In the new episode of WAS MIT KUNST, Johann König speaks with artist Jingge Dong, whose exhibition ENRAPTURED is currently on view at KÖNIG TELEGRAPHENAMT.

Born in Beijing, Dong now lives in Venice. Dong's art explores the interplay of Eastern and Western cultures, merging Chinese symbols with Western techniques. His work delves into the complexities of cultural identity, reflecting his journey of integration and personal exploration. Dong's works invite viewers to contemplate their own sense of self within an interconnected world. Through his unique artistic vision, he challenges traditional boundaries and fosters a dialogue that transcends geography and time.

In the podcast, König and Jingge Dong speak about his upbringing in China, why he decided to move and study in Italy, finding his visual language, and the works on view at KÖNIG TELEGRAPHENAMT.

Learn more about the artist HERE

In this episode of WAS MIT KUNST, Johann König welcomes the artist Guy Yanai, whose exhibition YOUR WORLD NOT MINE is now on view at KÖNIG GALERIE in Berlin.

Guy Yanai’s paintings are characterized by bold colors, simplified shapes, and a flattened depth of field. In his work, the banal is reduced to geometric segments in a stripping away of references to the tangible world in favor of a visual experience that is more akin to digital imagery – drawing landscapes images from his wanderings around the globe, or French filmography scenes which he reminiscences through.

Over the course of the podcast, Yanai explains how he got into art in the first place, speaks about his influences, and explains his paintings on view at KÖNIG GALERIE in detail.

Learn more about the artist HERE

In the new episode of WAS MIT KUNST, Johann König is in conversation with the multidisciplinary artsit Reine Paradis, whose exhibition AURORA just opened at KÖNIG MEXICO CITY.

Known for her unmistakable use of color and outlandish process, Paradis’ work transmits across different mediums through the use of self-portrait photography, painting, performance, sculpture, and video. Through Paradis' immersive multimedia installations, she examines the pathway between extrinsic realities and personal fantasies.

In the podcast, König and Paradis speak about how she developed her practice, her distinctive color palette, and artist her residency at KÖNIG MEXICO CITY.

Learn more about the artist HERE

In der neuen Epsiode von WAS MIT KUNST spricht Johann König mit dem Künstler Antony Valerian, dessen Ausstellung HELP YOURSELF TO PRETZELS aktuell bei KÖNIG MEXICO CITY zu sehen ist.

Ursprünglich aus Hamburg hat Valerian in Wien unter Daniel Richter studiert und lebt heute zwischen Mexico City und Berlin.

Valerians Bilder wirken wie eine Störung in unserem visuellen Verständnis. Alles ist entweder ineinander verarbeitet oder in Schichten von Farbe, Kanal oder Komposition getrennt, die sich bei genauer Betrachtung verändern. Er verfolgt einen problemlösenden Ansatz in der Malerei, sichtbar in disproportionalen Perspektiven, innovativen Oberflächentexturen und überraschenden Farbverwendungen.

Im Podcast unterhalten sich König und Valerian über seinen Zugang zum Malen, sein Kunststudium in Wien und die Einflüsse seiner Umgebung in Mexico auf seine Gemälde.

Mehr Infos über den KÜNSTLER.

Artist Rachel Garrard is in conversation with Johann König in the newest episode of WAS MIT KUNST. Garrard’s exhibition TIME WILL NOT WAIT FOR US is currently on view at KÖNIG TELEGRAPHENAMT.

Garrard’s multifaceted practice integrates painting, sculpture, sound, installation, and video, articulating a view of reality in which the border between the physical and ephemeral is porous and ever-shifting. Her paintings are composed of natural substances, such as quartz, ash, or rock powder pigment, that she has personally collected, hand-ground, and applied to raw linen canvas through a process of fine layering translucent washes of color. The applied pigment becomes a physical register of place, a palimpsest of past experiences, and a portal to the metaphysical landscape of memory.

In the podcast, König and Garrard speak about her practice, past and current projects, and how the exhibition TIME WILL NOT WAIT FOR US.

Learn more about the artist HERE

In der neuen Episode von WAS MIT KUNST spricht Johann König mit der Künstlerin Elvira Bach.

Elvira Bach (* 1951 im Taunus), gehört zu den Vertreterinnen der in den 80er-Jahren gegründeten Künstlergruppe der „Neuen Wilden“. Ihre expressive Malweise mit einem mutigen Farbeinsatz machte Bach, Jahrgang 1951, zum Vorbild für viele Künstlerinnen. Sie hatte bei Hann Trier in Berlin studiert, und hatte seit 1978 eine Vielzahl an Einzelausstellungen, u. a. in Berlin, New York, London, Paris, Basel und Madrid.

Im Podcast unterhalten sich König und Bach über die Laufbahn der Künstlerin, ihre unverwechselbare künstlerische Sprache und über das dominierende Motiv in Bachs Arbeiten: die Frau.

© Portrait Elvira Bach fotografiert von Marion Schult

In der neuen Episode von WAS MIT KUNST unterhält sich Johann König mit dem Kunstvermittler und Sammler Matthias Arndt.

Matthias Arndt ist Kunstexperte, Künstlervermittler und ein Vielreisender in der globalen Kunstindustrie. Als Mitbegründer der Arndt Art Agency leitete Arndt über zwei Jahrzehnte lang sein erfolgreiches Galeriegeschäft in Berlin, Zürich, New York und Singapur.

Als Kunsthändler arbeitete er mit den führenden Akteuren der Branche zusammen - Künstlern, Sammlungen, Händlern, Stiftungen und öffentlichen Institutionen. Gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Tiffany initiierte Matthias Arndt die Arndt Foundation, die die Sammlung zeitgenössischer Kunst der Familie mit einem privaten Kunstraum in Australien verwaltet und Künstlerprojekte, Schenkungen an Museen und institutionelle Ankäufe von Nachwuchskünstlern unterstützt.

Im Podcast sprechen König und Arndt über seinen Werdegang vom Galeristen bis zum Kunstvermittler und über einen globalen Kunstmarkt.

In this episode of WAS MIT KUNST, Johann König is in conversation with artist Joana Vasconcelos.

With a career spanning over 30 years and a huge variety of media, Joana Vasconcelos (b. 1971, in Paris) is a Portuguese visual artist recognised for her monumental sculptures and immersive installations. Her artworks are represented in major collections such as those of François Pinault, Louis Vuitton and the Rothschild Foundation, while her public artworks grace Jupiter Artland, the city of Paris or Waddesdon Manor. Present at São Paulo Biennial, Art Basel or Artgenève, for instance, she has exhibited four times at the Venice Biennale, was the first woman and youngest artist in Versailles and held important solo shows at Guggenheim Bilbao, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Uffizi Galleries.

For a decade now, Joana Vasconcelos has developed a series of artworks inspired by the reflection upon the element of water and the sustainability of our planet. And for her presentation "Surrealist Bathroom", she created an old-style bathtub completely covered in plug holes, unable to contain water and, therefore, defeating the very purpose it has been created for. Completed with a shower head and a metal chain, it reminds us that water is a luxury we should treasure. A group of works belonging to various series - Showers, Washbasins and Urinals - in which Joana Vasconcelos adds colourful crocheted elements to household sanitary ware. Resorting to crochet, Joana refers to the intimacy of the domestic realm through its link to female labour at home. The colourful, soft and pliable fabrics contrast with the hard, sterile coldness of the surfaces they encounter. Through a disruptive process of transformation, the artist encourages a fresh look at these everyday objects.

In the podcast, König and Vasconcelos speak about how she got into art and developed her visual language, the art of crochet, and the concept behind her dedicated booth in the showroom at KÖNIG GALERIE.

Learn more about the artist HERE

In this episode of WAS MIT KUNST, Johann König speaks with painter Emily Weiner, whose exhibition TIME AND TIDE is currently on view at KÖNIG GALERIE.

Emily Weiner’s paintings consider the art canon through a feminist and Jungian lens. By reconfiguring symbols that have been recycled throughout the history of art, her work questions how archetypal images are shared across generations – and how familiar symbols might be reordered to generate new, collective understanding. Weiner approaches each painting intuitively, and by working in many layers of paint, finds synchronicity in combinations of colors, forms, and symbols. She creates multimedia frames to further demarcate spaces of suspended disbelief in each of her paintings.

In the podcast, König and Weiner speak about her artistic practice, her sources of inspiration, and about the exhibition TIME AND TIDE.

Learn more about the artist HERE

In this episode of WAS MIT KUNST, Johann König is in conversation with artist Erwin Wurm, whose exhibition PHANTOMS is currently on view at KÖNIG GALERIE.

Learn more about the artist HERE