Exhibition »Encounters«, Galerie ROSS 31, Düsseldorf

The exhibition “Begegnungen” (Encounters) will be held at Galerie ROSS 31 in Düsseldorf from 7 October to 14 October 2023. The exhibition’s guiding theme is presented in a broad spectrum in the works of the exhibiting artists Sascha Elsen, Michelle Gallagher, Bettina Guckler, Thomas Klingberg  and Claudia Simoné. On display are works from different genres of the visual arts, such as painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media.

Encounters are moments when people meet and interact with each other. They can be both accidental and planned and take place in different contexts, whether in the analogue world or in virtual reality. Encounters can take place between strangers, acquaintances, friends, family members, with oneself or between artists and their audience.

Various emotions such as joy, curiosity, love, surprise, confusion or conflict can accompany encounters. Ultimately, transformative experiences can arise from such encounters, which can have a significant impact on our thinking, values and way of life.

The exhibition “Encounters” invites you to explore the diverse representations around the theme of encounters and to experience the different interpretations of the artists.

→ Event on Instagram

Participating artists

Sascha Elsen

For Sascha Elsen, this exhibition marks his first encounter with a larger audience. These encounters are to flow into his new works as transformed experiences. In any case, the creative process as such plays an important role for the experimental painter. A variety of materials can be discovered in the Hagener’s works, such as aluminium foil, cat litter, sand, newspapers and, above all, putty, which lend his abstract works striking structures.

Michelle Gallagher

Michelle Gallagher sent her alter-ego, the “Iron Lady” – a surreal ceramic sculpture in the shape of an iron with a skirt on two legs – on virtual journeys during the pandemic. Incorporated as a drawing into collages of travel photographs, the artwork explored the world. In this way, the Duisburg-based artist created encounters that could not be realised during the lockdown. In addition to the collages, the ceramic sculpture itself can be seen in different variations.

Bettina Guckler

Bettina Guckler deals with the subject of encounters in a socially critical way in her works. The artist, who lives in Cologne, deals with (in)human encounters, whereby it is important to her to capture the resulting emotions and mental states in her works. She often deals with the fragility of human existence, which is particularly evident in her recurring theme of violence against children and women.

Thomas Klingberg

Thomas Klingberg shows portraits of people from Moscow whom he met during a two-month artist-in-residence programme in cooperation with the Cultural Office Düsseldorf and the Multimedia Art Museum Moscow in 2017. The photographer, who lives in Düsseldorf, depicts these encounters in the form of letters that he addresses to the people depicted. The letters deal with themes such as farewell, happiness, anger, hope, sadness and disappointment.

Claudia Simoné

The photo artist Claudia Simoné stages elaborate portraits in which people meet themselves in pairs of pictures. In her works, the Oberhausen-based artist emphasises the versatility of people as well as the individual shaping of reality. Her works reflect various levels of interpretation, including criticism of the affluent society, the question of media consumption, the abolition of established gender perceptions and the depiction of the fragility of the supposedly strong.

All information about the exhibition “Encounters” at a glance

Vernissage: 7.10.2023, 6:00 p.m
Exhibition period: 7.10 until 14.10.2023
Opening hours: Mon: closed
Tue – Thu: 18 to 20 h
Fri: 17 to 20 h
Sat: 18 to 22 h
Sun: 15 to 19 h

Place: Gallery ROSS 31
Roßstraße 31
40476 Düsseldorf
→ View In Google-Maps