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until 01.03. |#4938ARTatBerlin | Galerie Creative Game shows from 14. Februar 2026 the exhibition “The search for the self between moderation and intoxication” by the artist Tobias Kielinger.
Tobias Kielinger presents a retrospective that goes far beyond the purely aesthetic. Under the name of the gallery, he conducts an artistic experiment that understands painting as an existential game and radical self-questioning.
Inspired by the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, Tobias Kielinger reveals the tension between the two primal forces of human existence: the Apollonian and the Dionysian.
Neue Horizonte 1. 2022, Acrylic on Canvas, 120 x 80 cm
Two ways of working – one principle for life
The exhibition juxtaposes two contrasting poles of his artistic work. On the one hand, there are the Apollonian works: images of architectural clarity and deliberate austerity. They represent the search for order, structure, and mastery of form.
On the other hand, there are the Dionysian works, which arise from a state of ecstasy and intoxication. Here, Tobias uses abstract painting as a tool for self-liberation. It is a conscious break with the control of the ego in order to give free rein to the impulses of the subconscious. For Tobias Kielinger, abstraction only becomes fully understandable in this moment of boundlessness: it is the way to shed the burden of one’s own individuality and immerse oneself in a state of pure, immediate existence.
The “Creative Game” as a philosophical process
Tobias directly references the name of the gallery in his concept. For him, the “creative game” is the dance between discipline and freedom. The exhibition invites visitors to experience this dynamic process—a search for the self that finds expression sometimes in the silence of a clear line and sometimes in the liberating power of color.
Da-Sein 3, 2025, Mixed media on canvas, 175 x 135 x 5 cm
Tobias Kielinger is intensely engaged with the connection between philosophy and the painting process. His works are evidence of an ongoing exploration of his own life principles and the question of how art can serve as a medium for self-knowledge.
Vernissage: Friday, 13. February 2026, 7 pm – Introductory speech: Petra Schmidt-Dreyblatt
Exhibition period: Saturday, 14. February + Sunday, 15. February 2026, 1 – 5 pm & Saturday, 21. February + Sunday, 22. February 2026, 1 – 5 pm & Saturday, 28. February + Sunday, 1. March 2026, 1 – 5 pm
Finissage + Artist talk: Saturday, 28. February 2026, 7 pm – Live Music: Myles.Kooper
Image caption title: Epiphanie 3, 2026, Mixed media on canvas, 30 x 40 cm
Exhibition Tobias Kielinger – Galerie Creative Game | Zeitgenössische Kunst Berlin | Contemporary Art Berlin | Exhibitions Berliner Galleries | ART at Berlin
