NEWS – Manzur Kargar

Olympic Gathering of the Gods – Manzur Kargar at Kunstraum Heilig Geist

From April 26 to June 14, Kunstraum Heilig Geist at the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site will present the exhibition “OLYMP” by Berlin-based artist Manzur Kargar, curated by Jürgen Kalthoff.

The exhibition centers on large-format oil paintings in which Kargar reinterprets the Olympic deities of antiquity through an opulent, contemporary visual language. In doing so, he combines classical figurative painting with influences from digital visual culture, advertising, and glossy aesthetics. The result is powerful, color-intensive works that link ancient mythology with current social issues.

An accompanying program of lectures and panel discussions explores key themes of the exhibition. Questions of power, beauty, identity, and the ambivalence of human traits are reflected in the depicted divine figures, opening a dialogue between antiquity and the present.

With the Kunstraum Heilig Geist as the exhibition venue, Kargar’s work encounters an extraordinary architectural setting: the former church, an outstanding building by Pritzker Prize laureate Gottfried Böhm, combines postwar sacred modernism with contemporary art and offers an impressive space for this interdisciplinary project.

Opening: Sunday, April 26, 2026, 4:00 p.m.

Exhibition dates: April 27 – June 14, 2026

Location: Kunstraum Heilig Geist at the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site, Meybuschhof 9, 45327 Essen

Hours: Sat–Sun, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM and by appointment

ALLES WAS IHR WOLLT

Galerie Z22 Zähringerstr. 22 10707 Berlin

On display at C&B REICHERT Gallery presenting ‚Akt(uell), a group show with works by Myriam Gross Mall, Manzur Kargar, and Bernd Reichert.

Please join us on Thursday, September 4, from 19:00 to 22:00 for the opening reception.

The show runs during #berlinartweek and until October, 25.

Some time ago, a statue was removed from the foyer of a Federal Office in Berlin-Weißensee: an 18th century bronze cast of the Venus Medici, considered one of the most important figures in art history. The reason given for its removal was that it was perceived as sexist. The statue was then given to the Grassi Museum in Leipzig.

According to art historian #HorstBredekamp, the purpose of a work of art is to fulfil different expectations and allow for interpretation. Art therefore enjoys special protection in the constitution. The removal of a historical figure such as the Venus Medici is an attack on the freedom of art and the beginning of a new iconoclasm, Bredekamp said in the FAZ.

In this context, the C&B Reichert Galerie is showing three contemporary artists who deal with the naked human body in their paintings. Their works take up the iconographic heritage of the Venus, questioning the classical ideal of beauty and develop it further.

Akt(uell)

* Opening: September 4, 19:00-22:00

* Exhibition: September 5 – October 25, 2025

* Fasanenstraße 29 (Passage), 10719 Berlin-Charlottenburg

05.05.2025 release of „The Hotel“, the first album of SHE WILL LISTEN on all streaming platforms and also on VINYL!!! (limited edition of 300)

12 brand new tracks

by SHE WILL LISTEN
Lilian Maria Bond: vocals & bass
Manzur Kargar: guitars & programming
All tracks by:Lilian Maria Bond & Manzur Kargar, all lyrics by Lilian Maria Bond
Production: SHE WILL LISTEN with valuable inputby Johannes Einfalt
Mastering: Claus Hartisch @ Tonvision
Cover artwork: SHE WILL LISTEN

Jubiläumsausstellung 13.03.-30.04.2025

Feiern Sie mit uns unser grosses Jubiläum am 13.03.2025 von 18-20 Uhr

Melden Sie sich gerne für die Gästeliste.

Das Artwork unserer Einladung stammt übrigens von Manzur Kargar. Wir zeigen das Oevre ebenfalls in unserer Ausstellung als Original Kunstwerk in Öl auf Leinwand. Selbstverständlich können Sie es direkt erwerben.

Wir erwarten einen gemeinsamen unvergesslichen und inspirierenden Abend und freuen uns, Sie zu begrüßen!