“Echopraxia” – Does an echo resonate through art history?

The exhibition “Echopraxia” , which the art association Kiss eV will present at Untergröningen Castle from August 22nd to November 23rd, 2025, will celebrate two premieres:

Firstly, young artists have been working for over a year on an experimental and unique art project, which will be presented for the first time. In conjunction with this, spectacular works of classical modernism will be shown: including pieces by Pablo Picasso , Ida Kerkovius, Wassily Kandinsky, and Francisco de Goya.

Curator Jan-Hendrik Pelz sixty artists to transform the rooms of Untergröningen Castle into an "echo chamber of art ." Pelz, who is also an artist himself, describes the theme of the art exhibition as "a look at a driving force behind artistic creation."

The aim is to highlight the artistic inspiration that artists draw from the works of others, be they contemporary artists or those of artists from long ago. According to Pelz, this reference to, inspiration from, and processing of artistic creation runs like a common thread through art history and provides "the glue that holds it together .

Visual quotations are a well-known method used in art for centuries. The curator cites as an example the work "The Third of May 1844" by the Spaniard Francisco de Goya, which he painted as a commentary on the war. Pablo Picasso revisited this motif in his 1951 work "Massacre in Korea ," adopting the subject matter and composition and adapting it to his own style. Since then, the image has been
taken up, reinterpreted, and quoted countless times by various artists. This includes the Stuttgart-based painter Friederike Just 2024 painting "Halt"

However, it's not just about image quotes, but about much more. Pelz explains:

With this exhibition, I not only want to show how certain motifs and themes have continued to move through art history to this day, but rather to open a stage for a large artistic experiment.”

Twelve artists, whom Pelz jokingly "echo sounders ," joined forces over a year ago and have
inspired and motivated each other in an ongoing creative process. This has resulted in a multitude of works that relate to one another: be it in terms of color and form, or composition and theme. Thus, a "network or web of artworks" , as Pelz describes it, "through which a playful approach to recognizability runs. That's very exciting!"

Another part of the overall concept is the works of artists who still influence the work of today's generation.

These are positions whose artworks are firmly anchored in the canon of general visual memory.”

The curator tells the story, his eyes lighting up as he does so.

Among them are wonderful works on paper by Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, and Alexej von Jawlensky. A magnificent charcoal drawing by Otto Dix and exciting works by Ida Kerkovius, Willi Baumeister, and Francisco de Goya. To hold something like this in your hands is truly something special.”

The artworks are on loan from the collections of various art museums and public and private collections. This is an absolute stroke of luck for the Kiss eV art association: "We've never had anything like this here before!"

But contemporary art is not neglected either: In addition to the experimental approach of networking artists from the region, works by contemporary greats such as Georg Baselitz , Jenny Holzer, Cindy Sherman , Christian Jankowski or Daniel Richter are also shown.

“Curating an exhibition like this has always been my dream!” says Pelz, himself a well-known figure in the art world as a conceptual artist and painter. Until 2015, he studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, where, as a master student of Professor Christian Jankowski and art historian and curator Dr. Anne Vieth, he won numerous scholarships and art prizes. In 2022, he presented his project “An Inner Place” at the ruruHaus of Documenta in Kassel.

ECHOPRAXIA thematically explores an essential practice of artistic creation, revealing connections that often remain hidden. With outstanding exhibits and captivating emerging artists, it is a must-see for all art lovers – spectacular and absolutely worth visiting!

Participating artists

Min Bark, Georg Baselitz, Willi Baumeister, Nina Joanna Bergold, Roland Boden, Mike Bouchet, Ulla von Brandenburg, Holger Bunk, Leandro Cultraro, Márton Dés, Otto Dix, Simone Eisele, Andrea Eitel, Marco Faisst, Kai Fischer, Wolfgang Ganter, Letzte Generation, Maria Gideon, Francisco de Goya, Johannes Grützke, Anette C. Halm, Pablo Helguera, Gabriel Hensche, Birgit Herzberg-Jochum, Adolf Hölzel, Jenny Holzer, Sarah Huber, Fabian Hübner, Karl Hans Janke, Christian Jankowski, Alexey von Jawlensky, Cinyi Joh, Friederike Just, Wassily Kandinsky, Cassy Dee Katzenwut, Ida Kerkovius, Byung Chul Kim, Mimi Kohler, Carlo Krone, Markus Lüpertz, Anja Luithle, Jörg Mandernach, Johanna Mangold, Teresa Margolles, Marcus Neufanger, Wolfgang Neumann, Florence Obrecht, Blerta Osmani, Jan-Hendrik / Paula Pelz, Pablo Picasso, Daniel Richter, Pipilotti Rist, Marco Schmitt, Margrit Schulz, Cindy Sherman, Tejzt, Fabian fahrer, Nigatu Tsehay, Tzusoo, Tesfaye Urgessa, Valo Valentino, Wolf Vostell

Art in Untergröningen Castle eV,
Castle
, 73434 Abtsgmünd – Untergröningen

Mr. Werner Schulz (Chairman)
www.kiss-untergroeningen.de

Jan-Hendrik Pelz (curator)