With works fresh from the studio, CSR.ART continues its opening exhibition in collaboration with Galerie Martin Mertens at the iconic BIKINI BERLIN building – and brings new inspiration in the second part of FINE ART! Following the kick-off at CSR.ART’s new location in Charlottenburg with works by Thorbjørn Bechmann, Sébastien Gaudette and Sebastian Herzau, FINE ART! II opens up an expanded dialogue. With Jens Hausmann and Jan Muche, the second half of the exhibition adds two contemporary artists whose works enrich the existing spectrum with new perspectives on space and abstraction. The thematic bracket continues to be formed by the expression ‘fine art’ – an art term that conveys high standards of technique, concept and deeper meaning. Fine art is not only about representation, aesthetics and reflection, but also about art that is culturally and intellectually relevant and whose levels of meaning are waiting to be discovered. The techniques used are often rooted in the long tradition of painting, sculpture or graphic art. The opening of FINE ART! II will take place on Thursday, 28 August 2025, from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibition will be on display at BIKINI BERLIN until 6 September 2025.
Image above: Sebastian Herzau and Jan Muche, Installation view FINE ART! II at CSR.ART, August 2025, photo: ART at Berlin
CSR.ART Contemporary Show Room once again demonstrates its flexibility – the concept of a temporary, experimental exhibition space does not follow the static exhibition approach of traditional galleries, but rather creates an open, variable space for reflection. Thus, the second part of FINE ART! is not an addendum, but rather a conceptual expansion – a new chapter that gains additional depth through the inclusion of further artistic positions.
Jens Hausmann (born 1964, Germany) focuses on architecture as a stage. His paintings depict rooms and façades that are based on real models but become imaginary settings in their painterly execution. Colours and perspectives create an atmosphere of unreality that is both precise and enigmatic. People are nowhere to be found in Jens Hausmann’s paintings. Their presence as the creators of the buildings is obvious. Yet they remain hidden.
Jan Muche (born 1975, Germany) works with a language of structures. His paintings and collages are reminiscent of bridge constructions, electricity pylons or industrial fragments that transform into abstract networks. Using ink, acrylic, and materials such as ash, Muche creates images that appear like traces of technical memory – between construction and dissolution. The shifting perspectives, plays of colour, and layers that Jan Muche creates in his works generate a visual pull that viewers cannot escape.
The three artists who were already featured in the first part of FINE ART! also remain influential in the dialogue. Thorbjørn Bechmann (born 1966, Denmark) unfolds flowing colour spaces on his canvases, in which the subtlest overlays of transparency and density create an intense interplay of proximity and distance. He creates them through the use of pigment and thin oil and from the movement of the canvas itself, without any further aids.
Sébastien Gaudette (born 1984, CAN) presents wall objects made of aluminium that appear like folded notepads or crumpled and scribbled paper, or like a page that someone has just torn out of a college notebook. He creates the perfect illusion, thereby disrupting our perception of materiality.
Sebastian Herzau (born 1980, Germany) also brings painting into an unsettling proximity to reality. At first glance, his works appear to be photographs – a portrait that looks like a cropped print, with adhesive tape that seems to be stuck to the canvas. But none of it is what it appears to be: everything is painted, the ‘photo,’ the ‘tape,’ even its creases. It is precisely this precise deception that gives his paintings their power. They play with perception, authenticity and trust in what we see – and thus open up a reflection on the relationship between appearance and reality in contemporary painting.
The interplay of these five voices creates a field of tension that ranges from architectural imaginations to material experiments to intense painterly gestures. FINE ART! II thus not only shows additional works, but also how an exhibition can be continued – as an open conversation that constantly opens up new perspectives.
Since 2022, CSR.ART has been presenting contemporary art regardless of age, origin or gender. With experimental exhibitions at temporary locations – such as Berlin’s Friedrichstraße or Sacrow Palace – the project promotes intercultural exchange. It is sponsored by the non-profit organisation DEEDS.LAB gUG, which develops concepts and raises the profile of artists in cooperation with partners.
Founded in Berlin-Mitte in 2006, Galerie Martin Mertens showcases young international artists with a focus on contemporary art, craftsmanship and artistic independence. Its programme includes painting, drawing, photography, object art and sculpture; in addition to exhibitions in Berlin, it is also active at international art fairs and in collaborations.
BIKINI BERLIN is a concept mall in the west of the city, opened in 2014 after the renovation of the historic Bikini House, which dates back to 1957. The building owes its name to the open middle floor, which was reminiscent of 1950s swimwear – „oben watt, unten watt, und in der Mitte nüscht“ (> ‘something on top, something on the bottom, and nothing in the middle,’) as they used to say in Berlin. Spread over three floors, BIKINI BERLIN offers designer boutiques, galleries, concept stores, cafés, the Kantini street food court and a roof terrace with views of the zoo.
WHEN?
Vernissage FINE ART! II:
Thursday, 28. August 2025, 6 – 9 pm
Exhibition dates FINE ART! I & FINE ART! II:
Friday, 8. August until Saturday, 6. September 2025
open Mon – Sat 10 am – 7 pm
WHERE?
CSR.ART
Budapester Str. 38-50
Entrance on the left side of the building (towards Zoo Palast)
On the ground floor, immediately on the left
10787 Berlin
