ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

André Wendland's 'On Stage' Turns BETTER GO SOUTH into Theatrical Spectacle for Berlin Art Week 2026

exhibition · 2026-08-18

André Wendland's solo exhibition 'On Stage' opens at BETTER GO SOUTH during Berlin Art Week 2026, turning the gallery into a hybrid of stage, theatre, and elaborate visual trick. Large-format oil and acrylic paintings present curtains, proscenium-like frames, props, and disembodied hands, questioning how framing and light choreograph perception. Wendland takes cues from John Cage's focus on ordinary sound, shifting that logic to the visual through an 'economy of exaggeration.' Graphic outlines, drop-shadows, and luminous color fields make flat canvases behave spatially. Hand puppets stand in for human performers, suggesting spontaneity may be directed. Visitors become participants in the choreography. The presentation debuts September 9, 2026, at the gallery's Berlin space on Brunnenstraße, featuring works including 'A Storm is Coming,' 'Born Ready I and II,' 'Noise-Cancelling,' 'Echoes,' 'Can you believe it?,' and 'Entrance.'

Key facts

  • André Wendland's solo exhibition 'On Stage' debuts at BETTER GO SOUTH during Berlin Art Week 2026.
  • The exhibition features large-format paintings in oil and acrylic depicting curtains, proscenium frames, props, hands, and puppets.
  • Works were created during a summer residency in Berlin.
  • Wendland draws on John Cage's attention to ordinary sound, applying it visually.
  • He describes his approach as an 'economy of exaggeration.'
  • The exhibition opens September 9, 2026 at the gallery's Berlin space on Brunnenstraße.
  • Paintings include 'A Storm is Coming' (2026), 'Born Ready I' and 'Born Ready II' (both 2026, 50 x 40 cm), 'Noise-Cancelling' (2026, 50 x 40 cm), 'Echoes' (2026), 'Can you believe it?' (2025, 200 x 200 cm), and 'Entrance' (2026).
  • The presentation treats looking itself as a staged event, making viewers participants in its choreography.

Entities

Artists

  • André Wendland
  • John Cage
  • Iñaki Laguardia

Institutions

  • BETTER GO SOUTH
  • Berlin Art Week
  • designboom

Locations

  • Berlin
  • Germany
  • Brunnenstraße

Sources