Jens Kothe

BIO | SELECTED WORKS

Jens Kothe presents tactile wall objects echoing the human body, the physical self. Take for instance the oval round cavities, like navels cut from the belly. As if they were enlarged body parts, Kothe’s objects are executed in muted, fleshy colours and shaped in slightly convex surfaces and soft curves begging to be touched. At the same time they often make you think of familiar elements of everyday life, such as benches. By making use of materials that evoke a certain intimacy, the artist welcomes the viewer into a private atmosphere. Although his works refer to the human body, it is never the human body as a whole. Instead it’s fragmented, degraded even, somehow trapped between its organic origins and the industrial world in which it is supposed to function, thus reflecting the struggle of man against the machine. ens Kothe (Germany, 1985) lives and works in Bochum and Düsseldorf. His work examines the “bodyness“ and sensuality of materials and objects from daily life like easy fabrics, tiles, glass and wood. He examines his environment, objects or bodies by taking photos,modelling with clay or taking moulds from body parts where he tries to document atmosphere. Jens Kothe’s objects work like pictures but mainly as “persons opposite“. The objects creates a physical presence in the room and so the aspect of atmosphere becomes relevant again. With all presence, the objects are also fragment like structures that arrouses tension. Tension between the observers eyes, that strives for entirety, and the picture he is confronted with. In 2019 Jens Kothe had a solo at Berthold Pott in Cologne, Germany and in 2020 he participated in the group shows ‘Drink Liquid’ at Kunsthaus Essen, ‘SQUISH’ at Efremidis Gallery, Berlin and ‘ɔːtəˈmatɪk’ at Barbé Urbain in Ghent, Belgium.

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Jens Kothe
°1985, Bochum (GE)
Lives and works in Bochum and Düsseldorf (GE)

Education
2017
Masterclass of Andreas Gurski
Akademiebrief/ Diplom fine Arts

2012-17  
KUNSTAKADEMIE/ AKADEMY OF FINE ARTS DÜSSELDORF

2009-2012 
STAATLICHE BILDHAUERSCHULE/ NATIONAL SCULPTOR SCHOOL, OBERAMMERGAU

2007-09  
TU DORTMUND, ARCHITECTURE

Teaching assignment   
2020/21
UNIVERSITÄT PADERBORN / Bildhauerei / WS 2020/21

2019
HFG DARMSTADT / Fachbereich Design / Further Beyond / WS 2019/20
Scholarship
2022
STIFTUNG KUNSTFONDS / Neustart Stipendium / Bonn

2020/21
KULTURBÜRO BOCHUM / work scholarship

MKW NRW „Auf Geht‘s“ / work scholarship

2018        
STIFTUNG KUNSTFONDS / work scholarship / Bonn

Exhibitions (selected)

2024
VULNERABLE STATE / solo show at Eigen + Art Lab, Berlin

2023
FENCY BODIES / solo show at Berthold Pott, Cologne
THE SIEVE OF SECRECY with Carolina Aguirre, Helin Alas, Krystel Cárdenas, Jeanne Gaigher, Jens Kothe, Berenice Olmedo / at Beacon and Paulina Caspari/ Munich //
OUTER SKIN. INNER GAZE curated by Giovanna Manzotti / solo show / Cassina Projects / Milan, Italy
LOVE AND HUMAN REMAINS / group show / Berthold Pott / Cologne
SUBSTITUTE LOVE / duo show / Barbé Urbain / Gent, Belgium

2022 MAGELLAN / group show / Barbé Urbain / Knokke, Belgium STUDIO__64646 / solo show / Kunstverein Heppenheim e.V. / Heppenheim MODEL ORGANISMS / solo show / Downs & Ross / New York
BLICKFELDER / group show / Museum Goch / Germany
THE SHAPE OF THINGS / group show / Swivel Saugerties / New York

2021 PIN. / group exhibition / Pinakothek der Moderne / München HIGH END / group exhibition/ Museum Villa Rot / Rot AKTUELLE POSITIONEN/ group exhibition / Kunstmuseum Bochum / Bochum EHRENFELD/ group exhibition / Bertold Pott / Köln

2020 THE MISSING LINK / group exhibition / Curated by Philippe Van Cauteren, collection Tanguy & Bieke Van Quickenborne / Platform 6A Deweer, Belgium STAYCATION/ group exhibition / Barbé Urbain, Ghent, Belgium       HOMELAND III/ group exhibition / Berthold Pott, Köln DEW21 Kunstpreisausstellung Dortmunder U/ Museum Ostwall, Dortmund
AUTOMATIC/ group exhibition at Barbé Urbain, Ghent, Belgium
SQUISH/ group exhibition at Efremidis Gallery, Berlin DRINK LIQUID/ group exhibition at Kunsthaus Essen

2019        
ELEMENT SYSTEM/ solo show / Berthold Pott / Köln
ON INTIMACY. Bodies of Matter / group exhibition / Düsseldorf
JENS KOTHE/ pfirsich / Köln

2018         
INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE/ Philara Collection/ Düsseldorf
TOWARDS A THEORY OF POWERFUL THINGS/ Rod Barton / London
DIE GROSSE / Museum Kunstpalast/ Düsseldorf
JENS KOTHE/ HYPERRAUM E.V./ Bochum

2017         
EXPOSITION COLLECTIVE / Goethe-Institut / Paris
BOBIENNALE / Kunstfestival Bochum / Bochum
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf @ McKinsey & Company / Düsseldorf
JENS KOTHE / solo exhibition / Kunsthallen Bochum/ presented by the amazing popping eyes

2016         
MEHR BEIN / solo exhibition / project space Worringer Str. 57 / Düsseldorf
DIE GROSSE / in Kooperation mit der Staatlichen Kunstakademie Düsseldorf / Klasse Prof. Andreas Gursky

2015          
SMART CASUAL / Cubus Kunsthalle / Duisburg, Germany
RUHRTRIENNALE, AUSSTELLUNGSSTüCK / Bochum, Germany

2014          
EN EL CASTILLO / Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo / Spain

Fairs

2023
ART BRUSSELS / Berthold Pott / Cologne
ART DÜSSELDORF / Berthold Pott / Cologne
ART ANTWERP / Berthold Pott / Cologne

2019          
ARTBERLIN / Berthold Pott / Cologne
DAMA / Turin / Berthold Pott / Cologne