Ivana de Vivanco

Villa Merkel is organising the first solo museum exhibition of the Chilean-Peruvian artist Ivana de Vivanco (*1989 in Lisbon, lives and works in Berlin). In her works, she deals with the post-colonial heritage in Chile and Peru, religious and cultural practices, mythological themes, indigenous ways of knowing, sexuality and patriarchal power structures. She combines painting, video and sculpture with theatrical elements to unite historical research and fiction. The presentation at Villa Merkel focuses on the unique landscape of the Atacama Desert, lithium mining and the local living conditions. To this end, it uses the figure of the snake as a leitmotif, reinterpreting it from mythological, religious and visual-historical tradition and expanding it speculatively.

Ivana de Vivanco, o.T. (Ausschnitt), 2025 © Uwe Walter, Courtesy of the artist

8 March - 7 June 2026

Opening: Saturday, 7 March, 5 pm

Anti Heroes

Jakob Collection x Grischa Hyazinth Kaczmarek

Even as a teenager, art collector Lukas Jakob (*1998 in Freiburg im Breisgau, lives and works there) found identification and inspiration for his own world view in the visual arts. In the exhibition, works from his collection relate this personal approach to art to the motif of the antihero. The exhibition thus takes a look at collecting from the perspective of Generation Z.

The presentation of the Bahnwärter scholarship holder Grischa Kaczmarek follows on the same floor in two rooms. He is also connected to the Jakob Collection through his exploration of post-heroic masculinity, queer identity and popular culture.

Co-curator: Lukas Jakob

Jaime Welsh „The Ambassadors Suite (revisited)“ 2022 © Jakob Collection

10 July - 4 October 2026

Opening: Thursday, 9 July, 7 pm

Julia Steiner

The Swiss artist Julia Steiner (*1982 in Büren zum Hof, Switzerland, lives and works in Basel) combines expansive drawings, which are created site-specifically, with installations and sculptural works. Using black gouache, blunt brushes and without any preliminary drawings, she creates large-format works that deal with fundamental themes from nature. A central leitmotif is the examination of transience, whereby repetition and care emerge as constant, universal principles of order. Julia Steiner has received several awards, including the Manor Art Prize and the Swiss Art Award.

The exhibition is sponsored by Kreissparkasse Esslingen-Nürtingen.

Julia Steiner „fluttering lights“ 2024, Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing-Lucerne-Zurich-Ardez. Exhibition view of Arcadia, Bally Foundation, Lugano, Switzerland, 2024-2025 © Andrea Rossetti

10 July - 4 October 2026

Opening: Thursday, 9 July, 7 pm

Olaf Holzapfel x Raul Walch

Olaf Holzapfel (*1967 in Dresden, lives and works in Berlin) and Raul Walch (*1980 in Frankfurt am Main, lives and works in Berlin) are developing a joint presentation on the upper floor of Villa Merkel and in Merkelpark. In object paintings and sculptural works, Olaf Holzapfel uses traditional half-timbered and wickerwork techniques. His works focus on ecological and social issues and refer to building forms that are rarely used but at the same time point to the future. Raul Walch works with moving textile installations, banners and participative projects that incorporate wind, space and community. His sculptures open up social and ecological perspectives.

Olaf Holzapfel, Linde Tilleul, 2024, Courtesy of the artist, Knust Kunz Gallery, München and Xippas Gallery, Genève © Studio Olaf Holzapfel

23 October - 22 November 2026

Opening: Thursday, 22 October, 7 pm

Meisterschüler:innen, Weißenhof-Programm der Bildenden Kunst

der Staatlichen Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart

For the tenth time, Villa Merkel, in cooperation with the der Staatlichen Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart is presenting the graduates of the postgraduate programme ‘Meisterschüler:in im Weißenhof-Programm der Bildenden Kunst’. Outstanding graduates develop and realise a project within three semesters.

Denise Blickhan, Elif Çelik, Stefanie Fleischhauer, Junho Jeong, Yeeun Kim, Charlotte Klinger, Johannes Ocker, Yasamin Saffarian, Angela Vanini, Hannah Zenger