When is the exhibition open

Friday 15 to 18 and Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays 11 to 18 during the exhibition period from 14.03. to 26.04.2026.

Is there an entrance fee

Entry is free; donations are welcome. This applies to the Kesselhaus art space during the exhibition.

Are there tours or special dates

Yes, there is a public tour on 19.04.2026 at 16:00 and a closing event with sound performance on 26.04.2026 at 17:00.

Where is the exhibition taking place

Kesselhaus art space, Untere Sandstraße 42, 96049 Bamberg. Entrance Am Leinritt; the space is located near the Regnitz river.

Is the space wheelchair accessible

Information to follow; please contact the Kunstverein Bamberg directly, as accessibility may vary depending on setup and dismantling.

Is photography allowed in the exhibition

Photography rules will be communicated on-site. Please pay attention to signage and ask the supervising staff.

Reimagining Sculpture: Dierk Berthel shapes space, light, and emptiness in the Kesselhaus

Name: Exhibition: Dierk Berthel – unfinished spaces, volume II
Start: 2026-03-14T12:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-04-26T20:00:00+02:00
Location: Kunstraum Kesselhaus

Sculpture as Space: Dierk Berthel explores the gap in the Kesselhaus art space

The Bamberg Art Association presents the solo exhibition 'unfinished spaces, volume II' of the sculptor Dierk Berthel in the Kesselhaus art space. The exhibition unfolds an intense art experience where sculpture is understood as an open, space-changing process, and the atmosphere of the exhibition densifies with each step.

Material, Form, Space: Work Observation in Dialogue

Building on Berthel's long-standing practice in art in public space and art in architecture, the exhibition examines the relationship between sculpture and its surroundings. In precise curation, situational tableaux are created where wood, stone, and metal, charred surfaces, and heated steel generate a sensual aesthetic experience. The works act less as autonomous objects and more as catalysts that shape the place and sharpen the view of volume, emptiness, and axes of movement.

Architecture as Collaborator: The Genius Loci of the Kesselhaus

The former heating center, now Kesselhaus art space, becomes a co-actor. Visible supporting structures, light shafts, and rough textures create resonance surfaces on which Berthel's sculptures act as spatial interventions. The spatial effect arises from contrasts: heavy materials meet perforated silhouettes, clear contours meet shadow seams. Thus, a concentrated observation of the work grows, connecting minimalism with corporeality.

Continuation of an Artistic Exploration

'unfinished spaces, volume II' links to Berthel's namesake project from 2020 at the Kloster Wechterswinkel. The series continues to think about the open process: sculpture remains changeable, temporary, in relation to sound, movement, and the audience. Thus, the exhibition opens a discourse space about sculptural processes in the present, between installation, placement, and site-specific intervention.

Education and Program

Accompanying selected dates invite in-depth engagement – from public tours to the closing event with sound performance. The curatorial dramaturgy relies on clear sight axes, tactile materials, and generous intervals, slowing down vision and allowing for precise reading of proportion, rhythm, and statics.

Conclusion: Those who want to experience sculpture not just as an observation but as a spatial event will find a concentrated, poetic experimental field here. 'unfinished spaces, volume II' provides a rare opportunity to experience contemporary sculpture in direct exchange with a place of strong character. Go, bring time, discover the gap as a possibility.