They are no illusions

Certain painting techniques are deceptively real. Already several hundred years ago, they illusioned the flat canvas as three-dimensional. How exactly this is possible and where the boundaries of painting lie will be explored at the Hamburger Kunsthalle from 31 March with No Illusions. Painting in Space. On view will be artists who have been invited to create works especially for the exhibition - including, for example, the radical painting of Ingo Meller (*1955) or the larger-than-life painting surfaces of Rolf Rose (*1933). Abstraction and figuration alternate and present the most diverse facets of contemporary positions.

Contrary to expectations, the exhibition does not focus on the illusory effect of painting. Rather, it is concerned with the limits of what can be represented and with the conceptual and abstract aspects of the medium. It illuminates the significance of the audience and its engagement with the work as well as the significance of the surrounding space. The Hamburger Kunsthalle wants to preserve the museum as a collective memory and reminds us of the significant interplay between the discovery of images and their transmission through the visitors. The exhibition runs until 31 October.