Johannes Kahrs

Johannes Kahrs was born in Bremen, Germany, in 1965. He lives and works in Berlin.


Perception’s analysis and images’ manipulation are at the core of Johannes Kahrs’ reflection. The subjects of the German author’s artworks present themselves in all their human indecipherability, shaken by pressures and malaise: the monstrous yet familiar realis of Kahrs’ paintings provokes entangled empathy and reveals the hidden and violent side of humanity.Starting from images collected from magazines, the internet, newspapers, advertisements, amateur and feature films, but also from photographs taken by himself, Johannes Kahrs releases the image from its original context, depicting fragmented and isolated scenes and escaping a coherent narrative. By cutting the image, enlarging its details and disconnecting it from its original embedded context, the artist emphasizes the symbolic meaning of the scene to reveal its deeper and mysterious contents.With his work, Johannes Kahrs challenges our beliefs and our ability to observe what surrounds us. Through his pictorial practice, the artist fights the hectic and superficial representation of human body in times of mass communication and outof-control sharing. Johannes Kahrs questions reality by revealing its physicality, perturbation and its violent sensuality.


Work by the artist is held in major museum collections such as: Centre Pompidou, Paris; MOCA, Los Angeles; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Museu Serralves, Porto; SFMoMA, San Francisco; UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; MoMA, New York and S.M.A.K., Ghent.

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Biography

Solo exhibitions
Year
Country, Exhibition Name, Location
2024
F, Port renversé, MASSIMODECARLO Pièce Unique, Paris
2023
B, As I descended into impassible waters I no longer felt guided by the ferrymen, Zeno X Gallery Antwerp Borgerhout, Antwerp
2020
UK, Sleep, Massimo De Carlo, London
D, Johannes Kahrs, Hall Art Foundation, Schloss Derneburg Museum, Derneburg
2018
B, Hell I Am, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2017
US, Embrace, Luhring Augustine, New York
2016
B, Early this mornin’, ooh, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
F, Then, maybe, the explosion of a star, FRAC Île-de-France, Paris
2014
B, Tropical Nights, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
D, Tropical Nights, Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Nürnberg
2013
D, Johannes Kahrs, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden
2012
CH, Johannes Kahrs, Kunsthaus Centre d'Art Pasquart, Biel
2011
US, Johannes Kahrs, Luhring Augustine, New York
2010
B, Johannes Kahrs, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2009
B, I can't think of the finish, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2008
US, Eyes on his body, Luhring Augustine, New York
2007
I, Men with music, GAMeC, Bergamo
2006
UK, Lonely long meaningless way home, Parasol Unit foundation for contemporary art, London
B, Ein ganz fremder Nackter, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2004
B, Dunkles Zimmer, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2003
B, Down 'n Out, Zeno X Storage, Antwerp
2002
F, The Drunken Boat, Galerie Almine Rech, Paris
B, Down 'n Out, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin
I, Questions, Studio Massimo De Carlo, Milan
2001
F, A-h, FRAC des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou
B, A-h, S.M.A.K, Ghent
D, A-h, Kunstverein München, München
2000
F, La révolution Permanente, Galerie Almine Rech, Paris
SE, Last virgin on the left, Galerie Signal, Malmö
D, Shot and Painted, Galerie Franck + Schulte, Berlin
B, Night in Sexyland, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
1999
CH, Statement, Art 29 Basel, presented by Galerie Almine Rech, Basel
Group exhibitions
Year
Country, Exhibition Name, Location
2022
UAE, Stories of Paper, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi
B, Amour, Gloire et Beauté, TheMerode, Brussels
B, Portrait, Leienpaleis, Antwerp
B, 40 Years Zeno X Gallery - the nineties, Zeno X Gallery Antwerp South, Antwerp
2021
I, Bodywork: Discomfort and Existence, MASSIMODECARLO, Milano
F, Peinture: Obsolescence déprogrammée, Musée de l’Abbaye Sainte-Croix, Les Sables d’Olonne
2019
NL, Trouble in Paradise. Collection Rattan Chadha, Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam
USA, Michael Jackson: On the Wall, Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo
D, Michael Jackson: On the Wall, Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn
D, Inside - Out. Constructions Of The Self, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg
UK, Michael Jackson: On the Wall, National Portrait Gallery, London
2018
UK, Michael Jackson: On The Wall, National Portrait Gallery, London
F, Michael Jackson: On the Wall, Grand Palais, Paris
B, Works on Paper I, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2017
D, The Truth of Uncertainty: Moving Image Works from the Hall Collection, Schloss Derneburg, Derneburg
2016
D, In the Cage of Freedom, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg
F, Retour au Meilleur des Mondes, FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
D, Private Exposure, Collectors Room, Berlin
2015
F, La vie moderne, 13th Lyon Biennale, Lyon
B, Works on Paper II, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
PL, Cannibalism? On Appropriation in Art, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw
IL, Prima Facie: Works from the Igal Ahouvi Art Collection, The Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, Tel Aviv
USA, I am a Lie and I am Gold, Yossi Milo Gallery, New York
F, 13th Lyon Biennial: La Vie Moderne, MAC, Lyon
CH, Sense Uncertainty. A Private Collection, Kunsthaus Züric, Zürich
B, Raoul De Keyser, Johannes Kahrs, Mark Manders, Mircea Suciu, Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2014
B, Donkere kamers, Over melancholie en depressie, Museum Dr. Guislain, Ghent
PL, Mediations Biennale 2014, National Museum Poznan, Poznan
B, Kees Goudwaard, Kim Jones, Johannes Kahrs, Jenny Scobel, Jack Whitten, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2013
B, Opening New Space, Zeno X Gallery, Antwerp
2012
D, Geteilt/ ungeteilt. Kunst in Deutschland 1945 bis 2010, Ausstellung der Galerie Neue Meister, Dresden
F, Fruits de la passion, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

Bibliography

Year
Author, Publication Title, Date
2021
Tenaglia, Francesco, il Foglio, April
2020
Artdaily, November
2017
Artspeak NYC, March 22
Gebremedhin, Thomas, The Wall Street Journal, March 17
2016
Goodrow, Gérard A., Sammlung Broska, Exhibition Catalogue.
Lavrador, Judicael, Liberation, June 10
Kahrs, Johannes, Then, maybe, the explosion of a star
Flamini, Fabiola, Private Exposure - Works from the Olbricht Collection, Exhibition Catalogue.
Beaux Arts Magazine, July
Moulene, Claire, Les Inrockuptibles, May 18
Beil, Ralf, Im Käfig Der Freiheit
2015
About Waves
Basciano, Oliver, Art Review 67, December
Mullins, Charlotte, Picturing People - The New State of Art, Exhibition Catalogue.
Raspail, Thierry, Ralph Rugoff e Marc Chauveau, 13e Biennale de Lyon, Exhibition Catalogue.
Karabelnik, Marianne, Sinnliche Ungewissheit - Eine private Sammlung
2014
Sarit, Shapira, Babel - Works from the Igal Ahouvi Art Collection, Exhibition Catalogue. The Yolanda and David Katz Faculty of the Arts
Kahrs, Johannes, Johannes Kahrs: Tropical Nights, Exhibition Catalogue. Nürnberg, Verlag für moderne Kunst Nürnberg
Allegaert, Patrick, Yoon Hee Lamot e Bart Marius, Donkere Kamers
2013
Monopol, February
2012
Fluckiger, Gabriel, Kunst Bulletin, November
Kahrs, Johannes, Johannes Kahrs: Transcendence in Flesh and Blood, Exhibition Catalogue. Biel, CentrePasquArt
2011
De Galbert, Antoine, Metzger Rainer e Damien Sausset, Mémoires du Futur, la collection Olbricht, Exhibition Catalogue. Paris, Fage éditions et la maison rouge
Sundt, Collin, Degree Critic, Fall
January Biannual, January
Asfour, Nana, Time Out New York, October
Zolghadr, Tirdad, Psychopomp Counsel
Hinrichsen, Jens, Monopol, August
2010
Schwartsman, Allan, Luhring Augustine - Twenty Five Years - 1985-2010
Kahrs, Johannes, Monopol, June
Parasol unit - foundation for contemporary art on the occasion of its 5th anniversary 2005-2010, Exhibition Catalogue.
Dresden - Illustriertes Bestandsverziechnis, Exhibition Catalogue.

Public collections

Country
Location
Belgium
Galerie Transit, Mechelen
S.M.A.K. - Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, Ghent
France
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
FRAC des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou
FRAC Île-de-France, Paris
FRAC Picardie, Amiens
Germany
Galerie Neue Meister, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden
Hall Art Foundation, Derneburg
Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum für Gegenwart Berlin, Berlin
Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg
Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin
Israel
Igal Ahouvi Art Collection, Tel Aviv
Norway
Kistefos Museum, Jevnaker
Portugal
Fundação de Serralves, Porto
Spain
Contemporary Art Fundacio 'la Caixa', Barcelona
United Kingdom
The Saatchi Collection, London
United States of America
Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas
Hammer Museum, University of California, Los Angeles
MoCA - CA Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
MoMA - Museum of Modern Art, New York
SFMOMA - San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco

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Johannes Kahrs