art karlsruhe 2026 has opened
Shanee Roe and KORNFELD Galerie receive art karlsruhe Prize
Felix Wagner honored with LBBW academy:square award
With a successful preview day on Wednesday and a festive opening on Thursday, art karlsruhe 2026 got off to a convincing start. Strong, positive feedback was already evident on the first day of the fair – from galleries, guests, and key players in the art and culture world. The quality of the audience was high, sales were numerous, and discussions were intense. Numerous important collectors from Germany and abroad, as well as curators from renowned cultural institutions in Karlsruhe and the surrounding region, visited the fair on the first day.
This positive response is also reflected in the overall perception of the fair: the carefully curated exhibitions, the increased internationality, and the high quality of the visitor experience are convincing both visitors and exhibitors. Exhibiting is worthwhile, according to the tenor of many galleries, which reported good sales on the very first day.
Shanee Roe and Galerie KORNFELD receive art karlsruhe prize
Fair director Britta Wirtz opened this year's edition of art karlsruhe together with Arne Braun, State Secretary in the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg, Dr. Frank Mentrup, Mayor of the City of Karlsruhe, Olga Blass, project manager of art karlsruhe, and Kristian Jarmuschek, chairman of the fair's advisory board. The highlight of the opening was the presentation of the art karlsruhe Prize to artist Shanee Roe, represented by Galerie KORNFELD in Berlin. The award, worth €15,000, is jointly sponsored by the City of Karlsruhe and the State of Baden-Württemberg. The prize includes the purchase of a work for the art karlsruhe Collection of the Kunstmuseum Karlsruhe. Gallery owner Freddy Kornfeld accepted the award, which was presented by Stefanie Patruno, director of the Kunstmuseum Karlsruhe.
"Shanee Roe is one of the distinctive voices in painting that understands the human body as a space for emotional and psychological experience. In her work, the figurative does not appear as mere representation, but as an existential proposition. The body becomes a place of inner movements, where intimacy, insecurity, and irony condense into a visual language that has an immediate effect while remaining multi-layered. It was precisely this visual world, with its raw tone and exclusive focus on the emotional intensity of the present moment, that particularly impressed us as a jury," said jury spokesperson Stefanie Patruno, explaining the decision on behalf of the entire jury. “At the center of her work are interpersonal relationships in all their fragility. Her figures seek rapprochement, but gestures remain unfinished, closeness appears as a longing in the tension between desire and defense. This openness of failure gives the images their emotional power.”
Felix Wagner wins LBBW academy:square award
The LBBW academy:square award was presented for the first time this year. The award went to Felix Wagner, a graduate of the State Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe. The award ceremony took place in the presence of Britta Wirtz, Mayor Gabriele Luczak-Schwarz, Stefanie Münz, member of the LBBW Board of Managing Directors, Sarah Haberkorn, Head of the LBBW Collection, Olga Blass, and Kristian Jarmuschek—a clear sign of the appreciation and support for this format for young talent. Wagner's works will be acquired for the renowned LBBW collection.
His work impresses with its sensitive exploration of urban space, whose tonal and visual qualities he translates into installation formats. Sound installations, photography, and objects combine—such as a deformed chewing gum machine or old screens—to create a powerful artistic language between noise and memory. With the special exhibition academy:square, which will launch in 2024, art karlsruhe, together with LBBW, is giving promising graduates from the three art academies in Baden-Württemberg (State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design, State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart) their own stage.
Complete gallery list: art-karlsruhe.en/galleries
Further information: art-karlsruhe.en, facebook.com/artkarlsruhe, instagram.com/art_karlsruhe, art-karlsruhe.de/linkedin
