Participating artists

Papa Adama
Lennart Heiner
Tom Fairlamb
Wu Yang
Emilia Silverstone
Einar V. Guðmundsson Thoroddsen
Lotus Hebbing
Ines Kukrić
Cesare Botti

Curator

Jessica Kuhn

About

Kunstbar is honored to present Orphans, a group exhibition running from February 21 to April 11, 2025. The gallery itself transforms into a fragile and playful second home, constructed entirely from cardboard, transforming the gallery into an installation.

The concept behind ‘Orphans’ is born of Jo Baer’s extraordinary story and her unique  relationship with friend and assistant Leo Arnold, who in Baer’s final years painted in her stead, at her instruction. During their collaboration, things would sometimes be lost in translation – Baer would say “What did you paint? This is not my style, I can’t call this my painting.” To this Arnold would respond something along the lines of “Well, they’re also not my paintings.” Conceptually, this exchange is the exhibition’s point of departure – these ambiguous works became the starting point for this exhibition as they could be seen as orphans. Now, a month before the exhibition’s opening, the tragic news of Jo’s passing at the age of 95 leaves behind these previously unseen paintings, which are now subject to another translation by the artist and curator of the show, Jessica Kuhn, in memory of Jo and her work.

Orphans explores what it means to belong, to connect, and to find solace amidst life’s inherent instability. The exhibition features an eclectic range of works—paintings, sculptures, prints, and installations—all of which address themes of community, ownership, and found objects. By housing these works within the structure of the cardboard home, the exhibition blurs the boundaries between art and space. It serves to find humor in life’s contradictions. It is a reminder that even in the face of loss, connection and creativity can emerge, offering us new ways to navigate the world around.