For its first participation in Miart in Milan, in the Emergent section, DS Galerie is pleased to present “Solstice Room”, an original project by German artist Kolja Kärtner Sainz, bringing together a series of new paintings specially created for the 2024 edition. This presentation continues the artist’s ongoing research, following his solo exhibition at the gallery in Paris from November to January, and further explores the coexistence of figuration and abstraction in his work.

Kolja Kärtner Sainz investigates an intermediate state where representation and abstraction overlap and enter into dialogue. He seeks to convey the states of nature and the artificial not through frozen moments, but by privileging blur, subtle movement, and perceptual variations. His paintings thus seem inhabited by phantasmagorical beings, emerging within forms that are simultaneously suggestive and enigmatic.
At times architectural and geometric, at others organic and fluid, his works combine motifs, textures, and visual references in an enchanting, almost shamanic atmosphere. They generate a tension between stability and flow, order and improvisation, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in landscapes that are at once mysterious and familiar. Through the presence and implied movement within his compositions, the canvases engage not only the gaze but the body as well, producing an immersive and sensory experience.

The curatorial concept of this solo show, “Solstice Room”, was conceived at the scale of the Miart stand to amplify these effects. The installation establishes a subtle dialogue between architectural compositions, ornamental motifs, and references to altarpieces, creating a space that is simultaneously meditative and stimulating. Each work responds to the others, forming a coherent ensemble that guides the eye and the body through varying rhythms, perspectives, and atmospheres. “Solstice Room” invites the viewer to suspend judgment, to be drawn into the movement of forms and the vibration of colors, and to experience contemporary painting in an intimate, almost ritualistic way.