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Olaf Kühnemann Main Profile Image

Olaf Kühnemann

Berlin

Painting • Born in Basel, Switzerland • Studied at New York Studio School 1990-1992

Published  12/08/2020

I have always been focused on painting and drawing. I see it as a beautiful and fascinating language, with endless possibilities and ideas

My name is Olaf Kühnemann. I am a painter based in Berlin since 2009. I have a German name and citizenship but was raised in Switzerland and Canada and most of my life lived in Israel, where I am still often working as an artist. I have always been focused on painting and drawing. I see it as a beautiful and fascinating language, with endless possibilities and ideas. The theme of Negotiated identity is an integral part of my work as an artist....

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My name is Olaf Kühnemann. I am a painter based in Berlin since 2009. I have a German name and citizenship but was raised in Switzerland and Canada and most of my life lived in Israel, where I am still often working as an artist. I have always been focused on painting and drawing. I see it as a beautiful and fascinating language, with endless possibilities and ideas. The theme of Negotiated identity is an integral part of my work as an artist. My primary interest is in exploring what it means to make a painting today: how to balance art history, contemporary practices and the current overwhelming visual culture to find a distinctive path amidst it all. With Autobiography as my main subject, I compose versatile paintings that shift from large-format scenes with an illustrative flair, to muted portraits marked by colour and spatial contrast.

Olaf Kühnemann
Violet wedding, 2011, oil on canvas, 100X140 cm

Violet wedding, 2011, oil on canvas, 100X140 cm

A4 and some things, 2016, exhibition view, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin

A4 and some things, 2016, exhibition view, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin

Nutcracker, 2007, oil on plywood, 244x160cm

Nutcracker, 2007, oil on plywood, 244x160cm

Melancholia (olaf), 2007, gouache on paper, 35x50 cm

Melancholia (olaf), 2007, gouache on paper, 35x50 cm

Make way, 2013, oil on canvas, 60.3x45.3 cm

Make way, 2013, oil on canvas, 60.3x45.3 cm

Madonna and child, 2008, oil on plywood, 122x80cm

Madonna and child, 2008, oil on plywood, 122x80cm

Schichten-Layers, 2009, exhibition view, Samuelis Baumgarte Galerie

Schichten-Layers, 2009, exhibition view, Samuelis Baumgarte Galerie

Grey light, 2011, oil on canvas, 100x140 cm

Grey light, 2011, oil on canvas, 100x140 cm

Purple into black, 2008, oil on wood, 140X100 cm

Purple into black, 2008, oil on wood, 140X100 cm

Arlesheim living room, 2008, oil on plywood, 100x140cm

Arlesheim living room, 2008, oil on plywood, 100x140cm

Fuck it (branch), 2014, oil on canvas, 50X40 cm

Fuck it (branch), 2014, oil on canvas, 50X40 cm

Fingernails, 2014, oil on canvas, 65X45 cm

Fingernails, 2014, oil on canvas, 65X45 cm

Heart worn highways, 2014, exhibition view, Circle 1 Gallery, Berlin

Heart worn highways, 2014, exhibition view, Circle 1 Gallery, Berlin

Herzliya pituach living room, 2007, oil on plywood, triptychon 244X366 cm

Herzliya pituach living room, 2007, oil on plywood, triptychon 244X366 cm

Sparkler, 2011, oil on canvas, 100x140cm

Sparkler, 2011, oil on canvas, 100x140cm

Yonatan with wet hair, 2004, water color on paper, 55x36 cm

Yonatan with wet hair, 2004, water color on paper, 55x36 cm

Hornby, 2007, oil on plywood, 255X732 cm (four parts)

Hornby, 2007, oil on plywood, 255X732 cm (four parts)

Bicycle temple, 2018, detail of exhibition view at Haifa museum of art, Israel

Bicycle temple, 2018, detail of exhibition view at Haifa museum of art, Israel

Time lapse Künstlerhaus Bethanien 2016

What is it about your studio space that inspires you?

it is a space for me to work think play listen to music

What sounds, scents and sights do you encounter while in your studio?

whatever i am listening to while working, the childrens voices from the Kita next to my studio' , the smell of linseed oil and paint.

What is your favourite material to work with? How has your use of it evolved throughout your practice?

paper is my favourite in the past years, it is intimate immediate and gives me freedom and courage.

What themes do you pursue?

Houses, Boats, Moons, Day, Night, Bicycles, free association , sea scape, land scape, family.

If you could install your art absolutely anywhere, where would that be?

Mishkan Museum of Art- Ein Harod, Israel.

If you could only have one piece of art in your life, what would it be?

an Alice Neel painting.

If you weren´t an artist, what would you be doing?

carpentry, bicycle building design and repair.

What are your favourite places besides your studio?

My Home with my family


EXHIBITIONS

SOLO

2018

Bicycle Temple / Haifa Museum of Art - Haifa, Israel

2017

Small, Das Kleine Format / Upstairs Gallery - Oldenburg, Germany

2016

Contemporary Visions VI, BEERS London, London, United Kingdom

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GROUP

2018

Where have all the flowers gone? / Alexander Ochs Private - Berlin, Germany

Day & Knife / CIRCLE1 - Berlin, Germany

Body Talk. The Scar the Scheme the Sketch and the Scratch, Body representations in 70 years of art from Israel / Circle 1 Gallery - Berlin, Germany

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WORKS IN COLLECTIONS

Anette Bollag-Rothschild collection, Switzerland

Bank Hapoalim collection, Israel

Givon Gallery collection, Israel

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PUBLICATIONS

AWARDS

2014 Jurors’ Pick in the 100 Painters of Tomorrow book published by Thames & Hudson publishing House.

2008 Isracard Award, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel.

1994 Scholarship for Arts, Parsons School of Design Manhattan NY, USA.

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EDUCATION (detailed)

1990-1992 NY Studio School, Manhattan NY, USA.

1992-1994 MFA, Parsons School of Design, Manhattan NY, USA

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