Spyros Rennt, "To Kiss Against the Fire" at Rosegarden

In the organizer's words:

Opening: 02.05.25, 18-21 h
Exhibition duration: 03.-30.05.25
Opening hours: 03.-04.05., 11-17; 06.-30.05., Thursdays + Sundays 11-16 and by appointment via rosegarden@frontrose.global
Location: Rosegarden by Frontrose
Address: Potsdamer Straße 98A, 10785 Berlin

With To Kiss Against the Fire , Berlin-based Greek photographer Spyros Rennt presents his largest solo exhibition to date, spanning eight years of work and four photo books.

The exhibition is part of the Berlin Gallery Weekend's Off program and also marks the opening of Rosegarden, a new Berlin space conceived by the cultural initiative Frontrose and designed in collaboration with the Danish furniture brand FRAMA. Rosegarden is dedicated to exhibitions, intimate music events, readings and cultural journeys.

Developed for Rosegarden's 150 m² exhibition space, the show offers a comprehensive insight into Rennt's artistic universe - a world that oscillates between everyday realism and dreamlike scenarios and makes the development of his practice visible. The depiction of queerness and nightlife, the documentation of performances and commissioned works, including portraits of personalities from art and film, are united by a clear leitmotif: through his lens, Rennt explores intimacy in all its facets, revealing deep bonds and moments of vulnerability. In front of his camera, his protagonists shed their protective mechanisms - some metaphorically, others quite literally - and reveal themselves with a disarming, almost childlike sincerity.

Alongside provocative tones, To Kiss Against the Fire is characterized by tenderness and honesty. Rennt captures his subjects in their most unfiltered moments and reveals their humanity beyond any staging. He challenges the viewer to look beyond stereotypes and dividing lines and recognize a picture of lived, shared existence. Each photograph captures a fleeting moment - a glance, a gentle touch, a nocturnal adventure - but also desire and sensuality. The exhibition is a tribute to the power of closeness, tenderness and all-consuming passion.

In Rennt's photographs, moments of intimacy go hand in hand with expressions of collective joy and show the vibrancy of different communities in their spaces of celebration and resistance. Berlin's nightlife - with some iconic clubs that have since disappeared - becomes a visual archive of intensely lived existences. Through his documentation, the artist preserves the memory of these places and the people who filled them with life. At the same time, his work becomes an act of resistance against cultural oblivion - at a time when queer spaces in Europe are under increasing economic and political pressure, from gentrification to repressive laws against LGBTQ+ expression.

In a political climate characterized by the resurgence of the far right and the resurgence of anti-LGBTQ+ narratives, the representation of intimacy becomes a deeply political act. It is no coincidence that Rennt's title for the exhibition refers to the American artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz, whose work was directed against the invisibilization of queer life in a time of institutional indifference. Rennt's photographs stand up to today's mechanisms of repression and offer an unembellished testimony to the resilience of queer existence.

To Kiss Against the Fire tells of a flame that can warm, but also scorch and consume. And when its flames threaten to devour everything, there is only one choice: to stand firm, to resist - and still, to kiss.

About Spyros Rennt

Spyros Rennt is a Berlin-based photographer from Athens. His images form a dynamic, ever-evolving dreamscape that captures the desire for freedom and sensuality - as felt in queer spaces and on club dance floors around the world. Identity, community and intimacy are recurring themes in his work, which oscillates between raw documentation and poetic abstraction.

Rennt has self-published four photo books to date: Intertwined (2025), Corporeal (2023), Lust Surrender (2020) and Another Excess (2018). The latter in particular brought him international recognition for his blunt portrayal of Berlin's queer community. His work has been exhibited in Europe and the USA and published in international publications. He has also collaborated with brands such as Courrèges, Carne Bollente, Diesel, Ottolinger and Rimowa.
spyressence.com | @spyressence

About Frontrose

Frontrose operates at the intersection of art and travel, creating experiences that open doors to the cultural currents of cities and places. Subscribersgain access to special opportunities: from studio visits with female artiststo intimate music events and curated gallery tours - experiences usually reserved for people within creative networks. Rosegarden is the first physical manifestation of this concept and will offer its own year-round program.

Those interested in participating in future experiences can sign up for Rosetips, Frontrose's weekly WhatsApp broadcast.
www.frontrose.global

About FRAMA

The Danish brand FRAMA is the spatial partner of Rosegarden. Based in Copenhagen, FRAMA is an interdisciplinary design company that develops furniture, home accessories, personal care products and fragrances that inspire a mindful lifestyle. With a focus on natural materials and uncompromising quality, FRAMA celebrates traditional craftsmanship and combines it with a timeless, honest aesthetic.
www.framacph.com | @framacp