstmesse, Magdeburg / Young Talent Space
- 3M Deutschland, Neuss / Ausstellung im Kunstflur
2017
- 4.Photo-Popup-Fair, Stilwerk Düsseldorf / Young Talent Wall
All exhibiitons at www.amede-ackermann.de
Publications
2021
- Kunst aus Neuss / ISBN: 978-3-932933-20-2
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Monday 9 December: Simone Pick – Finalist 1 of 9
SIMONE PICK
Ellipsoid 1, 2024
glazed ceramic
25 x 25 x 13 cm
Today we start our 12th ART MATTERS exhibition with the presentation of the Cologne sculptor SIMONE PICK (*1966 in Krefeld). The basis of her sculptures is always a supposedly “simple” form such as ellipses, plates or blocks, which are opened up into complexity through incisions and sometimes subsequent deformation, thus revealing a new form that already lies within them. Read more about Simone Pick and her work below.
We have selected a total of 9 finalists from the applications received for our last Open Artist Call. Until 17 December, we will present these artists and their submitted works one after the other here on our website and on Instagram. Every day at 6pm CET we will unveil another name and a new artwork, so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole.
On Wednesday 18 December at 5pm and 6pm we will announce 1 of the 2 winners of our online competition: They will be invited to participate in the 1st physical ART MATTERS group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in summer 2025.
STATEMENT
In my work, I deal with the topic of cuts and their effects - in my view a deeply human topic, both individually and socially.
What are the effects of cuts? What associations do they create in my works? Injury or opening, compression or free space, solidification or movement, change and further development?
The sculptures are always based on a supposedly "simple" form such as slabs and blocks, which are opened up into complexity through incisions and, in some cases, subsequent moulding. They reveal a new form that already lies within them.
Depending on the material and its possibilities for taking up and realising the theme, a range of sculptures and sculptures emerge that develop a strong change in form through to works in which the focus is entirely on the cut.
I am currently working with bronze, steel, clay, paper, wood and, more recently, felt.
CV
Simone Pick
born 1966 in Krefeld, DE
lives and works as a freelance artist in Cologne, DE since 2019
Education/Professional Experience
1991-2019
- Business graduate, held various senior marketing positions, Design Thinking Coaches
- Artistic development and training begins in parallel, including various sculpture seminars, especially stone sculpture
since 2019
- freelance sculptress
2016-2020
- Basic and postgraduate studies in sculpture, sculpture and installation, Bildhauerhalle Bonn with Paul Advena
2020-2021
- Advanced sculpture class, Bildhauerhalle Bonn
- artist memberships: GEDOK Bonn, IGBK, Sculpture Network, Projektraum Skulptur
- The works can be found in public spaces and in a larger private collection
- Award: Honda ArtPrize, Knokke Artist Meeting 2024
Selected Exhibitions
2025
- Kurfürstliches Gärtnerhaus Bonn (S)
- grossARTig, BEGE Galerien, Ulm (G)
2024
- ART MATTERS 12, Galerie Biesenbach , Cologne (G, online)
- Art Karlsruhe, One-Artist-Show, BEGE Galerien (S)
- Artist Meeting Knokke, ArtPrize Winner
- „Die Neuen 2024“, Gedok Bonn im GIZ Bonn (G)
- Ruhr Open Art (G)
- Schlosspark Stammheim, Köln (G)
2023
- „schwarzweiß-weißschwarz“, BEGE Galerien, Ulm (G)
- Art Karlsruhe, One-Artist-Show, BEGE Galerien (S)
- „Interaktionen“, Kunstverein Bad Godesberg (G)
- ART MATTERS 9, Galerie Biesenbach , Cologne (G, online)
2022
- Kunstmesse Frauenmuseum Bonn (G)
- Art Market Budapest, Galerie m beck (G)
- “Fläche im Raum und andere Arbeiten“, Galerie m beck, Homburg / Saar (E)
- „Shades Of Grey“, Stage Gallery Köln (G)
- “All That Glitters”, Stage Gallery Köln (G)
- Discovery Art Fair Cologne (E)
2021
- Projektraum Skulptur, Bonn (G)
2020
- „Verdichtung und Auflösung“, Bildhauerhalle Bonn (G)
2019
- Werkschau Basisstudium Bildhauerei, Bildhauerhalle Bonn (G)
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ART MATTERS 11 – SPECIAL SUMMER EDITION
Online Group Exhibition
Winner
Cheuk Yiu Lo
As the winner of ART MATTERS 11 (Special Summer Edition on the theme "Animalistic"), Cheuk Yiu Lo will take part in the group exhibition "Animalistic" in our Cologne gallery from mid-October 2025.
FINALE: Monday 19 August
CHEUK YIU LO – WINNER "ART MATTERS 11"
It's time to announce our decision and the winner of our 11th ART MATTERS online competition: Congratulations to Chinese artist CHEUK YIU LO (*1998, based in Hong Kong and London), who will be invited to participate with a selection of her works in our group exhibition “Animalistic" at our gallery in 2025! This is the first time an artist from China has won our competition!
We are impressed by her unique and poetic expressiveness, which her works already show despite her young age. “The Unsung Citizen“ – her resin sculpture of a duck discreetly “dressed“ in a construction worker's waistcoat – calls for a greater appreciation of the overlooked aspects of our urban environment. It highlights the importance of ducks to the ecosystem and urges the viewer to recognise the small, seemingly insignificant contributions that sustain and enrich our society. The sculpture symbolises their important role in pest control, aquatic health and recreation. "The sculpture celebrates their resilience and silent presence and encourages a more mindful and inclusive view of the community and ecosystem by recognising the essential role these ‘unsung citizens’ play in maintaining ecological balance and enriching the human experience,“ says Lo.
It’s Lo’s craftsmanship and storytelling capability that intrigues us, through which her work invites a compassionate understanding of the unseen. She creates a dialogue between the viewer and the silent narratives of those who are frequently overlooked, emphasizing the importance of empathy and social awareness.
We are fascinated by Lo's craftsmanship and her ability to tell stories, through which her work invites a compassionate understanding of the invisible. She creates a dialogue between the viewer and the silent storyteller.
CHEUK YIU LO
The Unsung Citizen, 2024
acrylic on resin
30 x 18 x 18 cm
ARTIST STATEMENT
"The Unsung Citizen" calls for deeper appreciation of overlooked aspects of our urban environment. Highlighting the importance of ducks in London's parks, it urges viewers to acknowledge the small, seemingly insignificant contributions that sustain and enrich our society. The yellow duck with a subtle vest, mirroring a constructor's outfit, symbolizes their vital role in pest control, aquatic health, and recreation. Celebrating their resilience and quiet presence, the sculpture encourages a more mindful and inclusive view of community and ecosystem, recognizing the essential roles these 'unsung citizens' play in maintaining ecological balance and enriching human experiences.
CV
Cheuk Yiu Lo
born 1998
lives and works in Hong Kong and London
www.locheukyiu.com
@locheukyiu_art
Artistic Background
Cheuk Yiu Lo (b. 1998) is an artist based in Hong Kong and London. She graduated from the Slade School of Fine Art with an MFA in Sculpture in 2023 and the Hong Kong Baptist University Academy of Visual Arts in 2020. Lo’s recent body of work focuses on the intricacies of society's overlooked aspects, human emotions, and relationships, blending these themes with a fusion of nature and humanity.
Lo’s sculptures are deeply rooted in narrative and emotional exploration, depicting scenes and figures that reflect the silent struggles and resilience of marginalized communities. Her pieces highlight themes of isolation, protection, and the power of creative expression. These works capture the delicate balance between vulnerability and strength, urging viewers to engage with the often unnoticed segments of society.
Through her craftsmanship and storytelling, Lo's art invites a compassionate understanding of the unseen. Her sculptures create a dialogue between the viewer and the silent narratives of those who are frequently overlooked, emphasizing the importance of empathy and social awareness.
Lo's practice continues to explore the harmony between the human spirit and the natural world, with an emphasis on the beauty found within vulnerability and the need for protection and care in our communities. Her work transcends the visible, offering a profound commentary on human connections and the subtleties of emotional experience.
Education
2021-23
- Distinction in MFA Fine Art, Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, UK
2018-19
- Exchange study in Iceland Academy of Art, Reykjavík, Iceland
2016-20
- 1st Class Honor in BA Visual Arts, Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Professional Experience
2023
- Site dresser, S2 events ltd, London
2022
- Experience Ambassador, UCL Campus Experience & Commercial Services Team, UCL
2021
- Student representative of Library committee for postgraduate sculpture, Slade UCL
2019
- Art Basel Hong Kong Booth Assistant, Cardi Gallery
Selected Exhibitions
2024
- ART MATTERS 11, Galerie Biesenbach, Cologne, DE “online group show“
- Nap, Anonymous, Fishing, ugg, “The Wall is Never Innocent, Unless“
- Anonymous, Gilded Reverence, Art SuperMarket “NEXA art market”
2023
- MaoMao, Gilded Reverence, Henrietta Scrine Contemporary "Weather Report“
- Dependence, Mother, In the gentle light of dawn, eyes unfurled, all is restored, Savouring the Uninvolved View, The Who Gallery "Outside of History“
- Anonymous, Aspiration, Mother, Recollection of Silhouette, Beyond the Sight, Dependence, Slade School of Fine Art "Slade MA/MFA/PHD Degree Show“
- Anonymous, UAL Chinese Society "Mind the Gap“
- Recollection of Silhouette and Greet, Subtitle Labs “Impression”
- Smoke, Slade School of Fine Art “ Slade Interim Show”
2022
- Smoke, Chinese Year Book, Mezhdunarodnyi Hudozhestvennti Fond, Sheng Shi Ge Ya Art Culture, "Time: International Contemporary Art Exhibition“
- Comer, Domestic Pulse, Cilvilized Egg Shells, Untitled, 139 Copeland Rd “The Edge of Safehouse”
- Primal, The Tub Hackney “Synthesis”
- Nature Morte is still life and Life Form, The Holy Art Gallery “Young Blood - Virtual Edition 02”
2021
- Perception, Hong Kong Ocean Park long-term display
2020
- Sky, 天河区文化艺术中心“2020 广州雕塑大展暨澳门雕塑邀请展”
- Sky, Hainan Library“守正与创新—2020‘海口美术作品展’”
- Sky, Hong Kong City Hall Central“Fresh Trend 2020”
2019
- Leave your mark, Sólvallagata 79, 101 Reykjavíkurborg, Iceland “VÍDDUR”
- Not able to calculate the sum of a continuously growing figure, but a figure of a temporary moment, HKBU Communication and Visual Arts Building
2018
- Perception, Hong Kong Vitoria Park “Hong Kong Flower Show 2018”
- Perception, HKBU Communication and Visual Arts Building
- Lion Siblings, “Marble Fable” HKBU Communication and Visual Arts Building
Selected Publications
2023
- Ocula, London Graduates 2023: Young Artists to Watch
2020
- A.M.Post Artplus, Aspiration of the "Young Heart" Revealed by Diversified Arts Creation
- CNN, Creative Class of 2020: From New York to Tokyo, art students share what it's like to graduate during a pandemic, 14 July 2020
- 我形我塑【学院展讯】香港浸会大学视觉艺术学院:2020 届雕塑本科线上毕业 展
- 雕塑头条『雕塑头条』香港浸會大學視覺藝術學院雕塑專業 2020 届本科生畢業 作品
- 当代雕塑 香港浸会大学视觉艺术学院:2020 届雕塑本科线上毕业展
2018
- Hong Kong Baptist University News Visual Arts students showcase wood sculptures at Flower Show
Selected Collections
2020
- Über-dream – held within the HKBU Academy of Visual Art Studies Collection
- Perception – collected by Hong Kong Ocean Park
2021
- Tian – private collector
2022
- Primal, Fleeting Smoke – private collectors
2023
- Greet, Aspiration, Recollection of Silhouette, Beyond the Sight, first model of In the gentle light of dawn, eyes unfurled, all is restored – private collectors
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OUR TOP 9 AT ONE GLANCE:
Our final TOP 9 is complete – thank you for participating in our online group show "Animalistic" (from top left): Nathan Schönewolf – Björn Heyn – Johannes Rave – Eunjung Suh – Anja Segermann – Cheuk Yiu Lo – Pascal Wild – Camille Theodet & Sali Muller.
Tonight at 6pm we will announce the winner of our Art Matters 11 competition!
About ART MATTERS 11:
Even with the 11th ART MATTERS round (9 regular and 2 Special Summer Editions with thematic specification), it was not easy for us to select only 9 artists for our online exhibition from the many great submissions we received in response to our last Open Artist Call. But it was a great pleasure to discover and get to know so many great artistic positions!
We hope that this multitude of perspectives and positions results in an exhibition that shows a field of tension, but also a symbiotic dialogue between the individual works of art. An exhibition that fits in with the orientation and philosophy of our gallery, but also definitely brings something new to our programme.
There is so much remarkable art out there, but we can't show it all in our gallery. The ART MATTERS series allows us to present many artistic positions from around the world to a wider online audience for about two weeks, two to three times a year.
Many thanks to everyone who has been following this project, some for 10 editions already, and many thanks also – above all – to all participating artists, especially to our TOP 9 and the 27 Honourable Mentions (some of which we are still presenting today in our Instagram stories).
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ART MATTERS 10
Online Group Exhibition
Winner
Heike Weber
As the winner of ART MATTERS 10, Heike Weber will take part in a group exhibition in our Cologne gallery from May 2025.
FINALE: Monday 15 April
HEIKE WEBER – WINNER "ART MATTERS 10"
It is time to announce our decision and declare the winner of our 10th ART MATTERS online competition: We congratulate the German sculptor and painter HEIKE WEBER (*1973), who will be invited to participate in a group exhibition in our gallery with a selection of her works in early 2025 (TBD)! This is the first time that an artist from our hometown of Cologne has won!
Heike Weber has been among our ART MATTERS finalists several times in the past and we have been able to get to know and appreciate her work – encompassing concrete spatial sculptures made of ceramic, steel and bronze, as well as wall works made of aluminium and paintings – better and better. It is above all her small-format ceramic sculptures with their concrete curved lines and seemingly effortless compositions that fascinate and inspire us.
By combining individual, similar shapes, Weber creates minimalist objects with interior spaces. The sculptures grow into a new whole, a sometimes seemingly organic abstract object, a spatial work. Through the way in which the connections are made, they develop their own formal language, which we as viewers seek to explore.
Concrete spaces are created through the connection of clear forms, arches form a space, they harbour an interior and form a protective space for the interior directed outwards. Abstract and playful at the same time.
HEIKE WEBER
OUR TOP 9 AT ONE GLANCE:
Our TOP 9 is complete – thank you for participating in our online group show to (from top left): Petra Schmidt – Kirsi Kivivirta – Michael Francis Ryan – Nanou Dupuis – Azim F. Becker – Amelia Nin – Heike Weber – Clara Lemos – Anne Berlit.T
Tonight at 6pm we will announce the winner of our Art Matters 10 competition!
About ART MATTERS 10:
Even with the 10th ART MATTERS round (9 regular and one special edition last summer), it was not easy for us to select only 9 artists for our online exhibition from the many great submissions we received in response to our last Open Artist Call. But it was a great pleasure to discover and get to know so many great artistic positions!
We hope that this multitude of perspectives and positions results in an exhibition that shows a field of tension, but also a symbiotic dialogue between the individual works of art. An exhibition that fits in with the orientation and philosophy of our gallery, but also definitely brings something new to our programme.
There is so much remarkable art out there, but we can't show it all in our gallery. The ART MATTERS series allows us to present many artistic positions from around the world to a wider online audience for about two weeks, two to three times a year.
Many thanks to everyone who has been following this project, some for 10 editions already, and many thanks also – above all – to all participating artists, especially to our TOP 9 and the 27 Honourable Mentions (some of which we are still presenting today in our Instagram stories).
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ART MATTERS 9
Online Group Exhibition
1st Winner
Kira Fröse
As the 1st winner of ART MATTERS 9, Kira Fröse presented her LAB solo exhibition Nach Strich und Faden in our Cologne gallery from July to August 2024.
2nd Winner
Albrecht/Wilke
As the 2nd winner of ART MATTERS 9, the artist duo Albrecht/Wilke presented their online solo exhibition Imbissnasen on our website from June to August 2023.
1st Prize: KIRA FRÖSE – Winner Gallery Group Show
Congratulations to KIRA FRÖSE: German artist Kira Fröse (*1992, lives and works in Bochum) is today the second of our two ART MATTERS 9 winners and will be invited with a selection of her works to participate in a group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in 2024! Fröse's work is emotional and focuses on the longing for haptic experiences. Shiny surfaces, structured flowing forms and dynamic matter - the juxtaposition of stillness and movement fascinates and inspires us. Her works invite us to mistrust our senses and reinterpret the familiar. And in this respect, we already have some ideas for a fun and beautiful presentation with Kira Fröse's works and look forward to working with the artist in the near future!
"Through the use of colour, organic, playful, and dynamic shapes, my work wants to seduce and invite the viewers to experience what is in front of them with their own senses and imagination. Subconsciously influenced by the aesthetics of nature and used objects of everyday life, I create static forms that depict motion and appear to be smooth and light despite the heaviness of their substance. Observing more closely one can perceive that aesthetics can only endure through the presence of unaesthetic detail."
KIRA FRÖSE
quetschbar, 2015
old dishwasher, textile, spray paint
70 x 68 x 50 cm
2nd Prize: ALBRECHT/WILKE – Winner Online Solo Show
Congratulations to the artist duo ALBRECHT/WILKE: The Berlin artists Albrecht/Wilke (Tim Albrecht, *1992 in Berlin and Hannes Wilke, *1991 in Stade) are today the first of our two ART MATTERS 9 winners and will be presented in 2024 with a selection of their works on canvas and paper in a solo online exhibition on our website and our social media channels! Figurative, but also abstract, associative, subjective – the central theme of the works is the examination of the German middle class milieu. To this end, the artists blend the art and (pop) cultural history of the past century with a hefty dose of zeitgeist: We simply love their humorous play with clichés and ironic comparisons and already look forward to the collaboration!
"We are painters. We paint what we see. We paint what's good!" - with these sentences we introduce our manifesto "Good Painting". In contrast to the concept of bad painting, this initially seemingly bold slogan dissolves into a humorous play with clichés and ironic comparisons in the rest of the manifesto, just as we do with painting. Our pictures are an interweaving of formal elements, art-historical quotations and a lot of irony."
ALBRECHT/WILKE
Currywurst (Kommste vonne Schicht, Wat schönret gibt et nich’), 2023
oil and acrylic on canvas
140 x 120 cm
OVERVIEW OF OUR TOP 15
Our TOP 15 is complete – thank you for participating in our online group show to (from top left): Paul Ahl, Jan Jansen, Simone Pick, Jamie Drouin, Stephen Whatcott, Alejandro Javaloyas, Birgit Cauer, Danil Yordanov, Tom Cartmill, Amélie von Heydebreck, Heike Weber, Kira Fröse, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Nuss, Albrecht/Wilke & Xu Zheng.
About ART MATTERS 9:
Even with the 9th ART MATTERS round (8 regular and one special edition last summer), it was not easy for us to select only 15 artists for our online exhibition from the many great submissions we received in response to our last Open Artist Call. But it was a great pleasure to discover and get to know so many great artistic positions!
We hope that this multitude of perspectives and positions results in an exhibition that shows a field of tension, but also a symbiotic dialogue between the individual works of art. An exhibition that fits in with the orientation and philosophy of our gallery, but also definitely brings something new to our programme.
There is so much remarkable art out there, but we can't show it all in our gallery. The ART MATTERS series allows us to present many artistic positions from around the world to a wider online audience for just over two weeks, two to three times a year.
Many thanks to everyone who has been following this project, some for 9 editions already, and many thanks also - above all - to all participating artists, especially to our TOP 15 and the 45 Honourable Mentions (some of which we are still presenting today in our Instagram stories).
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ART MATTERS 8 – Special Summer Edition
Online Group Exhibition
Winner
Eric Keller
As the winner of ART MATTERS 8, Eric Keller took part in the group exhibition LANDSCAPE?! in our Cologne gallery from September to November 2024.
ERIC KELLER: Winner ART MATTERS Summer 2023
Congratulations to ERIC KELLER: The German artist (born 1985, lives and works in Dresden) is the winner of our ART MATTERS Summer 2023 competition with his painting “Einfahrt" (“Driveway“, 2022, oil on wood, 60 x 85 cm)!
We cordially invite him to participate with a selection of his works in a group exhibition on the theme LANDSCAPES at our gallery in Cologne in September 2024!
Eric Keller's pictures show places, cities and landscapes, sometimes also people and portraits. However, it is not only about copying a place or a person, but also about observing experienced moments, moods and processes. Keller transfers his visual memories into a painterly fiction, set in a placeless sphere full of moods and feelings. We are fascinated by the almost eerie atmosphere in his work, by the earthy colours and tones of his landscapes, which often seem strangely misty. Reminiscent of dream or film images, his works are certainly not optimistic, but the stories they unfold are very compelling in a peculiar way. Keller's images are ultimately fiction that show us an emotional way of perceiving reality.
"[...] The more intensively one looks, the better one's eyes grasp the transparent, vibrating and iridescent richness of Keller's colour fabrics. Beyond representational depictions, his paintings are also manifestos of what can be achieved with the means of painting. But Keller does not work conceptually. He does not need a theoretical underpinning and does not load his paintings with calculated references. Intuition and the inner visual memory play an important role. Unlike most representational painters today, he does not use photographs as models. "Everything I paint I have seen in real life," Keller explains. "But I don't capture anything in the landscapes and architectures, nor do I take photographs. At that moment on site, I don't yet know that a painting will come out of it." An unconscious saving. When painting, Keller returns to the spaces and topographical situations in his imagination. But he must have actually experienced all the impressions. "Otherwise they don't become usable for me." [...]" (Excerpt from Remembrance of the Present: Sebastian Preuss on the work of Eric Keller)
ERIC KELLER
OVERVIEW OF OUR TOP 9
Our final TOP 9 is complete! Thank you for participating in our online group exhibition (from top left): Lorenz Bögle, Hanna Kaminski, Luis Zimmermann, Maximilian Welz, Lars Unger, Christo Daskaltsis, Eric Keller, Jean/Yohanan Delaunay-Israël & Marc Fiegle.
Check out our last 9 posts further down or on Instagram to find out everything about ART MATTERS Summer 2023 and the 9 artists/artworks we selected via our latest open call!
And check back later at 6pm when we announce the winner of our online competition from the 9 finalists. Today is finals day and we reveal the name of the artist who will be invited to participate in a group exhibition on the theme of LANDSCAPES at our gallery in Cologne.
About ART MATTERS SUMMER 2023:
The first Special Summer Edition of our ART MATTERS series followed our recent 8th Open Artist Call, with which for the first time we set a theme for submissions: LANDSCAPES. In selecting the artists and their works, we did not necessarily focus on classic, figurative landscape depictions. And so we also present abstract, almost minimalist works that often only convey the idea of a landscape and make the exhibition an eclectic overall presentation.
Also for this latest ART MATTERS round, it was not easy for us to choose only 9 artists for our online exhibition from the many great submissions we received in response to our 8th open call. There are so many remarkable things out there, but we cannot show them all in our gallery. The ART MATTERS series allows us to present many artistic positions from around the world to a wider online audience two or three a year for about two weeks.
Many thanks to all of you who follow this project, some of you for 8 issues already, and many thanks also to all participating artists, especially to our TOP 9 and the 27 Honourable Mentions (there are still some to be presented on our Instagram Stories today!).
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ART MATTERS 7
Online Group Exhibition
1st Winner
Austin Turley
As the 1st winner of ART MATTERS 7, Austin Turley took part in the group exhibition achromatic in our Cologne gallery from January to March 2024.
2nd Winner
Elizabeth Charnock
As the 2nd winner of ART MATTERS 7, Elizabeth Charnock presented her online solo exhibition At a Distance on our website from October to December 2023.
AUSTIN TURLEY: Winner Gallery Group Show
Congratulations to AUSTIN TURLEY: The US artist (born 1977, lives and works in Portland, OR) is the second of our two ART MATTERS 7 winners and will be invited with a selection of his works to a group exhibition at our gallery in Cologne in early 2024 (TBD)! We are intrigued by Turley’s artistic exploration of kiln-formed, cold-worked glass. The resulting wall objects are intimately small and fragile, yet bold and striking. We already have some ideas for a beautiful presentation with Austin Turley's works and look forward to working with the artist in the near future!
“Spontaneity, improvisation, and techniques of the bricoleur are the result of keen observations, which can lead to finding relevancy in the unexpected. I believe my modes of making are parallel to those of the bricoleur, exploring the notion that science and mystical thought are equivalent approaches to understanding the world around us. I am interested in the transformative character of objects as they evolve, erode, and alter throughout time. As I continue to learn and experiment with the complexities of kiln formed glass, my focus and research revolves around the language of the medium itself, how it behaves, its characteristics, and its properties. I believe emphasizing these rhythms, patterns, and formations possess the capacity to act as a proxy for things beyond itself and its seemingly simple physical existence. This correspondence between the glass is a layered iterative process of unmaking and remaking, engaging strategies of repetition, interference, and disruption. My aim is to create presence within the overlooked and challenge how we view, experience, and navigate our conditions.“
AUSTIN TURLEY
Variant 5, 2022
kiln formed, cold worked glass
18 x 13 x 2 cm
ELIZABETH CHARNOCK: Winner Online Solo Show
Congratulations to ELIZABETH CHARNOCK: The young artist (born 1990 in the UK, lives and works in Berlin) is today the first of our two ART MATTERS 7 winners and will be presented with a selection of her ink drawings in an online solo exhibition on our website and social media channels in late 2023 (TBD)! Charnock's uninhabited spaces and urban situations are hauntingly beautiful. With her focused and clear visual vocabulary, she succeeds in stimulating our playful imagination. Her painterly minimalism also allows for open associations about our modern civilisation. We feel very connected to the artist's work, look forward to the collaboration and are excited to see where it will take us!
"The built environment and urban planning ideologies are common themes throughout her practice. Spatial relationships inform her work at all scales – from entire cities and street scenes, to the seemingly banal small structures which permeate our surroundings. By referencing a large body of documentary photography, she mentally collages multiple urban elements into imagined environments, which are meticulously rendered with multiple layers of ink on paper.
Her work often captures moments ‘in-between’ – miniature snapshots of tranquility before or after human activity. The scenes she creates inhabit realms that are entirely fictional, yet instantly recognisable. The uninhabited spaces evoke feelings of isolation, offering familiarity – but only at a distance – whilst inviting the viewer to reassess their own sense of place within the setting."
ELIZABETH CHARNOCK
50 x 40 cm (without frame)
OVERVIEW OF OUR TOP 15
Our TOP 15 is complete – thank you for participating in our online group show to (from top left): Stephen Whatcott, Benjamin Schoones, Tom Cartmill, Petra Schmidt, Anja Rausch, Austin Turley, Pascal Ungerer, John Trashkowsky, Nicolas Vionnet, Heike Weber, Sinéad Butler-Aldridge, Nadine Karl, David Mohr, Elizabeth Charnock & Jaewon Kim.
Check out our last 15 posts further down or on Instagram to find out everything about ART MATTERS 7 and the 15 artists/artworks we selected via our latest open call!
And make sure to come back later when we declare the two winners of our online competition. It is finals day today and we reveal:
- at 5pm the artist who will be rewarded an online solo show
- at 6pm the artist who will be invited to participate in a group show in our gallery in Cologne.
About:
Also for the 7th ART MATTERS round, it was not easy for us to choose only 15 artists for our online exhibition from the many great submissions we received in response to our 7th open call for artists. But it was a great pleasure for us to discover so many great artists! There are so many remarkable things out there, but we cannot show them all in our gallery. The ART MATTERS series allows us to present many artistic positions from around the world to a wider online audience twice a year for just over two weeks.
Many thanks to all of you who follow this project, some of you for 7 issues already, and many thanks also to all participating artists, especially to our TOP 15 and the 45 Honourable Mentions (there are still some to be presented today!).
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ART MATTERS 6
Online Group Exhibition
1st Winner
Molly Thomson
As the 1st winner of ART MATTERS 6, Molly Thomson took part in the group exhibition TRIALOGUE - Aspects of Abstraction in our Cologne gallery from June to August 2023.
2nd Winner
Rosina Rosinski
As the 2nd winner of ART MATTERS 6, Rosina Rosinski presented her online solo exhibition Damian on our website from February to April 2023.
FINALS DAY: Sunday 30 October
MOLLY THOMSON: Winner Gallery Group Show
Congratulations to Molly Thomson: The Scottish artist (*1953, lives and works in Norwich, England) is the second of our two ART MATTERS 6 winners and will take part in a group exhibition at our gallery in Cologne in 2023 with a selection of her works! More about this soon.
The fact that with Molly Thomson, former MA (Painting) student at the Royal College of Art in London, we have a second female winner is pure coincidence. Her work, however, fits seamlessly into our largely abstract-minimalist gallery programme. The subject of "sculptural painting" has interested us for many years and Thomson - primarily a painter - also explores the subject of the painting and its hybrid identities.
"Beginning most often with the simple fact of the rectangular painting panel I place myself in the position of both agent and observer, using acts of cutting, reassembling and pouring to re-form - and respond to - each piece. I am interested not only in the layered facade that is presented, but also in the fact that the painting casts and contains shadows.
[…] Interior spaces are often implicated, even if only glimpsed through the smallest of openings, and I am interested in the quiet question that such breaks in the facade might pose. Sometimes the paintings are layered, suggesting compressed strata of parallel surfaces. Some paintings may quietly allude to what cannot or shouldn’t be seen, while others flex their joints or extend their surfaces with a touch more expansiveness. […]"
We already have some ideas for a group exhibition with Molly Thomson's works and look forward to collaborating with the artist in the near future!
MOLLY THOMSON
Painting with wedged interior, 2022
acrylic, filler, wooden panel
36 x 27 x 6 cm
ROSINA ROSINSKI: Winner Online Solo Show
Congratulations to Rosina Rosinski: The young artist (*1989, lives and works in Dortmund, DE) is the first of our two ART MATTERS 6 winners today and will - in 2023 - be presented with a selection of her paintings in an online solo exhibition on our website and social media channels! More info soon.
With the highest level of female artist participation in our ART MATTERS competition ever, it is only fitting that at least one winner is a woman. Rosina Rosinski's bold paintings and self-portraits feature strong, larger-than-life female figures and are based on Christian and mythological iconography. At first glance garish, colourful and loud, the paintings increasingly draw the viewer in, discussing gender issues and tackling themes of life, death and vanity.
Rosina Rosinski is only our second female winner after Patrizia Kränzlein (ART MATTERS 2). And it is also the first time ever that figurative art has won in our competition. This is also due to the fact that we received and were able to select from more figurative works than in all previous ART MATTERS editions.
Rosinski's works represent a completely new and exciting direction for us. They not only work in physical space, but their vibrant colours and Rosinski's meticulous way of painting clean, print-like surfaces make them perfect for online presentations. We feel a strong connection to the artist's work, look forward to the collaboration and are excited to see where it will take us!
ROSINA ROSINSKI
Home safely (Venus mourning the death of Adonis), 2022
acrylic and airbrush on canvas
150 x 195 cm
Our TOP 15
Our TOP 15 is complete – thank you for participating in our online group show to (from top left): Zixu Wang, Rosina Rosinski, Molly Thomson, Tomica Radulovic, Christine Lee, Gemma Carson, Brennan Wojtyla, Silvia Giordani, Katya Granova, Heike Weber, Frijke Coumans, Graziela Guardino, Roberto Rivadeneira, Mattia Noal und John Brendan Guinan.
Check out our last 15 posts further down or on Instagram to find out everything about ART MATTERS 6 and the 15 artists/artworks we selected via our latest open call!
And make sure to come back later when we declare the two winners of our online competition. It is finals day today and we reveal:
- at 5pm the artist who will be rewarded an online solo show
- at 6pm the artist who will be invited to participate in a group show in our gallery in Cologne.
About:
Again for the 6th ART MATTERS round, it was not easy for us to choose only 15 artists for our online exhibition out of the many great submissions we received in response to our 6th Open Artist Call. But it definitely was a great pleasure to discover and get to know so many great artists! There is so much remarkable art out there, but we cannot show it all in our gallery. The ART MATTERS series allows us to present many artistic positions from all over the world to a wider online audience twice a year for a little more than 2 weeks.
Many thanks to all of you who follow this project, some of you for 6 issues by now, and many thanks also to – most of all – all the participating artists, especially to our TOP 15 and the 45 Honourable Mentions (there are still some to be featured today!).
We found it particularly remarkable this time that more female artists than usual applied. That there was even more international participation, especially from Eastern but also Northern and increasingly Southern European countries. There were also many more applicants than usual from Asia, North and South America and Australia and even Africa. What pleased us most, however, was that finally more figurative artists applied, as abstraction has always been predominant at ART MATTERS. All this is reflected in the selection of our TOP 15, which is more eclectic than ever before.
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ART MATTERS 5
Online Group Exhibition
1st Winner
Vittorio Bianchi
As the 1st winner of ART MATTERS 5, Vittorio Bianchi took part in the group exhibition TRIALOGUE - Delicate Strength in our Cologne gallery from January to February 2023.
2nd Winner
Arran Rahimian
As the 2nd winner of ART MATTERS 5, Arran Rahimian presented his online solo exhibition TIME on our website from November 2022 to January 2023.
Following our 5th Open Artist Call, we launch our new ART MATTERS 5 online group exhibition on Saturday 9 April at 6pm CET. From all the applications received, we have selected 15 finalists, who will be presented with their submitted artworks on our website, Instagram and Facebook, one after the other until 23 April. Every day at 6pm, a new name and artwork will be unveiled so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole. The presentation of our Top 15 is rounded off by "Honourable Mentions" in our daily Instagram stories, in which we acknowledge the works of a selected number of artists who just missed the final cut (45, to be exact, posted in our Instagram stories from 10 to 24 April, 2 per day and between noon and 6pm).
On Sunday 24 November at 5 and 6pm, we will announce for the first time two winners of our online competition: One will receive a solo online exhibition, the other will be invited to participate in a group exhibition in our gallery space in Cologne.
About our ART MATTERS series:
Just like with our first four open artist call projects in April and November 2020 and again in April and November 2021, we were aware how versatile and eclectic this fourth online exhibition could be. But it was precisely the idea of an open call that appealed to us: to invite artists from the most diverse directions to apply and submit their work. From this multitude of perspectives and positions, we look forward to get an exhibition that shows a field of tension but also a symbiotic dialogue between the individual artworks. An exhibition that matches the direction and philosophy of the gallery, but also brings something new to our programme.
Sunday 24 April: Finals Day 3/3 - VITTORIO BIANCHI
Congratulations to Vittorio Bianchi: The Italian artist from Milan is the second of our two ART MATTERS 5 winners today and will soon be presented with a selection of his works in a group exhibition at our gallery in Cologne! More information on this coming soon.
Of course, it is difficult to choose a winner or - as in this case - two winners from a large number of beautiful artists who applied through an Open Call. It is not a question of better or worse. Rather, it is about a feeling. As previously described with Arran Rahimian, we feel a strong connection with Vittorio Bianchi's work and believe it fits well into our gallery programme! One of our favourites since the work was submitted due to its inherent textile and also sculptural aspects, we already have a very nice project in mind that we will realise with the artist as soon as possible. We look forward to the collaboration and are excited to see what develops!
Winner 1/2: Vittorio Bianchi
R #6, 2019
polyurethane, nylon, Capaver glass fabric
119 x 83,5 cm
Sunday 24 April: Finals Day 2/3 - ARRAN RAHIMIAN
Congratulations to Arran Rahimian: The young artist, Edinburgh-based artist is the first of our two ART MATTERS 5 winners today and will soon be featured with a selection of his paintings in a solo online exhibition on our website and social media channels! More info on this soon.
We feel a strong connection with the artist's work and believe it will fit in well with our gallery programme and also be beautifully communicable as an online exhibition. We look forward to the collaboration and are excited to see where this will take us!
Winner 2/2: Arran Rahimian
46 Hours, 2022
oil on canvas
76 x 70 cm (framed)
Sunday 24 April: Finals Day 1/3 - the TOP 15
TOP 15
Our Top 15 is complete – thank you for participating in our online group show to (in order of their daily posts): Stephen Wozniak, Bianca Barandun, Stephen Whatcott, Max Geisler, Mika Natri, Elliott Mickleburgh, Arran Rahimian, Tomoko Konae, Alejandro Javaloyas, James OKeefe, Paulus Maassen, Johannes Steininger, Vittorio Bianchi, Jonathan Ducrest and last but not least Johan Van Oeckel.
Check out our last 15 posts further down or on Instagram to find out everything about ART MATTERS 5 and the 15 artists/artworks we selected via our latest open call!
And make sure to come back later when we, Galerie Biesenbach as the jury of ART MATTERS 5, declare for the first time not one but two winners of our online competition. It is finals day today and we reveal:
- at 5pm the artist who will be reward an online solo show
- at 6pm the artist who will be invited to participate in a group show in our gallery in Cologne.
About:
Again for the 5th ART MATTERS round, it was not easy for us to choose only 15 artists for our online exhibition out of the many great submissions we received in response to our 5th Open Artist Call. But it definitely was a great pleasure to discover and get to know so many great artists! There is so much remarkable art out there, but we cannot show it all in our gallery. The ART MATTERS series allows us to present many artistic positions from all over the world to a wider online audience twice a year for a little more than 2 weeks.
Many thanks to all of you who follow this project, some of you for 5 issues by now, and many thanks also to – most of all – all the participating artists, especially to our Top 15 and the 45 Honourable Mentions (still some to be featured today).
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ART MATTERS 4
Online Group Exhibition
Winner
Alireza Elahi
As the winner of ART MATTERS 4, Alireza Elahi took part in the group exhibition Where the Rubber Meets the Road in our Cologne gallery from June to August 2022.
Following our 4th Open Artist Call, we have launched our new ART MATTERS 4 online group exhibition on Sunday 17 October at 6pm. From all the applications received, we have selected 15 finalists, who will be presented with their submitted artworks on our website, Instagram and Facebook, one after the other until 31 October. Every day at 6pm, a new name and artwork will be unveiled so that the exhibition slowly comes together as a whole. The presentation of our Top 15 is rounded off by "Honourable Mentions" in our daily Instagram stories, in which we acknowledge the works of a selected number of artists who just missed the final cut (90, to be exact, posted in our Instagram stories from 18 October to 1 November, 6 per day and between noon and 6pm).
On Monday 1 November at 6pm, the winner of our online competition will be announced: He or she will be invited to participate in an exhibition in our gallery space in Cologne in 2022.
We invite you to visit ART MATTERS 4 regularly here on our website, Instagram and Facebook.
About our ART MATTERS series:
Just like with our first three open artist call projects in April and November 2020 and again in April 2021, we were aware how versatile and eclectic this fourth online exhibition could be. But it was precisely the idea of an open call that appealed to us: to invite artists from the most diverse directions to apply and submit their work. From this multitude of perspectives and positions, we look forward to get an exhibition that shows a field of tension but also a symbiotic dialogue between the individual artworks. An exhibition that matches the direction and philosophy of the gallery, but also brings something new to our programme.
Monday 1 November: Finals Day
ART MATTERS 4: And the winner is... Alireza Elahi (*1991, lives and works Tehran) – congratulations! We are pleased to include an Iranian artist in our programme for the first time and to present his expressive abstract paintings in one of our upcoming gallery group exhibitions.
Also for the 4th ART MATTERS round, it was not easy for us to choose only 15 artists for our online exhibition out of the many great submissions we received in our 4th Open Artist Call, and then also to choose a single winner.... It was definitely fun to discover and get to know so many great artistic positions! There is so much remarkable art out there, we can't show it all in our gallery. But the ART MATTERS series allows us to present many artistic positions from all over the world to a wider audience online twice a year for a little more than 2 weeks.
Many thanks to all of you who follow this project, some of you for 4 issues by now, and many thanks also – most of all – to all participating artists, especially to our Top 15, namely (in order of their daily posts: Alireza Elahi, Katja Pál, Bislacchi, Amir Chasson, Mariejon de Jong-Buijs, Aaron Kaveh Ossia, Molly Thomson, René Korten, Stephen Wozniak, Peter Evans, Eva Dijkstra, Beverly Rautenberg, Alan Greenberg, Clemens Gritl and last but not least Sharon Haward.
ALIREZA ELAHI
untitled, 2020
acrylic and spray paint on primed canvas
150 x 100 cm
OUR TOP 15
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ART MATTERS 3
Online Group Exhibition
Winner
Stephen Burke
As the winner of ART MATTERS 3, Stephen Burke took part in the group exhibition Where the Rubber Meets the Road in our Cologne gallery from June to August 2022.
To curate our new online group exhibition ART MATTERS 3, we have been looking for international visual artists via open call from 14-28 March, 2021. From all applications received, our independent jury, the Reclaim Collective, finally selected 15.
On a daily basis at 6pm CET sharp from Sunday, 11 April onwards, all 15 finalists will be presented one by one with their submitted work exclusively on galerie-biesenbach.de and our Instagram/Facebook accounts. The presentation of our Top 15 is rounded off by "Honourable Mentions" in our daily Instagram stories, in which we acknowledge the works of a selected number of artists who just missed the final cut (90, to be exact, posted in our Instagram stories from 12 to 26 April, 6 per day and between noon and 6pm).
On Monday, 29 April at 6pm the winner of our competition will be announced: He or she will be invited to participate in an exhibition in 2021 in our gallery rooms in Cologne.
About our ART MATTERS series:
Just like with our first two open artist call projects in April and November 2020, we were aware how versatile and eclectic this third online exhibition could be – especially since we decided to have it curated by an independent jury. But it was precisely the idea of an open call that appealed to us: to invite artists from the most diverse directions to apply and submit their work. From this multitude of perspectives and positions, we look forward to get an exhibition that shows a field of tension but also a symbiotic dialogue between the individual artworks. An exhibition that matches the direction and philosophy of the gallery, but also brings something new to our programme.
Finals Day
Group photo with 15 finalists, including 1 winner - please scroll down and read on to find out who won our 3rd ART MATTERS online competition!
First and foremost though, we'd like to thank our judges – the guys from Reclaim Collective – for collaborating with us on this project and putting together such a beautiful, eclectic exhibition! We know how hard it is to choose from all the submissions we received as part of our open call, to select just 15 artists and then also to narrow it down to one winner... But it was definitely an immense pleasure for us to discover so many great artists or to get to know them better!
Thanks also to all of you who have been following this project, some of you since we started it a year ago, and thanks – most of all – to all the artists involved, especially our Top 15, namely: Patia Fa, Isabella Convertino, Jeroen Molenaar, Dorota Goczal, PUTPUT, Vera Saldivar de Lira, Paul Snell, Chris Tille, Stephen Burke, Oliver Cain, Susanne Stähli, Daniel Morata Gressel, Rafael Raposo Pires, Maaike Kramer and last but not least Francisco Valenca Vaz.
But in the end, there can only be one and our jury chose Stephen Burke (*1991 in Dublin, lives and works in Dublin) as the ART MATTERS 3 winner in an extremely close decision. Congratulations! With his submitted work Bump from 2021 (spray paint, emulsion and chewing gum on tactile tiles, steel frame, 60 x 45 x 3 cm) and his statement as well as his overall artistic approach/body of work, he not only convinced our jury and we are happy to invite him to participate in an thematic group exhibition in our gallery in Cologne in 2022. We already have a great project in mind – more information to follow soon!
OUR TOP 15
Winner ART MATTERS 3: Stephen Burke
STEPHEN BURKE
Bump, 2021
spray paint, emulsion and chewing gum on tactile tiles, steel frame
60 x 45 x 3 cm
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ART MATTERS 2
Online Group Exhibition
Winner
Patrizia Kränzlein
As the winner of ART MATTERS 2, Patrizia Kränzlein took part in the group exhibition PoP - Painting on Paper in our Cologne gallery from September to October 2021.
Monday, 14 December
To curate our online group exhibition ART MATTERS 2, we launched our second Open Call on 8 November with the aim of finding 15 new artists. Until yesterday, we presented the finalists and their submitted works individually every day at 6pm for a fortnight.
Tonight, we are pleased to announce Patrizia Kränzlein (*1987 in Stuttgart, lives and works in Stuttgart) as the winner of our competition and invite her to participate in a thematic group exhibition at our gallery in Cologne in summer 2021. Her sensitive formal language and approach to the medium of paper have excited us and bring new, interesting aspects to our gallery programme.
It was extremely difficult for us to pick out just one from so many remarkable artistic positions. Therefore, we would like to thank all the artists who submitted their works. It was a great pleasure for us to discover these great artists or to get to know them better!
To learn more about Patrizia Kränzlein and the works of the other 14 finalists – in order of their daily presentation: Birte Horn, Armin Mühsam, Laura Jane Scott, Tonneke Sengers, Viktoria Körösi, Sali Muller, Paul Corvers, Stuart Fineman, Katja Pál, Ute Krafft, Evelyn Snoek, Andrew Clausen, Alex De Bruycker & Yoella Razili – please scroll down or check out our Instagram feed.
PATRIZIA KRÄNZLEIN
PATRIZIA KRÄNZLEIN
untitled, 2020
linoleum ink and graphite on paper (mounted on board), 70 x 50 cm
GROUP PHOTO
Final 15
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ART MATTERS 1
Online Group Exhibition
Winner
Jussi Niva
As the winner of ART MATTERS 1, Jussi Niva took part in the group exhibition Sculptural.Painting. in our Cologne gallery from January to April 2021.
Out of the corona/lockdown situation in March/April – exhibition postponed, gallery closed to the public – our first virtual group exhibition ART MATTERS was created, which could only be viewed online at www.galerie-biesenbach.de and our Instagram and Facebook accounts. Unusual times, new ways!
With an open call launched on Instagram, we spent two weeks looking for new artists and finally selected 15 participants for our group exhibition.
We knew how eclectic this Online Only exhibition could be. But it was precisely the idea of the Open Call that appealed to us: to invite artists from the most diverse backgrounds to apply and submit their work. From this multitude of perspectives and positions, we curated an exhibition that shows a field of tension but also a symbiotic dialogue between the individual artists and artworks. An exhibition that fits the direction and philosophy of the gallery, but which has also brought something new to our programme.
From Sunday, 12 April onwards, one artist was presented with the submitted work every day at 6 pm. On 26 April the winner of our competition was announced and invited to participate in a later exhibition in our gallery space in Cologne. Our choice was Jussi Niva, who will present a selection of his works in the group exhibition "Sculptural.Painting." in January/February 2021.
With works by: Christina Augustesen, Carlos Balbás, Bram Braam, Michael Craik, Alex De Bruycker, Viktoria Körösi, Ute Krafft, Vincent Lo Brutto, Daniel Müller-Jansen, Jussi Niva, PUTPUT, Beverly Rautenberg, Michael Samuels, Jon Thomas & Michael Weißköppel
Winner ART MATTERS 1: Jussi Niva
Jussi Niva
Another Together, 2019
oil on wood, 199 x 53 x 29 cm
GROUP PHOTO
Final 15
