Silke Otto-Knapp: Set Designs

With the exhibition “Silke Otto-Knapp: Set Designs”, the Hamburg Kunstverein presents works produced during the last ten years of the artist’s career. Silke Otto-Knapp (1970–2022) found inspiration for her painting in other art forms and helped lend a special visual form to the performing arts. Her subjects originated from literature, dance, theatre and film and were often inspired by theatre sets or moments of performance. The exhibition in Hamburg is centred around the last series of works produced by the prematurely deceased artist, entitled “Versammlung” (Assembly), which she created especially for the Hamburg Kunstverein. In this cycle, she makes reference to Bauhaus-inspired choreographies, e.g. by Xanti Schawinsky, or scenes from films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The planned spatial installation, designed with the artist before her death, is representative of her work which blurred the boundaries between painting and scenography.

Silke Otto-Knapp’s often monochromatic paintings are reminiscent of photographic negatives. They consist of numerous layers of black or grey aquarelle paint which she repeatedly wiped off and brushed back on. Photographs often served as a model for interiors scenes and actors, which she then abstracted. Despite their seemingly reduced form, her works are distinctive for their condensed, intimate and often mysterious atmosphere.

The exhibition at the Hamburg Kunstverein is the last which Silke Otto-Knapp was conceptually involved in and the first institutional exhibition since her death. The exhibition hopes to present the artist’s work to a larger audience in Germany.

Artistic director: Milan Ther
Artist: Silke Otto-Knapp
Exhibition: Hamburg Kunstverein, Hamburg: 27 Jan. – 14 Apr. 2024