Olaf Kuhnemann

Olaf Kuhnemann

Olaf Kuhnemann was born in Basel Switzerland in 1972, moved to Israel in 1980. In Israel studied with sculptor Zvi Lachman (1985-1990), then studied at the New York Studio School (1990-1992). Later completed his MFA at Parsons School of Design (1992-1994).
Olaf is a passionate German artist whose works have featured in exhibitions, publications and prizes in Germany, the UK and US. His primary interest is in exploring what it means to make a painting today: how to balance art history, contemporary practices and the current overwhelming visual culture to find a distinctive path amidst it all. With Autobiography as his main subject, he composes versatile paintings that shift from large-format scenes with an illustrative flair, to muted portraits marked by colour and spatial contrast.
Kuhnemann is using an archive of photographs as a starting point for asking questions about painting. Working in watercolor, gouache and oil on small and very large formats.
Some of his main solo projects in the past few years include a collaboration with Berlin-based fashion label Eva & Bernard and his large scale forest painting Hornby Island at Berlin fashion week (January 2012);
Solo show at Alon Segev Gallery in Tel Aviv (Balancing Acts, 2012);
Solo show at Pavillion am Milchhof in Berlin (Outside-in, 2010);
Solo show at Samuelis Baumgarte Galerie in Germany (Schichten/Layers, 2009);
Permanent installation at Art+ Hotel in Tel Aviv (MDF Woods, 2009);
Solo show at gallery 39 in Tel Aviv (Family, Tree, 2008);
Solo show at Tel Aviv Artists Studios (Hornby Island, 2007);
Solo show at The Heder gallery in Tel Aviv (Homescapes, 2007);
Solo project at Herzeliya MOCA (Family papers, 2005).
Among his prominent group exhibitions in the past years are Facelook at the Tel Aviv Museum (2012);
Update Your Reality at Alexander Ochs Galeries Berlin/Beijing (2011);
Family Traces at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem (2009);
Displacements at the Bat-Yam MOCA (2007);
The Rear at Herzeliya Biennial (2007);
Today even the Drawers are Winners at Klara Walner Gallery in Berlin (2006).
Kuhnemann has received the Tel Aviv museum Isracard prize for an Israeli artist (2008); and the National Arts Club painting award in New York (1992-1993).