5 Must-See Gallery Shows during Art Cologne 2023
Monica Kim Garza, Life, 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Ruttkowski;68.
In Cologne, art is as integral to the city’s identity as the towering spires of the Cathedral. The vibrant avant-garde art scene in the 1980s and ’90s, characterized by Neo-Expressionism, established a legacy of artistic boldness. Today, this history continues to enrich Cologne’s dynamic and dense network of galleries.
This storied city, a bastion of the art world and the birthplace of the “art market,” as we know it today, becomes even more animated during Art Cologne—the world’s oldest art fair—which, for 2023, runs from November 16th through 19th. For its 56th edition, Art Cologne’s lineup features around 170 galleries, such as Thaddaeus Ropac, Sprüth Magers, and Michael Werner Gallery.
As Art Cologne 2023 unfolds, the city’s galleries also open up their doors to a mass of new shows exhibiting German and international artists, making the most of Cologne’s moment in the spotlight. Here are the standout gallery shows happening during Art Cologne.
Swiss sculptor Roman Gysin challenges our usual patterns of perception in works where decoration intersects with the uncanny. His pieces—which take the form of sculptures, wall works, and installations—transform ordinary sights into ornamental works. For instance, Deep Decor III (2023), a wall-mounted sculpture, presents a gray piece of tree bark adorned with pink and orange flowers. Often, the artist finds his inspiration in his day-to-day life, which he then photographs as source material for future works.
“Decorate,” Gysin’s second solo show with Galerie Christian Lethert, presents a series of sculptures emerging from this material exploration. The wall-mounted Wall Fence I (2021) is emblematic of his approach, towing the line between a representational sculpture of a wooden palisade and a purely decorative craft. Elsewhere, the artist’s exploration of color pulls in the viewer, especially across his “Satinbild” series of satin paintings on wood. These works, awash with blue, mauve, and green, use color to craft illusory patterns: yet another experiment in perception.
Born in 1930, Rosalind Fox Solomon began her photographic career in the 1970s, mentored by the iconic photographer Lisette Model. Focusing on themes of identity and conflict, Solomon is known for her compelling and often humorous photographs. She frames each work as a character-based short story, capturing her subjects as they break the fourth wall. Above all, her work is motivated by a deep empathy and unyielding curiosity, reflecting on the complexities of the human condition.
In “Photographs from the Private Archive” at Galerie Julian Sander, viewers are given a chance to peer into the private archive of the 93-year-old American photographer. Her photographs strike the viewer with the immediacy of stumbling upon an intimate moment, such as Collector and artist (1977/2003), where two men look up at the camera from their hot tub.
Other photographs depict bizarre scenes, like Mrs. Ova Heggi and Her Mannequin, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA (1974), featuring a woman leaning against the legs of a mannequin, or Foxes Masquerade, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (1993–94), capturing four figures in animal masks staring at the camera.
Monica Kim Garza, installation view of “The trees and bushes beside you” at Ruttkowski;68. Courtesy of Ruttkowski;68.
Monica Kim Garza’s exhibition “The Trees and bushes beside you” is, according to the artist, the visual translation of a poem entitled “Lost” by the American poet David Wagoner. Her vibrant paintings challenge traditional narratives, placing women of color at the forefront of a utopian world of unfettered joy and freedom. The works oscillate between playful ease and thoughtful contemplation, focusing on intimate desires and fleeting moments of peace. In works like The Reading and Blue jammies afterstudy (both 2023), her subjects are caught in ambiguous emotional states. Through these works, she contemplates the continuous balancing act of modern life, juxtaposing our routine actions with moments of respite and liberation.
Born in rural Georgia in 1988, Garza swiftly rose to international acclaim as her work captivated audiences with its celebration of female form and leisure. In 2021, the artist, who lives and works in Atlanta, presented solo exhibitions at Ruttkowski;68 in Cologne, and The Hole in New York City. Since then, she’s exhibited in Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Cologne, and Basel.
In Korean culture, white is commonly associated with purity and simplicity—a symbol of enlightenment, transcendence, and harmony. Korean master ceramist Min-Soo Kang and painter Joong-Baek Kim each explore this aesthetic in their joint exhibition, “The Transcendence of White,” at JARILAGER. Kang’s radiant ceramic moon jars are glazed according to traditional techniques, while Kim’s vast canvases, dyed with coffee and veiled in gesso, meditate on presence and perception.
“No matter how many times you look at it, you never get tired of it,” wrote Kang of his work in the press release, adding: “When the moon jar moves on the potter’s wheel, I dance along with it.”
Kang’s sculptures are created through a serendipitous, unpredictable process. Although Kang meticulously shapes each jar, the final outcome is left to chance—subject to the placement of the firewood and the intensity of the heat. Meanwhile, Kim’s paintings, such as suite and journey (both 2023), underscore the dialogue between what is seen and what is invisible throughout the entire exhibition. Here, too, is an exploration of chance, as these canvases are disrupted by stains and brutish brushstrokes.
German artist Benjamin Hirte and Vienna-based gallerist Emanuel Layr have joined forces to curate a special exhibition featuring a range of established and emerging artists. Living and working in Vienna, Hirte is celebrated for his conceptually driven work that recontextualizes language and mundane objects, while Layr has a reputation for nurturing experimental artists such as Hirte himself.
In “Parks and Recreation” at DREI, artists’ work on view examines the idea of urban parks, exploring their role as areas for leisure, romance, sexuality, and social contrasts. For instance, Matthias Noggler’s Tempest (2020), created with gouache and pencil on paper, depicts a group of people relaxing in the park, set against an impending thunderstorm. In the center of this scene, a figure (perhaps suggestive of the ancient Greek god Hephaestus) hammers in a stake that resembles an umbrella. Meanwhile, Gaylen Gerber’s sculptures of beer cans and paper bags seem to directly reflect the detritus of leisure in public spaces. The exhibition also features work from Anna Sophie Berger, Anita Leisz, Beaux Mendes, and Julian Tromp.
Thumbnail image, from left to right: Monica Kim Garza, “Come run with me (plantar fasciosis),” 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Ruttkowski;68; Rosalind Fox Solomon, “Collector and artist,” 1977/2003. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Julian Sander.
