JUDITH GANZ
Judith Ganz was born 1964 in Duesseldorf, Germany. She studied Fine Arts at the Braunschweig University of Art since 1985.
She studied in the classes of L.v.Monkiewitsch, Roland Dörfler and Ben Willikens, Bernd Minnich painting and photography and made her diploma and Meisterschuelerin in 1991.
She received a grant for the State University in San Francisco 1991-1992.
In 1992 she organized together with the Goethe - Institut,San Francisco, State University San Francisco and the Braunschweig University of Art the exhibition „On Arrival“ in San Francisco.
Parrallel she built up installations like in 1991 together with Peter Halves in the Fish gallery in Braunschweig or „Plastic Surgery Disasters“ in Kunstverein Holzminden and the installations together with J. Neuenhausen, „Traffic Highlights“ and „I come see and buy“ in San Francisco, Moving Targets at Q18, Cologne with Peter Halves and Michael Blendow, 2021.
Since 1995 -2017 she was active for Cap Cologne e.V. to build an exhibition- and studiobuilding in the city center, where she and a group of artists had their studios and an exhibition hall, where she curated and organized international exhibitions (Halle Zehn).
She worked as a lecturer for experimantal drawing and painting at the University of Cologne/Montagstiftung 2012-2018 and for various foundations.
Judith Ganz has participated in many national and international exhibitions, for example „Movement“ at Kunstverein Familie Montez,2017, Frankfurt, „Mixed Bag“Rivoli 59 in Paris/France , 2016, „Groth“,Museum of St Croix, US Virgin Islands, 2015, „Judith Ganz“ Q18, , Cologne 2022, „Colour Spaces“, HuG, Cologne, 2024, „Split“, Labor, Cologne
Her paintings are represented in german, french and american collections.
Artist Statement
Environmental and natural disasters, poisoned atmosphere, acid rain, volcanic eruptions and nuclear accidents, space debris hurtling around the earth: all of this flows into my painting and becomes the protagonist of my fictional landscapes.
Swirls of color, bubbles and enigmatic objects pour over the large formats. Movement, tempo, dynamics determine the pictures, they become snapshots of slowly smouldering processes through to frenzied events.
The superimpositions and changes in perspective challenge the viewer to find their own position in relation to the image and within the image, layer by layer. Questions arise: what atmosphere am I in, what laws of gravity apply here?
My paintings used to be created in a fluid, large-format, often transparent application of paint in a relatively short, spontaneous painting process. Over the course of time, more and more overlays, layers of meaning in the truest sense of the word and more three-dimensional forms have been added, more tangible forms have been added. The painting process has slowed down as a result, the layers of paint have become thicker in the combination of acrylic and oil paints. However, the structures that arise by chance surprise me and inspire me to find forms in a controlled way are still important.
This enables me to penetrate deeper and deeper into the combinations of light and dark zones, to show sections of translucent, light-soaked backgrounds that are overlaid by heavy, achromatic surfaces and forms. I first dematerialize the representational in order to develop new representational forms from this process in an oscillating manner, which can also liquify again in the next moment.
For example, large bubbles filled with colored liquids wander across a glowing orange lava field and surreal tree-like growths appear as mutated life forms after an environmental catastrophe. It remains to be seen whether the bursting of the bubbles will trigger a destructive process or bring fluidity and cooling to the vegetal forms.
I try to show a kind of nature parallel to civilization, which unfolds dynamic forces, is subject to them and thereby evokes ambivalent impressions between attraction and deterrence.
CV
1964 born in Duesseldorf, Germany
1985-91 studied at the university of Fine Arts, HBK, Braunschweig bei Roland Doerfler und Ben Willikens
1991 Diploma and master
1991-1992 grant for the State University, San Francisco, USA
1992 lives and works in Cologne and Hannover, Germany
lecturer at the University of Cologne 2012-2018 and various foundations.
Selection of exhibitions:
(Solo and Groupexhibitions)
2024
SPLIT, LABOR, Cologne,Solo
COLOR SPACES,Haus und Grund, Cologne,Solo
2023
JAHRESENDAUSSTELLUNG, Labor, Cologne
2022
NEW PAINTINGS, Halle 7, Cologne,Solo
2021
SECRET CIRCLE, mit Ute Bartel, Kuenstlerproduzentengallerie plan d, Duesseldorf,Solo
RESPONSE ART, Kuenstlerforum, Bonn
RESPOND, Ruff-fabrik, Cologne
2020
FREUDE SCHOENER GOETTERFUNKEN, Kunst an der Plakatwand, Karlsruhe, Katalog
REAL LIFE IS JUST ANOTHER WINDOW, Q18, Quartier am Hafen, Cologne, Solo
2019
FLÜCHTIGE ENTWÜRFE, Deutscher Kuenstlerbund, Berlin
UND DIE WAENDE SCHAUEN ZURÜCK, plan d , Duesseldorf
2018
DAS VERLORENE PARADIES, Stadtgartenpark, Cologne
PARTNERLAND AUSTRIA, BLAUE BERGE, Kunstverein Langenfeld
ART TROISDORF, Kunsthaus Troisdorf
2017
FIKTIVE LANDSCHAFTEN, Kunstverein Troisdorf, Solo
MOVEMENT; Kunstverein Familie Montez, Frankfurt, exhibiting and curating
VISION, Kunsthaus Troisdorf
2016
MISSING LINK, Kunstforum, Bonn/große Arbeit
MIXED BAG; Rivoli 59, Paris, exhibiting and curating
SZENARIO, ATELIERFRANKFURT; Frankfurt mit J. Roppel und E.Stark
FIKTIVE LANDSCHAFTEN, Kunstverein Langenfeld, E
2015
THRU CONTEMPORARY ARTS COLLECTION, Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago Cocurating
GROTH, Frederiksted ST. Croix, The Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, US Virgin Islands, Cokuratorin
PEOPLE TEXTURE ENVIRONMENTS, an international artcollection, Q18 Cologne, cocurating
2014
GESTOHLENE FARBE, mit Behzad Machmoudpur, Q18, Cologne, Solo
8 DAYS A WEEK, Cologne/Liverpoolprojekt, Auferstehungskirche, Cologne
MUSEUMSNACHT KÖLN, Quartier am Hafen, Cologne
2013
ALL OVER THE HOUSE, mit Julia Neuenhausen, Kunst im Tauthaus, Berlin, Solo
TIME IS NOW, Galerie Funke, Berlin
HEURIGER, Kunsthalle m³, Berlin
2012
JUDITH GANZ, Kunstverein, Hannover- Gehrden
ZEICHENBIENALE, Belgrad, Serbien
2011
DISCOVERY,Galerie Upart, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Solo
NATURE ME, Kunstverein Speyer
FLOATING LIQUIDS, Galerie Funke, Berlin, Solo
2010
WIR SIND DAS KAPITAL, Künstlerforum Bonn
2009
FORUM 2009, Burg Vischering, Luedinghausen
LIEBLINGSSTUECKE, kuratiert von Barbara Hofmann-Johnson, HALLE ZEHN, Cologne big painting
WIE EIN TAG, Kestnergesellschaft in Zusammenarbeit mit der Marktkirche, Hannover
PAINTINGS TORRENTS AND DISTURBANCES, mit Lorenzo Valverde, HALLE ZEHN, Cologne,E
2008
HALLE ZEHN, zwei mal zehn in Halle Zehn kuratiert von Dr. Ingrid Severin, Cologne
Ausstellung mit Katrin Haassengier, BBK Stapelhaus, Cologne, Solo
2006
LOTTOSTIFTUNG, GALERIE VOM ZUFALL UND VOM GLUECK, mit Marina Schreiber,Solo
WIR SIND VIELE UND UEBERALL, BBK, Cologne
GENESIS OF THE MILKY WAY, Kyotobar- Exhibition Space, Cologne, Solo
2005
KUNSTWERK, FRANKFURT, Judith Ganz, Julia Roppel und Ernst Stark
2004
PLANETDIVE, CAP COLOGNE, Cologne, Solo
2002
MAGIC MUSHROOM, Kunstwerk, Cologne, Solo
2001
PAINT IN VAIN, Zimmergalerie, Frankfurt a.M.
2000
VERKUPPELT, Oberlandesgericht Cologne, curator and exhibiting, big paintings, Peter Halves, Lorenzo Valverde, Ruth Gilberger, Franz Burkhardt, Harry von Renswou und Ewa Latoszek
1999
BIOTOPIA, FORUM FÜR JUNGE KUNST, Osnabrueck, Solo
1996/98
GUMMI UND MEHR, Cap Cologne
1994
PLASTIC SURGERY DISASTERS, Installation mit Peter Halves, Kunstforum Holzminden,Solo
1993
WAS GENAU GESCHIEHT BEIM FLIRTEN, Installation mit Julia Neuenhausen, Silke Schatz und Peter Halves,
Krankenhaus Salzdahlum, Braunschweig
1992
TRAFFIC HIGHLIGHTS, Installation mit Julia Neuenhausen, Foro Artistico, Hannover, Solo
MEISTERSCHUELER AUS BRAUNSCHWEIG, Ausstellungshalle, HBK, Braunschweig,Solo
ON ARRIVAL, Goethe-Institut, San Francisco, USA, curator
