SVEN
DRÜHL
Constructing
Nature
This video showcases Sven Drühl’s studio in northern Berlin, where eras quietly intersect. Paintings from his private 19th-century collection line the walls, while the floor—marked by dried lacquer and scraps of tape—speaks to the meticulous processes behind his own contemporary landscapes. In soft autumn light, Drühl demonstrates how he lifts masking strips from his lacquer paintings with a cutter knife, careful not to harm the glossy surface. As each strip comes off, ridges, waves, and mountain silhouettes emerge, revealing the high degree of planning, skill, and material expertise at the core of his practice.This visit offers an intimate look behind F.N.J.–K.S.T., Drühl’s exhibition at KÖNIG GALERIE, presented in collaboration with museums in Lucerne and Wiesbaden. Featuring silicone paintings, lacquer works, and sculptures from the Dark series, the show explores how we construct and digitally consume landscapes today. Drühl samples historical artworks, computer-generated vector graphics, and mathematical models to create scenes that feel familiar yet resist direct location—like landscapes remembered rather than observed.
Surrounded by 19th-century paintings in his studio, Drühl’s work forms a bridge across time—from Romantic visions to today’s screen-mediated nature. His landscapes, cool and quietly distant, invite reflection on how we imagine, remember, and reproduce the natural world in an age of technological change and ecological uncertainty.
