Here, There, Once and for All
09 May – 14 Aug. 2026
In his work, Sebastian Riemer challenges the photographic medium’s claims to objectivity, longevity and documentary value. In his individual images and series, which he has been developing continuously since 2006, he has recently drawn upon found photographs, amongst other things, as part of a practice he terms ‘artistic archaeology’. These source images, which Riemer describes as ‘photographic ruins’, are often greatly enlarged and, through high-resolution technical adjustments to their parameters, transferred from their original context into new contexts of viewing. His artistic approach facilitates an examination of the medium of the image that is at once visual-studies-based, media-reflective and aesthetic.
Sebastian Riemer
MOD:PTG:LICHTENSTEIN,R:1963:
DETAIL OF DROWNING GIRLS, 2020
Pigment Print 200 x 200 cm & 90 x 90 cm
Sebastian Riemer
NOLAND, K. 1958 „Beginning“ acrylic I, 2020
Pigment print 200 x 200 cm & 90 x 90 cm
The strength of these works lies in their clarity. They draw our attention to what we usually overlook. They show that meaning does not lie solely in the obvious, but often emerges from the incidental. What was previously merely the medium of an image becomes an image in its own right. The photographs have an impact on several levels. From a distance, they appear clear and iconic. The closer one gets, the more the familiar motifs dissolve, revealing materiality, time and history. The works are not limited to a superficial message. They reward attentive viewing and remain vibrant. Each slide also contains a reproduction of a work of art-historical significance – ranging from the Old Masters to icons of modernism. This creates, as it were, an imaginary museum. Yet these works are neither quoted nor evoked nostalgically. They appear as entirely new images. Past and present coexist. An original emerges from the reproduction.
Sebastian Riemer
Richter, Gerhard (1923- Candle (1983), 2025
pigment print 200 x 200 cm & 90 x 90 cm
The body of work combines art-historical depth with a straightforward contemporary visual language. It is not about the past, but about how images are created, passed on and shape our cultural memory. This lends the works a subtle timelessness. Sebastian Riemer’s works require no prior knowledge of art history. They captivate through their visual presence, formal precision and conceptual clarity. Those who look more closely will continually discover new connections. Art does not necessarily change the world, but it can change the way we see it.
Sebastian Riemer
Wave Form | Wellenbild 0321, 2026
pigment print 188 x 140 cm & 119,4 x 91,4 cm
Works by Sebastian Riemer are held, amongst others, in the public collections of The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, IL;,FRAC Normandie, Rouen, FR;,Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Helga de Alvear, Cáceres, ES; The JPMorgan Chase Art Collection, New York, US; Kunsthaus NRW, Kornelimünster; Stadtmuseum München, Munich; Philara Collection, Düsseldorf; Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf; Stadtmuseum, Düsseldorf; Kunsthalle Bremen; Kunstmuseum Bonn; Museum Folkwang, Essen
Solo-and group exhibitions include Kunsthalle Bremen; Francisco Carolinum, Linz; Kunstverein Recklinghausen; NRW Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste, Düsseldorf; Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf; Sammlung Philara, Düsseldorf; Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz; Hamburger Kunsthalle; Märkisches Museum, Witten; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Museum Weserburg, Bremen; FRAC Normandie, Rouen; Kunstmuseum Bonn; Kunsthalle Düsseldorf; Kunstverein Heidelberg; Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf; Münchener Stadtmuseum; Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen; White Box Art Museum, Beijing; Museum Folkwang, Essen; Kunsthaus NRW, Aachen Kornelimünster
SEBASTIAN RIEMER | GALLERY EXHIBITIONS