Manuel Graf
14 Nov. 2025 – 10 Jan. 2026
Manuel Graf is interested in the great questions facing humanity, the evolution of human existence and the cultural achievements through which we can observe this evolution. His focus lies on art itself, architecture and craftsmanship, extending to reflections on contemporary visual strategies of persuasion, such as those we recognise from advertising.
In his cross-media artistic oeuvre, Graf engages in a critical examination of the boundary between social utopia and the reality of life. His works reveal an artistic duality, a precisely observed, kaleidoscopic view of human existence that is not confined to the here and now, but also seeks to interpret our cultural history retrospectively.
Manuel Graf
Copper bottomed, 2026
3D print PLA, surface finish copper patinated
95 x 95 x 25 cm
Using digital techniques such as 3D animation and architectural rendering, Graf combines thematic areas that constantly establish connections between different territories and historically overlapping time periods. In his latest works, he consistently employs text-toimage AI to ultimately transfer virtually created objects into the real world as 3D prints and casts. New wall sculptures are based on his deep engagement with drawings by the iconic movie director Sergei Eisenstein, where scenes from *Macbeth* are transformed into geometric forms. Or he creates fascinating sculptures that evoke memories of artists such as Boccioni, Lipchtitz and Gironcoli.
In his work, the juxtaposition of the real and the virtual also extends to the question of whether our society’s new technological achievements will make the hoped-for utopia possible or, instead, bring about a dystopian scenario. It is this genuine curiosity about the world and the search for appropriate imagery that characterise the artist Manuel Graf.
His work is held in public collections, amongst others Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach; Stiftung Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf; Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten, Marl; LWL – Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Münster; Sammlung des Landes NRW, Kornelimünster, Aachen; Hypo Vereinsbank – Member of UniCredit, Munich; Julia Stoschek Collection, Düsseldorf; Rheingold Collection, Düsseldorf; Philara Collection, Düsseldorf
He was awarded several stipends and awards, including Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes; Travel grant, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf; Working grant Kunststiftung NRW; Förderpreis für junge Kunst des Landes NRW; Residency MuseumsQuartier, Vienna; ars viva shortlist, Karlsruhe; Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg; Grafikpreis des Landes NRW; Artist in Residence, Kunststiftung NRW, Istanbul; Artist in Residence, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris; Audi Art Award; residency Internationales Künstlerhaus Villa Concordia Bamberg; Nam June Paik Award, Essen
MANUEL GRAF | GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
Manuel Graf
15 Jan. – 26 Mar. 2022
Manuel Graf
12 Jun. – 12 Jul. 2014
MADAME DOGDO & MANUEL GRAF
16 Mar. – 27 Apr. 2012
Manuel Graf
21 Jan. – 5 Mar. 2011
Manuel Graf
7 Jan. – 28 Feb. 2009