Anna Arnskötter & Rubica von Streng | Re:Solution | Galerie Tammen | 04.04.-31.05.2025

until 31.05. | #4605 ARTatBerlin | Galerie Tammen shows from 4th April 2025 the duo exhibition “Re:Solution” by the artists Anna Arnskötter and Rubica von Streng.

With the juxtaposition of Anna Arnskötter’s architectural ceramic sculptures and Rubica von Streng’s multi-layered, predominantly abstract PortLand paintings, Berlin’s Galerie Tammen creates an exciting resonance space. Two very different approaches to the same burning issue come together in the exhibition: both artists are concerned with the preservation of nature – and with the future of our planet in times of anthropogenic transformation and exploitation.

‘The wonders of our planet – from clay and pigments to man and nature – poetically assembled. ‘With these words, art historian Helen Adkins summarises the essence of the juxtaposition of Anna Arnskötter’s ceramic sculptures and Rubica von Streng’s paintings from the ‘PortLand’ cycle at Berlin’s Galerie Tammen. From 4 April to 31 May 2025, a curated selection of works by both artists will be on display there for the first time in the exhibition ‘Re:Solution’. Helen Adkins will give an introduction at the opening on 4 April, 7-10 pm.

‘Universal humanity, beyond epoch, culture and religion, is Anna Arnskötter’s subject,’ says Adkins. ‘Her imaginary buildings refer to marvels that our ancestors built without ultra-modern technology.’ In contrast, Rubica von Streng’s paintings offer a visionary view of the future of our planet and its inhabitants. ‘Humans and nature belong together directly,’ says the art historian. ‘They are part of one and the same energetic and global system.’

Both artists integrate architectural motifs into their works: one concrete-sculptural, the other abstract-structural. A dialogue about the representation of space and time arises between their positions. The tactile quality of Arnskötter’s ceramics complements the textural depth of von Streng’s paintings – the exhibition thus offers a multi-sensory experience of form and colour.

The interplay between the two oeuvres also creates a tension between two- and three-dimensional representations of dynamic entropy and flowing transformation. ‘Both artists capture the tension between stability and change in different ways,’ says gallery owner Werner Tammen. ‘Von Streng’s paintings dissolve defined forms into abstract organic textures through their flowing, layered compositions. Her works evoke systems in flux – spaces in which change is neither linear nor predictable, but part of a constant negotiation between order and chaos. ‘In Arnskötter’s sculptures, dynamic entropy is anchored in the tension between the architectural and the organic: ’They reveal irregularities and imperfections. With their porous surfaces and irregular contours, they reflect natural processes such as erosion, growth and decay – transformative forces that indicate that even the most solid structures are often fragile,’ says Tammen.

Anna Arnskötter, Kleine Bauten, Gewächs II, 2023, Keramik, 65 x 30 x 30 cm

Two special events will take place as part of the exhibition on the occasion of the Berlin Gallery Weekend: On Saturday, 3 May, composer Alexander Eulgem will be intoning a musical response to Rubica von Streng’s series of works ‘Seasons of PortLand’ from 6pm. And on Sunday, 4 May, the gallery invites you to an afternoon of songs by mezzo-soprano Sigrid Wiedemann, a friend of Anna Arnskötter, who will be accompanied on the piano by Boris Schönleber.

‘Rubica von Streng’s paintings provide the viewer with a continuous, moving visual experience. By fanning out different motif elements, but also through the use of gesturally articulated fragments of colour and form, her PortLand works have a particularly fascinating and metaphorical effect. They open up many perspectives – into the depths, into the distance, into the future.’

-Kerstin Bitar, scientific director of the Rosengart Collection Museum in Lucerne-

‘Anna Arnskötter’s towers and tower houses are sturdy buildings. They do not aspire to divine power, but are built as visible places of protection. They appear archaic and futuristic at the same time. Timeless. They are elemental spaces, reminiscent of reservoirs and agricultural containers, water and lighthouses, as well as spaces of quiet devotion.’

-Helen Adkins, art historian, Berlin-

About Anna Arnskötter
Anna Arnskötter was born in Greven, Westphalia, in 1961 and studied sculpture at the Freie Akademie Nurtingen. Since the mid-1990s, she has presented her work in numerous exhibitions, in which architectural references to stairs and towers are always visible. In 2000 she received the Darmstädter Sezession sponsorship award, in 2003 a scholarship from the Käthe Dorsch Foundation, Berlin, as well as the art sponsorship of the state of Berlin. Arnskötter lives and works in Lentzke and Berlin.

About Rubica von Streng
Born in Berlin in 1992, Rubica von Streng studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe and at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). She completed her studies there as a master student in 2018. In 2019, she took part in the international group show “Taking Root” at the Dusseldorf Kunsthalle (KIT); numerous other exhibitions followed between 2020 and 2022, including at Haus der Kunst, Munich. In 2023, almost 20,000 guests saw her work cycle “Totentanz” at the Museum der Kulturkirche St. Jakobi Stralsund. In 2024, she made a guest appearance with PortLand works at the CICA Museum in South Korea, among others. Von Streng lives and works in Berlin.

Opening: Friday, 04. April 2025, 7 – 10 pm, Introduction: Helen Adkins

Exhibition dates: Friday, 04. April until Saturday, 31. May 2025