LIFE SEX LOVE - Aspekte queeren Lebens - 9 künstlerische Positionen

In the organizer's words:

With LIFE SEX LOVE (opening on Friday, June 27, 2025 from 6 to 10 p.m. as part of the gallery tour "Lange Sommernacht der K1 Galerien Köln") we present artists who deal with interpersonal relationships, closeness and anonymity and the associated longings and disappointments: Intimacy, vulnerability, emotionality and sexuality, whereby (explicit) erotic depictions are not necessarily in the foreground. And the focus is on references to queer life.

We present 9 artistic positions from painting to sculpture to photography; with many, densely hung works, the presentation stands for diversity in both senses of the word.

The artists:

• In her new watercolor portraits, Parisian video artist and painter Rebecca Bournigault (*1970) explores her queer identity and poses questions about concepts and codes of "otherness". Read more here!
  
• Max Gehlofen (*1989, lives and works in Würzburg) shows human-looking genitalia carved out of natural stone, suggesting that our idea of two clearly separate genders is outdated and that there are countless individual manifestations of nature. Read more here!
  
• The Vietnamese artist Hà Minh (*1994) presents a wall with collages of diary entries, sketchbooks and watercolors of nudes that deal with her "growing up as a trans woman in patriarchal Vietnam". Read more here!
  
• The drawings, paintings, embroideries and sculptures by Richard Helbin (*1980), an artist who lives and works in Düsseldorf, evoke long-gone values, which he interweaves with motifs of homoerotic longing. Read more here!
  
• Franziska Koch (*1991) is a young painter from Leipzig whose works are gestural and direct and trigger immediate emotions; themes include queer identity and sexuality. Read more here!
  
• Cologne-based painter Lukas Moll focuses on the depiction of queer themes, in which he explores the subtleties of identity and the experiences of queer people in society. Read more here!
  
• Maurizio Onano (*1991) is a German illustrator, comic artist and author who specializes in queer themes. His comics and illustrations deal with social issues, queer identity and poetic storytelling - often with a humorous or critical perspective. Read more here!
  
• Stuart Sandford 's (*1978) photographic work, informed by his extensive travels and involvement in queer communities worldwide, often serves as a visual diary of his life and relationships. His provocative work has not only gained recognition for its explicit depiction of male desire, but has also sparked discussions about censorship, intimacy and the role of the male body in contemporary art. Read more here!
  
• Wojciech Woś (*1993 in Poland, lives and works in Berlin) explores queer themes, love, human connection and mental health in his figurative paintings, which evoke both tenderness and melancholy. These themes are deeply personal and find their inspiration in the subtle complexities of emotion and identity. Read more here!

27.6. - 30.8.2025