The exhibition Solid Soft by German artist Hannes Uhlenhaut explores, through sculptural works, questions of memory, space, architecture, and the ways in which cultural and historical meanings shape our perception of the present.

In contemporary visual art, questions of memory and space often emerge in the dialectical tension between the self-contained sculptural work and its active intervention into architecture, that is, the site-specific installation. Hannes Uhlenhaut critically examines the systemic structures that shape our perception of material and space. Through a multidisciplinary approach, he explores whether, within the ruins of traditional sculpture, it is possible to articulate a space for a new, open visual experience grounded in historical findings. At the heart of the exhibition is a reflection on journeys between Leipzig and Brno, and on artistic practice as a dialogue between cities, as well as between art and architecture.

Material itself plays an important role in Uhlenhaut’s practice. Speaking about his use of porcelain, the artist says: “I am interested in porcelain as a material that combines luxury and status with fragility. I use this tension to transform familiar forms: weapons such as baseball bats and axes become valuable and vulnerable objects, shoes lose their function, and my reliefs bring together different cultural symbols and aesthetic elements into new, ambiguous constellations. I look forward to presenting porcelain and faux-marble reliefs alongside one another, revealing deeper connections and recurring motifs that run throughout my work.”

Hannes Uhlenhaut is a multidisciplinary sculptor and visual artist based in Leipzig. His distinctive sculptural language is grounded in the deconstruction and reconfiguration of iconographic types. His practice encompasses sculpture, relief, and spatial interventions, with a key focus on the transition from the autonomous object to a dialogue with architecture. Uhlenhaut actively incorporates cultural layers and local contexts into his work, blurring the boundaries between artist, object, and viewer.

Curator: Tamara Pavlechová