We are delighted to announce the exhibition Knallzart by the three Berlin-based artists Emmanuel Bornstein, Clemens Krauss, and Robert Muntean. The exhibition will showcase new paintings that explore themes of identity, intimacy, and physicality.

Bornstein, Krauss, and Muntean studied painting at German art academies in the 2000s, yet each has followed a distinct stylistic path. Bornstein aligns with the tradition of figurative-deconstructivist expressionism in the vein of Francis Bacon, while Krauss is known for his impasto, centimeter-thick applications of paint. Robert Muntean, on the other hand, is renowned for his exceptionally even, harmonious brushwork that follows musical rhythms.

While their approaches to art may appear divergent at first glance, their work is deeply interconnected. Not only are the three artists friends, and all live in Berlin, they also share a common affinity for figuration and a similar thematic focus in their artistic endeavors. The works of Bornstein, Krauss, and Muntean consistently engage with social processes, addressing issues such as loneliness, alienation, massification, and both internal and external violence. Additionally, they share a fascination with the body and the individual, often reflected through the lens of broader social events and phenomena.

Knallzart is the first joint exhibition of the three artists. It engages directly with the core theme of their work: the dehumanization of the present moment—and the eternal longing for its exact opposite in the future.

Emmanuel Bornstein was born in 1986 in Toulouse, France, and has lived in Berlin since 2009. He studied painting at the Ècole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and at the University of Fine Arts in Berlin under Leiko Ikemura. His works have been shown in numerous international museums and biennials, including the Musée Château Laréole in Toulouse, the National Gallery in Bucharest, the Kiesler Foundation in Vienna, the Kunsthalle Darmstadt, the Centre National des Arts in Ottawa, the Permm Museum, the Musée de la Résistance in Toulouse, the Kunsthalle Rostock, the Kunstraum Potsdam, the Stadtgalerie Kiel, the Anhaltinischer Kunstverein in Dessau, the Elgiz Museum in Istanbul, the Aereoplastics Contemporary Gallery in Brussels, the Haus am Lützowplatz in Berlin, as well as at the Curitiba Biennial in Brazil, the Tijuana Triennial in Mexico, and the International Moscow Biennial in Russia. Additionally, Bornstein’s works are held in many prestigious art collections, including the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Elgiz Museum, the Christen Sveaas Art Foundation, the Köstlin Collection, and the Kunsthalle Rostock.

Clemens Krauss was born in 1981 in Graz, Austria, and has lived in Berlin since 2007. After completing his studies at the University of the Arts in Berlin, he trained as a psychoanalyst in order to integrate insights of the human psyche into his artistic practice. Krauss has participated in a wide range of institutional solo and group exhibitions, including at the MOCA in Los Angeles, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Kunstmuseum Bonn, the S.M.A.K. Stedelijk Museum in Ghent, the Berlinische Galerie, the Marta Herford, the Kulturhuset Stockholm, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chengdu, the Haus am Waldsee in Berlin, the Kunsthalle Rostock, the Museu de Arte Moderna in Rio de Janeiro, the Haus am Lützowplatz in Berlin, as well as the Curitiba Biennale, Brazil, and the Havana Biennale, Cuba, to name just a few.

Robert Muntean was born in 1982 in Leoben, Austria, and has lived in Berlin since 2007. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and the Academy of Visual Arts in Leipzig. His works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, the Essl Museum in Klosterneuburg (now Albertina Modern), the Kunstraum Innsbruck, the Galerie Rosenfeld in London, the Croatian Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennial, the Salzburg Kunstverein, the Unc Gallery in Seoul, the Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava, and the Forum Stadtpark in Graz. Muntean was awarded the prestigious Strabag Art Award, and his works are held in important art collections, including the Siemens Collection, the Federal Collection, the Strabag Art Collection, and the Leopold Museum.