Jens Kothe

German, born 1985, lives and works in Bochum, Germany, Studied 2013-17 at Academy of Art, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2009-2011: National Sculptor School, Oberammergau, 2007-09: TU Dortmund Architecture. 

Selected exhibitions:

upcoming: Berthold Pott, Cologne (solo, Sept/Oct 2023), beacon, Munich, Various Other, group show with Carolina Aguirre, Helen Alas, Krystel Cárdenas, Jeanne Geiger, Jens Kothe, and Berenice Olmedo.

past: Cassina Projects, Milan, Italy (solo, April-May 2023), Barbé Urbain, Ghent, BE (duo, Jan-March 2023), Downs & Ross, New York City, USA (solo 2022), Kunstverein Heppenheim, Heppenheim, Germany (solo 2022), Museum Bochum, Germany (group 2021), Museum Villa Rot, Burgrieden, Germany (group 2021), Platform 6a, curated by Philippe van Cauteren SMAK, Otegem, BE (group 2020), Museum Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany (group 2020), Efremidis, Berlin, Germany (group 2020), Kunsthaus Essen, Germany (group, 2020), Berthold Pott, Cologne, Germany (solo, 2019), Philara Collection, Düsseldorf, Germany (group 2018), Kunsthalle Bochum, Germany (solo, 2017)

In the sensually organic sculptures and wall pieces by the young German artist Jens Kothe, everything revolves around the human body: Vulnerability and closeness are reflected in highly magnified and often abstracted details. Kothe makes use of materials such as upholstery wadding, silicone, concrete, stretch films, or fabrics worked with delicate colour pigments which, in their contrasting nature, evoke various haptic associations in the viewer, such as with the wall piece Stressed Membranes, Mimicry II“ (see illustration): Silicone fragments are incorporated into a softly upholstered, rose-coloured object with an organic form, which can be read as abstract body shapes or concrete facial features.

artist webpage

Examples Work / Exhibitions:

studio_64646 solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Kunstverein Heppenheim, GER, April/May 2022
studio_64646 solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Kunstverein Heppenheim, GER, April/May 2022
studio_64646 solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Kunstverein Heppenheim, GER, April/May 2022
studio_64646 solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Kunstverein Heppenheim, GER, April/May 2022
studio_64646 solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Kunstverein Heppenheim, GER, April/May 2022
studio_64646 solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Kunstverein Heppenheim, GER, April/May 2022
studio_64646 solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Kunstverein Heppenheim, GER, April/May 2022
Model Organisms solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Downs & Ross, NYC, USA, March/April 2022
Model Organisms solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Downs & Ross, NYC, USA, March/April 2022
Model Organisms solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Downs & Ross, NYC, USA, March/April 2022
Model Organisms solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Downs & Ross, NYC, USA, March/April 2022
Model Organisms solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Downs & Ross, NYC, USA, March/April 2022
Model Organisms solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Downs & Ross, NYC, USA, March/April 2022
Model Organisms solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Downs & Ross, NYC, USA, March/April 2022
Model Organisms solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Downs & Ross, NYC, USA, March/April 2022
Jens Kothe „Ehrenfeld“ at Berthold Pott Cologne (April/May 2021)
Jens Kothe „Ehrenfeld“ at Berthold Pott Cologne (April/May 2021)
Detail
Jens Kothe „Ehrenfeld“ at Berthold Pott Cologne, April/May 2021
Detail
Jens Kothe, Stressed Membranes, 2020, ca. 190 x 125 x 12 cm
Detail of Stressed Membranes, Jens Kothe, 2020
Jens Kothe, 2020, Stressed Membranes
Detail of Stressed Membranes, Jens Kothe, 2020
Jens Kothe, 2019, bench
Detail of bench, Jens Kothe, 2019
Installation view museum Dortmunder U, Dortmund, 2020, Germany
Installation view museum Dortmunder U, Dortmund, 2020, Germany
Installation view museum Dortmunder U, Dortmund, 2020, Germany
Installation view „Homeland III“ at Berthold Pott, Cologne (June 2020):
Installation view „Homeland III“ at Berthold Pott, Cologne (June 2020):
Jens Kothe, 2019, Stressed Membranes
Detail Stressed Membranes, Jens Kothe, 2019
Installation views „Squish“ at Efremidis, Berlin (Feb-June 2020): work on the wall by Jens Kothe, sculpture in front by Lindsay Lawson
Jens Kothe at „Drink Liquid“, Kunsthaus Essen, Jan-March 2020
Jens Kothe at „Drink Liquid“, Kunsthaus Essen, Jan-March 2020
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019
Jens Kothe „Element System“, solo exhibition at Berthold Pott Cologne, June/July 2019

Installation views Jens Kothe at PHILARA Collection Düsseldorf „Insane in the membrane“ with Rebekka Benzenberg, Isabella Fürnkäs, Simon Fujiwara, Vivian Greven, Jens Kothe, Oliver Laric, Hannah Levy, Anna Virnich, Raphaela Vogel, Nov 2018 – Jan 2019:

Jens Kothe at Philara Collection, Düsseldorf „Insane in the membrane“, Nov 2018 – Jan 2019
(left: Hannah Levy, middle: Rebekka Benzenberg, right: Jens Kothe)
Jens Kothe at Philara Collection, Düsseldorf „Insane in the membrane“, Nov 2018 – Jan 2019
(left: Anna Virnich, middle: Hannah Levy, right: Jens Kothe)
Jens Kothe at Philara Collection, Düsseldorf „Insane in the membrane“, Nov 2018 – Jan 2019
Jens Kothe, solo exhibition at Kunsthalle Bochum, 2017
Jens Kothe, solo exhibition at Kunsthalle Bochum, 2017

 

JENS KOTHE (full CV)

Born 1985, lives and works in Bochum, Germany, 2013-17: masterclass of Andreas Gursky, Academy Düsseldorf, 2009-2011: National Sculptor School, Oberammergau, 2007-09: TU Dortmund, Architecture.

Selected Exhibitions:

2023

Group exhibition Love and Human Remains at Berthold Pott, Cologne, Germany (Jan-April 2023)

Duo exhibition at Barbe, Ghent, Belgium (Jan-March 2023)

Solo exhibition at Cassina Projects, Milan, Italy (upcoming April)

Solo exhibition at Berthold Pott, Cologne, Germany (upcoming Sept)

2022

Solo exhibition at Downs & Ross, New York City, USA

Solo exhibition at Kunstverein Heppenheim, Germany

Group exhibition at Swivel Gallery, NYC, USA

Duo exhibition at Barbé Urbain, Ghent, Belgium (upcoming)

2021

High End group exhibition at Museum Villa Rot, Burgrieden, Germany (Juli/August)

Group exhbition at Museum Bochum, Germany (Juli-Sept)

2-person presentation at Art Cologne (Nov)

Ehrenfeld group exhibition at Berthold Pott, Cologne

2020

The missing link, group exhibition curated by Philippe van Cauteren, Platform 6a, Otegem, Belgium

Group exhibition at Museum Ostwall, Dortmunder U, Germany

„Squish“ at Efremidis, Berlin (with Carlotta Bailly-Borg, Christiane Blattmann, Lindsay Lawson, Teresa Solar, Jens Kothe) (March-June 2020)

„Drink Liquid“ at Kunsthaus Essen, with Tammo Lünemann, Jens Kothe and Kai Borsutzky (Jan-May 2020)

„automatic“ with Jens Kothe, Benoit Platéus, Xavier Mary at Barbé Urbain, Gent, Belgium (March-June 2020)

2019

solo exhibition „Element System“ at Berthold Pott, Cologne

solo exhibition Jens Kothe at Pfirsich, Cologne, Germany

group exhibition „On intimacy“ at RFK, Düsseldorf

2018

group exhibition „Insane in the membrane“ at Philara Collection, Düsseldorf with Vivian Greven, Jens Kothe, Raphaela Vogel, Hannah Levy, Oliver Laric, Isabella Fürnkäs,…,

group exhibition „Die Grosse“ at Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf

2017

solo exhibition „Jens Kothe“ at Hyperraum E.V. Bochum

solo exhibition „Jens Kothe“ at Kunsthalle Bochum

2015

group exhibition Ruhrtriennale Bochum (group, 2015),

2014

group exhibition „En el Castillo“ at Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporaneo, Spain

 

Education

2017

Masterclass Andreas Gursky, Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

2012-2017      

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf / Academy of Arts Düsseldorf, Germany

2009-2012

National Sculpture School, Oberammergau

2007-2009

TU (University) Dortmund, Architecture

 

Scholarships

2018

Stiftung Kunstfonds Bonn

 

ition at Museo Internacional de Arte Contemporaneo, Spain