As part of the contemporary art festival ‘Made in Potsdam 2026’, a double exhibition featuring painter Max Grote and photographer Lisa Krauß will open on Saturday, 17 January 2026, at 4 p.m. at Kunstraum Potsdam / Waschhaus.
Image above: Kunstraum Potsdam / Waschhaus, Foto: © Veranstalter
Max Grote‘s exhibition ‘Vanitasparade’ moves between residences and the present, combining an old master’s style with a contemporary perspective in large-format works. In dark, dramatic scenes, he shows horse figures, portraits and self-portraits, as well as full-body studies. Grote uses his artistic work to reflect on himself, his body image and his position in the art world. For him, art is a means of self-questioning and engaging with his own experience and artistic tradition, rather than a tool for conveying social messages. The focus is on painting as an autonomous, reflective artistic practice.
Max Grote (born in 2003 in Berlin) currently lives in Hamburg. He initially studied at the Berlin-Weißensee Academy of Art and has been continuing his artistic training at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts (HFBK) since 2024, where he is a student in Jorinde Voigt’s class. Max Grote had his first studio at the Potsdam Computer Centre. Grote is represented in Potsdam by the Galerie Schindler.
Photographer Lisa Krauß also works under the pseudonym Syndrolin. In her exhibition ‘Echoes of Transformation,’ she invites viewers into an experimental visual world where reality and imagination intersect. Her photographs explore transitions between light and darkness, body and abstraction, form and material, revealing transformation as an open, multi-layered process.
Lisa Krauß (born in 1999 in Potsdam) completed her photography training at the Lette Verein Berlin and previously studied graphic and visual design at the Babelsberg Media School.
Made in Potsdam is an annual festival initiated by fabrik Potsdam and Kunstraum Potsdam / Waschhaus that brings together local and international artists who live in Potsdam or have worked here as artists in residence.
The genres on display range from dance to sound to image. The 2026 edition of the festival will feature works by artists such as Current Works, Laura Gary, Johanna Ackva, Max Grote, Lisa Krauß, Yotam Peled & Nitzan Moshe, Silvia Remigio and many more.
The festival sees itself as a meeting place between artists and audiences, between the city and the world, and between memory and new beginnings. It aims to initiate a multifaceted conversation about what moves people and about the art of being present in the moment. Made in Potsdam is supported by the state capital Potsdam, with funding from the Brandenburg Ministry of Science, Research and Culture and radio3.
WHEN?
Vernissage: Saturday, 17. January 2026, 4:00 pm
Exhibition dates: Sunday, 18. January until Sunday, 15. February 2026
Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday, 1:00–6:00 pm
WHERE?
Kunstraum Potsdam / Waschhaus
Schiffbauergasse 4D
14467 Potsdam
and other festival venues
