My artistic practice spans drawing, collage, photography, and printmaking, though painting remains its central focus. Conceptually, my works draw from by visual impressions from a wide range of sources — including personal experiences, my own photographs, imagery from popular media, and references drawn from art history.
In painting, I am particularly interested in the fragile moment when perception begins to shift: when lines, fragments, and areas of color form recognizable images, and the eye starts to perceive figures, landscapes, or faces.
From a distance, some of my works may appear almost photorealistic. Yet upon closer inspection, the motifs begin to dissolve, revealing traces of their making — layers, displacements, and painterly interventions become visible, exposing the constructed nature of the image.
The different layers exist in an ongoing dialogue: they accumulate, conceal, and respond to one another. Earlier marks remain present, reappear, or recede beneath new applications of paint. In this way, the act of painting itself becomes an integral part of the work.
In the ‘Gallery’ you will find a small selection of my works. Please feel free to enquire about which works are available. Studio visits are also welcome. Please contact me by email.
I look forward to hearing from you!
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Meine künstlerische Praxis umfasst Medien wie Zeichnung, Collage, Fotografie und Druckgrafik, findet ihren Schwerpunkt jedoch in der Malerei. Inhaltlich speisen sich die Arbeiten aus visuellen Eindrücken unterschiedlichster Herkunft — von persönlichen Erlebnissen und eigenen Fotografien bis hin zu Bildwelten populärer Medien und kunsthistorischen Referenzen.
Im malerischen Prozess interessiert mich insbesondere der fragile Moment, in dem Wahrnehmung zu kippen beginnt: wenn sich aus Linien, Fragmenten und Farbfeldern plötzlich gegenständliche Formen herausbilden und das Auge beginnt, Figuren, Landschaften, oder Gesichter zu lesen.
Aus der Distanz können manche meiner Arbeiten beinahe fotorealistisch erscheinen. In der Nahsicht jedoch brechen die Motive auf und offenbaren Spuren des Entstehungsprozesses — Überlagerungen, Verschiebungen und malerische Eingriffe treten sichtbar hervor und machen die Konstruktion des Bildes erfahrbar.
Die einzelnen Schichten stehen dabei in einem fortlaufenden Dialog miteinander: Sie verdichten, überdecken und ergänzen sich gegenseitig. Frühere Spuren bleiben erhalten, tauchen erneut auf oder verschwinden partiell unter neuen Farbebenen. So wird der malerische Prozess selbst zu einem wesentlichen Bestandteil der Arbeit.
In der ‘Gallery’ finden Sie eine kleine Auswahl meiner Arbeiten. Gerne können Sie sich nach verfügbaren Werken erkundigen. Atelierbesuche sind ebenfalls willkommen. Bitte kontaktieren Sie mich per E-Mail.
Ich freue mich von Ihnen zu hören!
E-Mail: info@ulrikekessler.artVita
Exhibitions
2025
Participation "GEDOK Debut" at Schwarzes Kloster, Freiburg, Germany.
2025
Participation "Kunst-Werk-Schau" des BBK im T66 Kulturwerk (Members' Exhibition at T66 Cultural Center), Freiburg, Germany.
2025
Participation "Die Jurierte" (Juried art show), Artischock, Zurich, Switzerland.
2025
Participation "Klein und Fein", Opening Exhibition of the GEDOK | K5 space, Freiburg, Germany.
2024
Participation "Paradise Lost?", Stapflehus Museum Weil a. Rh., Germany.
2024
Participation "Spuren der Zeit", Dreiländermuseum Loerrach, Germany.
2024
Participation "Mail Art", Markgräfler Museum Muellheim, Germany.
2023
Participation "Kreativität ist frei sein", Markgräfler Museum Muellheim, Germany.
2023
Participation Winter Exhibition Art Associations Lörrach, Schopfheim, and Weil am Rhein, Germany.
2020
Solo-Exhibition "Something Deep Inside": Paintings, Drawings, Artist Books, Freiburg, Germany.
2019
Exhibition "Traces": Drawings, Paintings, Prints (together with Helen Boyd), Hong Kong, China.
2010
Participation "Seite um Seite", Forum Künstlerbuch Basel, at Galerie Zimmermannhaus, Brugg, Switzerland.
Memberships
BBK Berufsverband Bildender Künstler Südbaden (German professional association of visual artists, Südbaden Section).
GEDOK, Gemeinschaft der Künstlerinnen und Kunstfördernden Südbaden (German association of female visual artists and art funders, Südbaden Section).
Membership Verwertungsgesellschaft (VG) BildKunst (German collective management organization for visual artists’ copyright and related rights), Frankfurt / Main, Germany.
Memberships in Art Associations:
Kunstverein Freiburg, Germany /
Kunstverein Weil am Rhein, Germany /
Verein Bildende Kunst Lörrach, Germany /
Artischock, Zurich, Switzerland.
Works in private art collections
Basel (Switzerland), Berlin (Germany), Düsseldorf (Germany), Hamburg (Germany), Hong Kong (China), Loerrach (Germany), Minneapolis (MN, U.S.A), Muellheim (Germany), New York City (NYC, U.S.A), Sao Paolo (Brazil), Vancouver (Canada), Wien (Austria), Zürich (Switzerland).
Education (art-related)
Since 2023
Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Academy of the Fine Arts) Kolbermoor, Germany: Summer Academy with Prof. Markus Lüpertz, Berlin, Germany.
2023
Black Pond Studio, Rehobot, MA, U.S.A.: Seminars with Jennifer Pochinski, BFA, Providence, RI, U.S.A.
2021 - 2025
Freie Kunstakademie Augsburg, Germany, and Kunstfabrik Wien, Austria: Seminars with Mag. Bogdan Pascu, Vienna, Austria.
2021 - 2023
Weekly evening classes (online) with Felix Eckardt, Hamburg, Germany.
2021 - 2022
Akademie der Bildenden Künste (Academy of the Fine Arts) Kolbermoor, Germany: Study programme Drawing and Painting, with Felix Eckardt, Hamburg, Germany.
2019
Kunstakademie Allgäu, Germany: Grossformatige Malerei (Large Scale Painting), with Dagmar Wassong, Trier, Germany.
2018 and 2019
International Summer Academy of Fine Arts Venice, Italy: Several Painting Masterclasses, with Wolf Werdigier, Vienna, Austria, and Virginie Bailly, Brussels, Belgium.
2018
Art Students League, New York, U.S.A.: Painting, Composition, Color: class of Margret McCann, New York, U.S.A., and Expressive Watercolor: class of Elizabeth Allison, New York, U.S.A.
2017 - 2021
School of Applied Arts / Schule fuer Gestaltung, SfG, Basel, Switzerland: Drawing Experiments: class of Esther Hiepler, Basel; Experimental Pictorial Processes: class of Simone Berger, Liestal; Elementary Colour: class of Liliane Steiner, Basel.
2009 - 2010
School of Applied Arts / Schule fuer Gestaltung, SfG, Basel, Switzerland: Relief printing, toner transfer, experimental printing: class of Krassimira Drenska Wirz, Basel, SfG.
1998 - 2021
Regular attendance at evening classes at School of Applied Arts / Schule fuer Gestaltung, SfG, Basel, Switzerland: drawing, nude drawing, photography, etching, engraving, serigraphy.
1995 - 1998
First art courses at the local community centre: drawing, nude drawing, oil painting and art history with Johannes Buchholz (now Berlin and Essen).
Curriculum vitae (Selection)
Since 2018
Working freelance in my own studio.
2014-2022
Swiss International Law School (SiLS) Co-Founder (2014), Educational director (2014-2017), CEO (2017-2018), Chair of SiLS Association (2018-2022).
2007-2010
Master studies at the University of Central Lancashire, graduation (MSc) with a qualitative study on the quality of the education at a private Swiss educational institution in 2011.
1985-2014
Psychotherapist and homoeopathic practitioner, teacher, and supervisor in Freiburg, Germany and Basel, Switzerland.
Numerous travels (India, Egypt, United States, Patagonia, Japan, Hong Kong, Bhutan, Thailand, New Zealand, Cameroon, Fidji, Tonga, Bali, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Australia, Guatemala, Mexico, Seychelles, Iceland, and others).