Marco Kaufmann ΌΣΤΡΙΑ/Southwind – Paintings and works on paper

Marco Kaufmann  ΌΣΤΡΙΑ / Southwind – Paintings and works on paper

The exhibition ‘Ostria – South Wind’ by Marco Kaufmann (*1975 in Vorpommern) transports visitors into a fascinating world of light, colour and movement, inspired by the Mediterranean atmosphere and the artist’s creative process. The title refers to the warm, humid south wind that blows across the Mediterranean, bringing sand from the Sahara and capturing the feeling of the last hot days on a Greek island, the echo of a summer that bridges the cold of the German winter. This atmospheric motif combines the heat and lightness of the south with the reflection and depth that characterise Kaufmann’s works.

Marco Kaufmann draws his artistic inspiration from nature, in particular from the barren beauty of the Cycladic island of Anafi, where he works every year. Far away from tourist influences, he collects impressions of light, colours and moods, which he later transforms in his Berlin studio. He is not interested in grand gestures, but in fleeting moments – a shadow, the play of clouds or the movement of a curtain in the wind. He transforms these details into abstract worlds of colour that act as inner landscapes.

The works in ‘Ostria – Südwind’ build on his previous work and at the same time set new accents. As in the last exhibition ‘Anderswo’, the creative process takes centre stage here – a dynamic interplay between control and chance. Marco Kaufmann’s artistic work, characterised by the playful transformation of his materials, is consistently continued and refined in ‘Ostria – Südwind’: while a noticeable heaviness and reflection prevailed in ‘Anderswo’, the new works in this exhibition are characterised by a newfound lightness.

He uses spray paint and tape, which he folds, tears and layers to create unexpected textures and colour compositions. He integrates remnants from earlier works – strips of colour and tape remnants – into his works as independent elements. This iterative, experimental process lends the works a special dynamism and depth, as earlier layers and stories shine through in new compositions. In this way, the artistic process itself becomes a journey in which each work is a stopover that points to the next. The result is a cycle in which remnants are not regarded as waste, but as raw material for new forms of expression, which in turn form the basis for new paintings with acrylic on canvas.

The colours – often intense, warm tones, interspersed with clear edges or misty transitions – evoke the heat and light of the Mediterranean summer. At the same time, they are multi-layered, with a subtle emotional depth that emerges from the superimposed layers. Marco Kaufmann’s works speak to the emotional resonance of the viewer and invite them to linger between the layers and explore the language of colour.

The exhibition builds a bridge between the meditative calm of Anafi and the pulsating energy of the Berlin studio. The colour compositions evoke horizons that open up the view, but at the same time remain grounded through clear structures such as tape edges or areas of colour. Marco Kaufmann’s works thematise movement and change, both in nature and in the artistic process.

‘Ostria – South Wind’ is more than just an aesthetic experience: it is an invitation to follow the artist’s development and creative process while immersing yourself in the lightness and depth of a Mediterranean summer. The exhibition evokes memories of warmth and lightness, but always holds a trace of depth and reflection that gives the viewer pause.

Further information on the artist you find here.