VITA

Jan Kuck, born 1978 in Hannover, lives and works in Berlin and Munich and is represented by the artist agency Bernheimer Contemporary, headquartered in Berlin.

In his conceptual art he pointedly works out both the wit and the tragedy of our society. An important theme that runs through all of his work is the varied use of light, often in conjunction with words.

Kucks intention is to illustrate a humorous critical point of view.
His focus lies on conceptional and performance art. This can be expressed through criticism of the unreflected awkward decadency of our nowadays society or even by playful constructions of reality. His ideas and conceptual art is expressed through all different kinds of media: sculptures, installations, video works, performances and design.

Kucks art – and design works are a mirror of his biography.
At first he studied law, a path that he has to left shortly before his first state examination, cause the stiff environment would have led him straight into insanity. The logical outcome for Kuck was to engage in the studies of philosophy and history in order to understand how artistic approaches can be transformed into concepts and performances.
His master’s thesis in philosophy considered the question, how the standard of living is affected by the money paradigm of our economic systems.

In 2012, under director Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Jan Kuck had his first major gallery exhibition (PACKET-SOUP) at the non-commercial gallery SAVVY Contemporary Berlin, which was held under great media attention.

In October 2013 he presented his design sculpture – the T.TABLE – at JR Gallery Berlin to a selected audience and therefore received considerable national and international press attention.

From June 2014 Jan Kuck has been represented by BERNHEIMER CONTEMPORARY. Since than until March 2022 he took part in almost 70 exhibitions in Germany and also worldwide.

Among others: Benefit Auctions for the Pinakothek der Moderne Munich, Arsenale Docks during the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale, Highlights Art Fair Munich, Art Fair Budapest, Ansbach Biennale, Genoa Biennale, SOFA CHICAGO Art fair, State Textile- and Industrymuseum Augsburg, Deutsches Museum Munich, Palazzo Ducale Genoa.

Especially his last exhibitions received great attention in the press and art scene. After his solo presentation at Kunsthalle München Time to talk now! (April 2019), Jan Kuck spoke at TEDx Munich and was the first light artist to get the chance to play the Munich Siegestor during MCBW 2020 with his light installation DESIGN! or NO SIGN?

His largest art installation in public space to date is THE BURNING RIVER, for which he set nearly 100 meters of Munich‘s Isar River at the height of the Deutsches Museum seemingly ablaze with industrial lasers in March 2020, asking people from all over the world to answer the question „What are you burning for?“

From summer to fall 2021, numerous of his neon signs were exhibited in Munich, Augsburg and Passau as part of the Designwalk.Art exhibition, including in front of the synagogue in Munich.

In August 2022, he exhibited several of his art-works in the park of Schloss Bellevue at the Federal President‘s Citizens‘ Festival.
From Mai 2022 until the beginning of 2023 two of his TIME MATTERS neon-works were installed at the historic entrance gate of the Protestant Central Cemetery Regensburg.

Currently he is preparing national and international solo and group shows, as well as installations in the public space of several major European cities.

„Art is philosophy that sets in with multidimensional beauty and sharp wit, where words alone are no longer sufficient to ask the really basic, disturbing, and above all, inspirational questions.“
Jan Kuck

EXHIBITIONS & TALKS

UPCOMING:
2024 (April – May) Die Tänzerin von Auschwitz @ Pasinger Fabrik, Munich

PRESENT:
2023 (from April 2023 – permanently) TIME MATTERS @ MAIIIM Genoa, Italy

PAST:
2024 (January) Segrete Tracce di Memoria Stazione Germania @ Sankt-Jakobs-Platz, Munich

2023 (November) NEVER AGAIN …IS NOW! @ Munich town hall balcony Marienplatz

2023 (November) SOAP @ Luxembourg Art Week at the booth of bechter kastowsky galerie, Luxembourg

2023 (October) WHO CARES @ Art and Beat Party @ Museum für konkrete Kunst, Ingoldstadt

2023 (September) ARACHNE & more – Berlin Artweek @ Bermel von Luxburg Gallery, Berlin

2023 (June – July) „sali e tabacchi“ with Peter Vahlefeld @ Galerie Michael Heufelder, Munich

2023 (Mai) Art Karlsruhe @ Malte Uekermann Kunsthandel

2023 (Mai) Parallel Editions 2023 Vienna @ Bernheimer Contemporary with Kronsbein Gallery & MKK Ingoldstadt

2023 (January) WORDS ARE OVERESTIMATED @ Gallery Koppelmann, Cologne

2023 (February) ARACHNE, Copenhagen Light Festival 2023

2022 (from May until December) MUCBOOK CLUBHAUS „FRANZI“, Munich

2022 (May – December) Unheimlich Still, Contemporary Art on Bavarian Cemeteries, Regensburg

2022 (November) ART COLOGNE @ Malte Uekermann Kunsthandel, Berlin

2022 (October) „Jede:r macht Geschichte – aber nicht jede:r wird dabei so sichtbar“ über Sophie Scholl @ Kulturforum Klosterkirche, Traunstein

2022 (August – September) TIME MATTERS @ Malte Uekermann Kunsthandel, Berlin

2022 (August) TIME MATTERS @ Federal President‘s Citizens‘ Festival in Schloss Bellevue, Berlin

2022 (April)
DesignWalk.Art PART II, Art in public space @ Nuremberg

2022 (April)
ART Düsseldorf – Main Artist @Allianz Lounge, Düsseldorf

2022 (March – April)
Honey, it’s all about money! Neons & NFT @Bonhams Munich

2021 (September – October)
DesignWalk.Art, Art in public space @ Munich, Augsburg, Passau

2021 (June)
TIME MATTERS @ Pallazo Ducale Genoa, Italy

2021 (06th March – 14th March)
DESIGN IS EVERYWHERE @ MCBW Munich

2020 -2021 (May – February)
Amish Quilts meet Modern Art, tim | Staatliches Textil- und Industriemuseum, Augsburg

2020 (November)
PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne e.V. – 18. BENEFIZAUKTION, Munich

2020 (July – August)
Gruppenausstellung bei Michael Heufelder, München

2020 (7th March – 15th March)
The Burning River @ Isar, Munich

2020 (18th February – 17th March)
DESIGN! or NO SIGN? @ Siegestor Munich, MCBW Munich

November 2019
Art Düsseldorf Bernheimer Fine Art, Düsseldorf

2019 (10th November)
TEDx Munich – BACK TO THE FUTURE,Munich

2019 (April)
Jan Kuck TIME TO TALK NOW @ Kunsthalle München, Munich

2019 (January – February)
BC-PopUp @ Potsdamer Platz, Berlin

2018 (October)
VANITAS IS CONTEMPORARY, BC-PopUp @ Gallery Jordanow, Munich

2018 (30th September)
Respect & Liberty – salon talk with Dr. J. R. Horta (Nobel Peace Prize Winner) and Dr. K. B. Murr (director State Textile and Industry Museum Augsburg)

2018 (September)
POSITIONS Art Fair, Stand Telefonseelsorge, Berlin

2018 (September)
GOLD – Galerie Valentien, Stuttgart

2018 (September – October)
MONUMENTA – intelligence of many, Leipzig

2018 (June)
paper positions basel, Bernheimer Contemporary, Basel

2018 (April – June)
WONDERLAND I & II at historischer Kornversuchsspeicher, Berlin

2018 (February)
Temporary Culture Artlab at historischer Kornversuchsspeicher, Berlin

2018 (January – February)
SEGRETE Tracce di Memoria – Artisti alleati in memoria della Shoah, Genova Italy

2017 (November – December)
HISTORY IS NOW – solo exhibition Jan Kuck @ ANNA LAUDEL contemporary, Istanbul,Turkey

2017 (September)
ART MARKET BUDAPEST – Bernheimer Contemporary, Budapest Hungary

2017 (September)
MATERIAL BOYS & GIRLS – PART II @ Bernheimer Contemporary, Berlin

2017 (September)
Contemporary Istanbul 2017 Art Fair @ ANNA LAUDEL contemporary

2017 (September)
MATERIAL BOYS & GIRLS – PART I @ Pictet, Munich

2017 (June – July)
WE ALL LOVE ART @ Schlachthaus.fresh&fine art SevenStarGallery

2017 (July – August)
Biennale “Le latitudini dell’arte” 3° ediz. Germania e Italia

2016 – 2017 (November – July)
ARACHNE – Staatliches Textil- und Industriemuseum Augsburg – tim Bayern, Augsburg Germany

2017 (April – June)
MIXED REALITIES @ Bernheimer Contemporary, Berlin

2017 (March)
ARACHNE – MCBW FORUM @ Deutsches Museum, Munich

2017 (February)
art KARLSRUHE intenational art fair, Bernheimer Contemporary, Karlsruhe Germany

2017 (January – February)
LET‘S PLAY ?!, Bernheimer Contemporary @ Galerie Kremers, Berlin

2016 (December 2016 – February 2017)
WHEN DID WE STOP PLAYING – ART350 / Anna Laudel Contemporary, Istanbul

2016 (November)
SOFA CHICAGO Art fair – Berengo Studio, Chicago USA

2016 (October – November)
stARTart by BC, Berlin – Bernheimer Contemporary @ Palais an der Oper, Munich

2016 (October)
7th Benefiz-Kunstauktion Preview @ mianki.Gallery – Stiftung Telefonseelsorge, Berlin

2016 (November)
7. Benefiz-Kunstauktion @ BERLINISCHE GALERIE – Stiftung Telefonseelsorge, Berlin

2016 (October)
ART MARKET BUDAPEST – Bernheimer Contemporary, Budapest Hungary

2016 (September) 
WIDE(R)KUNST @ Holzmarkt Berlin

2016 (August – September)
Ansbach Contemporary- 1st Biennale for Contempoary Art at the residential city Ansbach

2016 (July – September)
PLASTIC Obsession @ Umweltbundesamt, Dessau

2016 (July – August)
ARACHNE – during la Biennale di Venezia – 15th Intl. Architecture Exhibition @ Arsenale Docks – Castello 40, 30122 Venice

2016 (April – June 2016)
What would I die for? – Bernheimer Contemporary @ Residenz Monijou, Berlin

2016 (March)
KIK EIGHT . GANZ GROSSES KINO – curated by Rachel Rits-Volloch, Constanze Kleiner and David Szauder @ Kino International Berlin

2016 (February – April)
Reflection . self-reflection – Bernheimer Contemporary @ Residenz Monbijou, Berlin

2015 (December)
Berlin and Munich in artistic dialogue – m+projekt Kunstraum, Munich

2015 (November – December)
THE TASTE OF ADDICTION – Bernheimer Contemporary @ Residenz Monbijou, Berlin

2015 (December)
nice from far from nice – Pop-Up Restaurant with Bernheimer Contemporary & Moritz von Hohenzollern – Munich

2015 (November)
PIN. Freunde der Pinakothek der Moderne e.V. – 13. BENEFIZAUKTION 2015, Munich

2015 (October)
HIGHLIGHTS International Art Fair Munich – Gallery Bernheimer / Colnaghi, Munich/London

2015 (July – August)
Who Cares? Social Responsibility in Contemporary Art – Bernheimer Contemporary @ Residenz Monbijou, Berlin

2014 (November)
HIGHLIGHTS International Art Fair Munich – Gallery Bernheimer / Colnaghi, Munich/London

2014 (September)
VANTIAS – Bernheimer Contemporary as guest at Bernheimer Fine Old Masters, Munich

2014 (May – August)
The T.TABLE II – Q110 – Die Deutsche Bank der Zukunft, Berlin

2013 (October – November)
The T.TABLE I – JRGallery, Berlin