Artist Annette Kögel from Werdohl, Germany, is preparing for her upcoming art exhibition titled "From Mini to XXL Format," scheduled for October. The comprehensive show will feature works in various sizes, colors, and techniques, showcasing the artist's diverse creative range and recent artistic explorations.
Kögel recently returned from a vacation in Brittany, in the far west of France, where she was inspired by the particularly vibrant colors of the natural landscape. She captured these impressions in a series of paintings titled "Breizh," named after the Breton designation for Brittany. The artist describes the region's nature as exceptionally color-intensive, and this influence is clearly reflected in her new works.
The exhibition will feature spatula landscapes, all created using the corresponding technique, offering viewers entirely different perspectives. Within this series, Kögel couldn't resist making a foray into federal politics. One of the works was created during the period of the first chancellor election, referencing the initial failure of Friedrich Merz, whose residence is located in a district of Arnsberg. With a wink, she reveals the title she chose for the painting: "Bad Weather over Niedereimer."
Visitors can expect to see intense red horizons that will catch the eye during the art exhibition. However, these will be topped by a series that should appeal to both cat fans and friends of particularly striking artworks. The series is called "In Cats We Trust" and features paintings that Kögel created using neon colors, making them particularly stand out and eye-catching.
In a more restrained, even elegant approach, Annette Kögel has staged the unpopular giant hogweed plant. The flowers and flower stems of this plant, which spreads particularly along local rivers and streams and whose contact can cause severe burns, are perfectly showcased in white on black or ivory-colored backgrounds with golden accents. This includes an XXL painting with a height of 8.2 feet.
The exhibition will be supplemented with new boat themes, a recurring motif in Kögel's work. For years, the artist has been folding small paper boats and transforming them into artistic unique pieces by applying rust patina, and sometimes copper patina. For the exhibition in her home studio and residence, she has created particularly many boat miniatures. This process also resulted in a significantly larger artwork titled "Bycatch," featuring 1,111 boats caught in a net.
However, this particular piece will not be visible during the art exhibition at her studio. Instead, Kögel is providing it for the exhibition "Place of Extremes" by four Dortmund artist associations and organizations, planned from September 7 to 28 in the former RWE Tower at Freistuhl 7 in Dortmund. Art enthusiasts can find more information online at www.bbk-ruhrgebiet.de.
Additional series by Annette Kögel, including "From Dark Earth" and its quasi-development "The Greens," can be viewed as part of an exhibition at the Dortmund Adult Education Center at Kampstraße 47. This exhibition opens on Saturday, September 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the paintings will remain on display in the adult education center rooms until October 31.
To conclude the year, the local artist will once again participate in the Christmas market at Hof Crone, where she will present a selection of her artworks appropriate for the holiday occasion on Saturday, November 29, and Sunday, November 30. After the coronavirus pandemic, Kögel invited visitors to the art exhibition at Neuenrader Straße for the first time last year. The artist now organizes these art exhibitions instead of the open studio events that previously took place in November each year.
The 2025 art exhibition, bearing the title "From Mini to XXL Format," is scheduled as follows: Thursday, October 16, starting at 6 p.m.; Friday, October 17, starting at 6 p.m.; Saturday, October 18, between 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, October 19, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The diverse range of formats, techniques, and subjects promises to offer something for every art enthusiast, from intimate miniatures to impressive large-scale works.
