Mimi Kohler

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Air Baby, Installation, 2026. PVC, Air, Sound 700cm x 450cm x 210cm What do you recall when you think back on your childhood vacations? Often, it is particular objects that give shape to our memories and stir feelings of nostalgia or longing. For Mimi Kohler, her childhood dream took shape as a 1.60-meter-tall, silver-gray inflatable dolphin with a dazed smile – the very embodiment of water fun and summer vacations. Nearly 30 years later, it becomesthe centerpiece of her solo exhibition “Air Baby” at KunstvereinNürtingen – as a relic, a personal memento, and an artistic focal point. What began as a playful endeavor evolved into an exploration of the symbolism and cultural history of the dolphin. Through it, Kohler examines questions of childhood, life choices, femininity, and sexuality.   The dolphin is enveloped in a sound piece. With “Guten Abend, Gute Nacht,” the artist sings Johannes Brahms’ lullaby that was once sung to her as a child. Now it is she who wishes to bring peace to the monumental image of her toy. Yet this remains impossible. Since their natural habitat offers no safe haven, dolphins sleep while swimming, with only one hemisphere of the brain shut down and one eye always open.    Despite the engagement with dreamlike, ethereal constructs, Mimi Kohler does not build castles in the air. She manifests a 7-meter-long inflatable dolphin. The sculpture doubles down on animal exaggeration: marine mammal and big cat collide. While leopard print is often read as a symbol of wildness, desire, and eroticism, the dolphin is among the animals that engage in sexuality both for pleasure and, at times, violently. Both aspects run counter to the image of the friendly, playful, gentle dolphin on which the inflatable toy is also based.   Mimi Kohler’s works pick up precisely here: through cross-references and with a wink, they lay bare such ambivalences. At the same time, they reflect on idealized images of the past. The dolphin becomes a symbol of how imagination and reality collide and diverge – a balancing act between social expectations and individual dreams. (Text: Antonia Rittgeroth @ain_tonia ) Photos: Johannes Ocker

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Warm invitation to my upcoming solo exhibition!! Air Baby 🐬 16.04. - 17.05.2026 Kunstverein Nürtingen Opening: 16.04. // 7:30 PM Welcome remarks: Josephine Bonnet @bonnet_josephine Opening remarks and curated by Antonia Rittgeroth @ain_tonia A road trip to the sea; a journey into an undefined future suddenlyleads Mimi Kohler (*1995) on a journey into her own past and to the ultimate childhood dream of every 90s beach vacation: the light gray, inflatable PVC dolphin with a dazed smile. Once towering over the artist at 1.60 meters, the two have now grown to the same size; the former giant has become both a personal bearerof memory and a relic, as well as the central axis of Kohler’s solo exhibition - Air Baby - at the Kunstverein Nürtingen. In a sound performance, it is Kohler herself who cradles her erstwhile companion, singing it to sleep, thus upending conventional notions of female fulfillment. As a monumental, air-filled sculpture patterned with leopard spots, the toy’s original function dissolves entirely; it appears trashy-glamorous, even erotic. Projections of femininity are invoked, enacted, and ultimately subverted. Through shifts in material and meaning—from inflatable plastic and ceramic to marble—Kohler’s new works challenge linear narratives of family, partnership, and motherhood, exposing them at once fragile and ambivalent. Along the myth of a harmless, playful dolphin, - Air Baby - unfolds a field of tension between care and loneliness, desire and rejection, where childhood memory collides with the contradictions of adult experience. (Text: Antonia Rittgeroth) Artist talk: Sunday, May 3, 2026, 4 PM Finissage: May 17, 2026, 4 PM Opening hours: Thu 5–8 PM, Sun 11 AM–5 PM, and by appointment (phone: 07022 41247) Poster: @iksenii @michael_gompf @kunstverein_nuertingen Kunstverein Nürtingen Galgenbergstraße 9 72622 Nürtingen @abkstuttgart

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Connecting to Reality, 2025. Installation (variable) During the most important art fair, when collectors from all over the world swarm through the city of Basel and the heavyweights of the gallery world are achieving record sales in the exhibition halls, the Broken Gallery, together with their Basel-based friends, presents works that were created at art academies—still far removed from the market: at a mobile exhibition booth, outdoors, and at changing locations. The booth looks exactly like a standard fair stand at Art Basel: a small white cube. “Attacke der Retroavantgarde” is a statement, a pseudo-radical proclamation, and a sales pitch all at once. The booth itself is a sculptural gesture that brings art into the fresh air and exposes it to daylight. It can be read as both a symbol of exclusion and inclusion. This intervention is a gesture that explores the tension between avant-garde and commerce. In a subtle yet pointed way, it calls on viewers to reflect on the art market - and the role that artists do and could play within it. As part of the performative exhibition “Attacke der Retroavantgarde” I presented a monumental silver chain made of metallized balloons. Titled “Connecting to Reality,” the work refers to its concrete anchoring in urban space. The booth, modeled after those at Art Basel, is chained to reality - like a bicycle - taken out of the air-conditioned fair halls and placed back into the real world. A big thank you goes to @christianjankowski_official , @tilmanneberwein , @the_chus_martinez , @filipaaaaaaaaaaa , @hgkbasel_institutkunst for their support in this project. To @susi.hinz – our savior and gifted artist. Thank you for your open heart. And last but not least, to my class!! @klasse_jankowski @thebrokengallery_official @abkstuttgart 💕 The work was shown in front of the Kunstmuseum Basel on June 20, 2025. @kunstmuseumbasel Photos: @jan_hottmann #artbasel #installation #performance #mimikohler #contemporyart #artist #artwork #metal #metalartwork #chain

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We’re really happy to be showing our Buttplug series in Berlin during Gallery Weekend!! ✨ HOLZWEGE OPEN GALLERY: 01.05.2026 18-22 Uhr 02.05 & 03.05.2026 12-18 Uhr Potsdamer Str. 97 10785 Berlin Im Denken des Deutschen Philosophen Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) ist der „Holzweg“ kein Irrtum, sondern ein Weg, der ins Offene läuft. Ausgehend von diesem Bild versammelt die Ausstellung „Holzwege“ zehn künstlerische Positionen, die keinem gemeinsamen Programm folgen und sich dennoch in einem gemeinsamen Denkraum begegnen. Die Ausstellung ist ein Versuch, drei Ebenen zusammenzuführen: Wahrnehmung, Realität und Kunst. Wie nehmen wir Realität wahr? Wie verändert die Realität unsere Wahrnehmung und vice versa? Und wie nutzen Künstler:innen die Mittel der Gegenwart, um diese Realität zu verarbeiten, weiterzudenken und auszudrücken? Unsere Realität, die Gegenwart, hat sich selbst auf einigen Holzwegen verirrt: Politischer Rechtsruck, Diskursverschiebung, exzessiver und ungefilterter Medienkonsum - um nur einige zu nennen. Exemplarisch, dass auch Heidegger selbst sich in den späten 1930er-Jahren sozusagen auf einem ideologischen Holzweg verirrt hat. All dies greift die Ausstellung „Holzwege“ mal humorvoll, mal kritisch, mal poetisch/abstrakt auf. So entsteht kein eindeutiger Weg, sondern ein Feld von möglichen Orientierungen, ein gemeinsamer Wald. Mit Andreas Greiner (@andreas.greiner.berlin ), Anna Kuen (@ann_kuen ), Hannah Sophie Dunkelberg (@hannahsophiedunkelberg ), Jeewi Lee (@jeewilee ), Kevin Lüdicke (@kevin_luedicke ), Lucas Buschfeld (@studiolucasbuschfeld ), Marta Vovk (@martavovk_studio ), Mimi Kohler (@mimiklr ), Natalie Brehmer (@nataliebrehmer ), Patrick Alan Banfield (@patrickalanbanfield ) & Tim Berresheim (@timberresheim ) Kuratiert von Marcus Boxler (@boxlerer ) Produziert von MUTTER (@mutteragentur ) mit freundlicher Unterstützung von Luisa Cerano (@luisacerano ). Fotos: Johannes Ocker

What an honor to be among such great artists! We hope to see you at the opening of our cool group exhibition on Friday evening (01.05.2026) at 18:00. Happy Invitation! The address: Potsdamer Str. 97, 10785 Berlin. A day before the opening on Thursday, 29.04.2026 we’re hosting a diverse and colorful evening at @studio1111berlin with talks, music and art. Some might call it even a party! 📸🤸🏽🌈🌜 Thank you to Marcus Boxler (@boxlerer ) for curating the show, and to Mutter Agentur (@mutteragentur ) for organizing everything. Mimi Kohler (@mimiklr ) and Patrick Alan Banfield (@patrickalanbanfield ) will present their “Buttplug” series, which you can find in various locations throughout the gallery. Patrick Alan Banfield will also present a new site-specific video installation called “Dirty Talk.” The exhibition will also be open on Saturday and Sunday during Gallery Weekend. #galleryweekendberlin #finearts #potsdamerstrasse #contemporaryart #berlin The artists: Andreas Greiner (@andreas.greiner.berlin ), Anna Kuen (@ann_kuen ), Hannah Sophie Dunkelberg (@hannahsophiedunkelberg ), Jeewi Lee (@jeewilee ), Kevin Lüdicke (@kevin_luedicke ), Lucas Buschfeld (@studiolucasbuschfeld ), Marta Vovk (@martavovk_studio ), Natalie Brehmer (@nataliebrehmer ), Tim Berresheim (@timberresheim )

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2025 in twelve frames. The thirties hit - stats say you figure out who you are.. I say you still just try. Through longing, heartbreak, loneliness and buying strollers for my friends, there’s joy in creating, in being alive in this wild unpredictable life. Ending the year in a loft in Athens, staring at the Acropolis, surrounded by people I love. Life’s good 🧚🏻‍♀️💕 Grateful for last year’s exhibitions & projects. Ready for what 2026 brings ✨

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Ichschaf, Installation, 2024. sheep‘s wool, steel 230cm x 150cm x 260cm Installation view on the Rundgang 2024 at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design. I am still overwhelmed and full of joy at having won the Academy Prize for Sculpture! Complex projects are always difficult to manage alone.. Thanks to @iksenii , Mum, Kristina, @lenamnz_ , @jim.kunze , @simonha91 , @monjaroettele , @ioannavalavanis , @ooanseo and @tilmanneberwein ! 📷 Johannes Ocker #installationart #installation #art #sheep #wool #sheepwool #natureart #natureartist #zeitgenössischekunst #kunst #metal #metalart #metalartist #metalartwork #artstudent #artistsoninstagram #collector #klassejankowski #youngartist #artist #mimikohler #contemporary #rottweil #stuttgart #stuttgartart #gallery #contemporaryartwork #artcollector #abkstuttgart @abkstuttgart @klasse_jankowski

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ After a summer in the studio, I’m off to Athens for the next six months. Hit me up if you’re around! Photos @iksenii – definitely check out her work!

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Clique, 2025. Rauminstallation⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Schafrohwolle, Wärmegeräte, Holz, Stoff, Farbe Die Installation „Clique“ besteht aus fünf Objekten – Die Behütende, Die Geduckte, Die Verlässliche, Die Markante und Die Taumelnde. Mit ihrer Arbeit stellt Mimi Kohler (@mimiklr ) poetische Fragen nach der Gegensätzlichkeit von Natur und Technik, organischer und technologischer Wärme, dem Umgang mit Leben und Natur sowie der Dynamik von menschlichen Sozialgefügen. Des Weiteren besteht eine gedankliche Verbindung zum künstlerischen Konzept der Verfremdung, wie es z.B. Meret Oppenheimer in ihrem Werk „Frühstück im Pelz“, einem Schlüsselwerk des Surrealismus, demonstrierte. Es klingt zudem ein Echo von Picassos Badenden an – Körper und Gemeinschaft erscheinen hier in einer neuen Ordnung. Text: Jan-Hendrik Pelz ECHOPRAXIA Museum Schloss Untergröningen (@kiss.untergroeningen ) 23. August – 23. November 2025 Teilnehmende Künstlernnen Min Bark, Georg Baselitz, Willi Baumeister, Nina Joanna Bergold, Roland Boden, Mike Bouchet, Ulla von Brandenburg, Holger Bunk, Leandro Cultraro, Márton Dés, Otto Dix, Andrea Eitel, Marco Faisst, Kai Fischer, Wolfgang Ganter, Letzte Generation, Maria Gideon, Francisco de Goya, Johannes Grützke, Anette C. Halm, Pablo Helguera, Gabriel Hensche, Birgit Herzberg-Jochum, Adolf Hölzel, Jenny Holzer, Sarah Huber, Fabian Hübner, Karl Hans Janke, Christian Jankowski, Alexey von Jawlensky, Cinyi Joh, Friederike Just, Wassily Kandinsky, Cassy Dee Katzenwut, Ida Kerkovius, Byung Chul Kim, Mimi Kohler, Carlo Krone, Markus Lüpertz, Anja Luithle, Jörg Mandernach, Johanna Mangold, Teresa Margolles, Marcus Neufanger, Wolfgang Neumann, Florence Obrecht, Blerta Osmani, Jan-Hendrik / Paula Pelz, Pablo Picasso, Daniel Richter, Pipilotti Rist, Marco Schmitt, Margrit Schulz, Cindy Sherman, Tejzt, Fabian Treiber, Nigatu Tsehay, Tzusoo, Tesfaye Urgessa, Valo Valentino, Wolf Vostell Kuratiert von Jan-Hendrik Pelz (@janhendrikpelz ) Fotos: Johannes Ocker @klasse_jankowski @abkstuttgart

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Luck Based Skill Game, 2025 aluminium, rope 32cm x 15cm x 8cm An aluminum kendama stands motionless in the room. The movable ball makes the game possible – yet material and scale complicate the action and transform the object into a reflective sculpture. Originally used in the 17th century by women as a concealed weapon, it carries a feminist history of covert self-empowerment. Photos: Johannes Ocker #installationart #installation #art #zeitgenössischekunst #kunst #artstudent #artistsoninstagram #collector #sculpture #klassejankowski #youngartist #artist #mimikohler #contemporary #rottweil #stuttgart #stuttgartart #gallery #contemporaryartwork #artcollector #abkstuttgart @abkstuttgart @klasse_jankowski

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Connecting to Reality, 2025. Installation (variable) During the most important art fair, when collectors from all over the world swarm through the city of Basel and the heavyweights of the gallery world are achieving record sales in the exhibition halls, the Broken Gallery, together with their Basel-based friends, presents works that were created at art academies—still far removed from the market: at a mobile exhibition booth, outdoors, and at changing locations. The booth looks exactly like a standard fair stand at Art Basel: a small white cube. “Attacke der Retroavantgarde” is a statement, a pseudo-radical proclamation, and a sales pitch all at once. The booth itself is a sculptural gesture that brings art into the fresh air and exposes it to daylight. It can be read as both a symbol of exclusion and inclusion. This intervention is a gesture that explores the tension between avant-garde and commerce. In a subtle yet pointed way, it calls on viewers to reflect on the art market - and the role that artists do and could play within it. As part of the performative exhibition “Attacke der Retroavantgarde” I presented a monumental silver chain made of metallized balloons. Titled “Connecting to Reality,” the work refers to its concrete anchoring in urban space. The booth, modeled after those at Art Basel, is chained to reality - like a bicycle - taken out of the air-conditioned fair halls and placed back into the real world. A big thank you goes to @christianjankowski_official , @tilmanneberwein , @the_chus_martinez , @filipaaaaaaaaaaa , @hgkbasel_institutkunst for their support in this project. To @susi.hinz – our savior and gifted artist. Thank you for your open heart. And last but not least, to my class!! @klasse_jankowski @thebrokengallery_official @abkstuttgart 💕 The work was shown in front of the Kunstmuseum Basel on June 20, 2025. @kunstmuseumbasel Videos: @christianjankowski_official #artbasel #installation #performance #mimikohler #contemporyart #artist #artwork #metal #metalartwork #chain

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Plastic Dreams, Collage, 2025. Schneckenkorn, Collage, 2025. Lange weilen, Collage, 2025. Dein Schweigen ist ein Zelt, Collage, 2025. Silent Catch, Collage, 2025. My Other Half, Collage, 2025. #collage #collage_art #collages #art #zeitgenössischekunst #artistsoninstagram #collector #diary #collectgraphics #youngartist #artist #mimikohler #contemporary #rottweil #stuttgart #stuttgartart #gallery #contemporaryartwork #instaartwork #artcollector #abkstuttgart #klassejankowski @klasse_jankowski @abkstuttgart