Kim Bartelt’s work explores the fleeting nature of existence through the subtle interplay of form and color, capturing the poetic contradictions of contemporary human experience. By layering delicate sheets of paper onto canvas, she creates a unique fusion of painting and sculpture, where structured compositions contrast with the intricate textures of her materials. These works invite the viewer into an intimate, contemplative space, revealing the tension between the visible and the unseen, permanence and impermanence.
Her restrained visual language—primarily squares and rectangles—distills complex emotions into seemingly balanced compositions. This pursuit of stability, filtered through her deeply personal artistic process, results in a dynamic interplay of control and spontaneity. Her carefully selected color palette, neither fully opaque nor overly vibrant, maintains an ethereal luminosity, reminiscent of the skies and architecture in the paintings of Fra Angelico and Piero della Francesca—two of her key influences.
Curator Lorena Juan describes Bartelt’s work as a “study of the poetics of the connective tissue of life,” uncovering the silent infrastructures that shape human existence. Her art responds intuitively to the contemporary condition, reflecting both the intricacy of modern life and the growing sense of detachment within a hyperconnected world.
Born in Berlin, Bartelt initially pursued architecture before shifting to art history in Paris and later completing her Fine Art studies at Parsons School of Design in New York. While working as a set painter, she became drawn to discarded paper, incorporating it into her practice to create translucent, minimalist collages that seem to transcend their materiality. Since returning to Germany in 2003, she has expanded her exploration of space and volume into large-scale sculptural works—monumental yet fragile structures crafted from packing materials and papier-mâché.
Bartelt has exhibited internationally, with solo shows at Cadogan Gallery in Milan (2023) and London (2022), and group exhibitions in Berlin, Mexico City, Ghent, and beyond. Her work has been featured in Repubblica (2023), Capital Magazine (2022), AD Germany (2020), and Wall Street Journal Magazine (2020). She has also completed artist residencies at Numeroventi in Italy and Joya AiR in Spain.
EDUCATION
Parsons The New School of Design, New York, BFA in Fine Arts
Parsons The New School of Design, Paris
Icart, Institut des Carrières Artistiques, Paris
Studies of Art History & Art Management
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 ‘Zwischen Tür und Angel’, Cadogan, L o n d o n , May
2023 ‘Break Easy’, Cadogan Gallery, M i l a n, May
2022 ‘Stillleben’, Cadogan, L o n d o n, Jan-Feb
2016 ‘A fleur de peau’, Galerie Lacke&Farben, B e r l i n
2013 ’Right Here’, Galerie Lacke Farben, B e r l i n
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 In a Nutshell…, Noack Bildgiesserei, B e r l i n , Sept, with Jonathan Meese, Vera Röhm, Bernhard Heiliger & more
2024 ‘Soft Geometry’, Cadogan, L o n d o n, Jan, with Adelheid de Witte; Annamarie Ho, Kim Bartelt
2023 Volk x Paradise Room, B e r l i n , Sept with Thomas Zipp, Peter Krauskopf, Ariane Hosemann, Kim Bartelt, Felix Schröder
2023 Through The Walls, Cadogan L o n d o n, Jan/Feb with Mimi Jung, Perla Krause, Edoardo Dionea Cicconi, Andreas Diaz Anderson & more
2022 Soft Architectures, Barn Studio, P o t s d a m, Aug/Sept
with Pablo Benzo, Bertram Hasenauer, Lawrence Calver, Davina Andrea Deplazes, Amelie Riech & Johannes Schön
2022 An Endless Curve – Art Perspectives III, Circle Culture Gallery, B e r l i n, May
with Mariana Hahn, Kalliroi Ioannidou, Anna Neznaya, Muriel Gallardo Weinstein, Dina Khouri, Valentina Berthelon
2021 A Double Presentation, Wilhelmhallen Hallen #2 , B e r l i n Sept
2021 A Temporary Space, Studio Ima, M e x i c o C i t y Mai
2020 Moving Traces 04, Atelier Ecru Gallery G h e n t , Belgium
ART FAIRS
2024 Miart M i l a n , Cadogan, April
2022 Art Herning, Bjorn Gundorph Gallery, D e n m a r k, Mai
2014 Berliner Liste, Art Fair, Galerie Lacke&Farben, B e r l i n , Sept
2013 Berliner Liste, Art Fair, Galerie Lacke&Farben, B e r l i n , Sept
RESIDENCIES
Joya, Almeria, Spai, n September 2019
Numeroventi, Florence, Italy, April 2019
PUBLICATIONS
2024 Harpers Bazaar, Germany, Sept
2024 Rum Magazin, Dec
2023 Sight Unseen, June, Deborah Shapiro
2023 La Repubblica, May, Francesca Molteni
2023 Ignant, May, Clemens Poloczek for Ignant Productions
2022 AD China, Dec print publication
2022 Die Kunst – Women in Art (May), print as part of Capital Magazine, Lorena Juan
2021 Styler Mag Korea, January, print publication, Anna Gye
2021 Milk Decoration, Jan, Sophie Bouchet
2020 Sight Unseen, Dec, Sean Santiago
2020 AD Germany, April, Tereza Bratkovic
2020 Anniversary Magazine, March, Anniversary Team
2020 Milk Decoration Magazine, February, Karine Monie, print publication #31
2020 Wall Street Magazine, January
2019 Sight Unseen, December, Jill Singer
2019 Sight Unseen, October, Malin Ebbing
2019 FoA, February
2013 Tagesspiegel, June, Friederike Höll