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until 26.09. | #5127ARTatBerlin | Galerie Z22 shows from 03. September 2026 the exhibition “Retrospektive” by the artist Kurt Woldmann.
“Imagine if you could view all the different moments in the same way that you can, for example, view the mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains. You could see how moments endure. Perhaps it is nothing more than an illusion to believe that one moment follows another like pearls on a string, and that once a moment is over, it is gone forever.” (Kurt Vonnegut/Slaughterhouse Five) In the paintings by the artist Kurt Woldmann, created between 2000 and 2003, the surface of the canvas has come into motion.
Woldmann’s painting moves between abstraction and figuration; objects and figures are discernible, yet form and shape are not clearly distinguished from their surroundings – the two interpenetrate, dissolving into one another as on a rippling water’s surface, as if everything were interconnected at every moment, as if form were not something fixed but relative, and rather a question of the momentary proportion of colour. The acrylic painting technique enables the artist to work quickly and spontaneously; by layering colours, spatial depth is created which contrasts with the two-dimensional rhythm of the colour on the canvas.
His gestures and brushwork are expressive, repeatedly making the surface texture the very essence of the work. Journeys to Sri Lanka, Africa and South America have inspired Woldmann to adopt a palette rich in contrast; he juxtaposes complementary colours, and pairs of opposites such as warm–cool, pointed–round, organic–inorganic do not exclude one another in his paintings, but rather merge to form a dynamic whole.
In contemporary African art, Woldmann found a sense of identity that impressed him. He perceived the paintings as direct and emotive; moreover, they possessed a symbolic language that was universally understandable. In terms of content, Woldmann’s paintings are also intended to stand on their own and do not necessarily refer to a theoretical context.
Opening: Thursday, 03. September 2026, until 7 pm.
Exhibition dates: Thursday, 03. September – Saturday, 26. September 2026
Title image caption: courtesy of Galerie Z22
Exhibition Retrospektive – Galerie Z22 | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Ausstellungen Berlin Galerien | ART at Berlin
