The Eternity of Water and Forest

Impressions of nature captured in watercolor and oil: In the duo exhibition natura viva – alles rauscht, artists Gaby Kutz and Melanie Tilkov present works on the themes of forest and water, respectively. Gaby Kutz, whose series of works explore time, transience, and collective memory, began a new series of forest paintings in 2023. On hikes, she captures special observations and views through sketches and photographs, which form the basis for the oil paintings created in her studio. Her work focuses on high-contrast light and shadow effects and visual structures in nature.

Melanie Tilkov, a painter, graphic artist, and sculptor from Monheim am Rhein, is exhibiting newly created watercolors. Since 2025, she has been devoting herself more intensively to this medium again, thereby returning to her artistic beginnings. The artist translates her visual perceptions into her paintings, using the transparency and luminosity of watercolors to depict the constant movement and eternal cycle of water. What is unusual for watercolors is that Tilkov applies the paint in layers, as in an oil painting—this gives her works a greater sense of depth.

The exhibition takes place in Gaby Kutz’s studio in Bad Münstereifel and opens on May 30 at 2 p.m. It is part of the series The Artist’s Friends, in which Kutz invites selected artists to participate in joint exhibitions. A conversation with the artists will begin at 4 p.m. on June 14, the closing day of the exhibition.

Gaby Kutz has been working as a freelance artist since 1994 and participates in the Art.Salon artist program. Her works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and presented at art fairs in Cologne, Lucca, and Paris, among other places. Other series by the artist include Portraits of people with significant cultural or political achievements and memorandum on pivotal events in German history. The exhibition Solidarity and Strength, in which Gaby Kutz is participating, is on view at the Women’s Museum in Bonn through June 21.

Gaby Kutz Studio
Marktstr. 6, 53902 Bad Münstereifel
Opening hours during the exhibition:
Fri–Sun, 12 p.m.–6 p.m. and by appointment