The Mist of Wood, The Transparency of Glass: Robert Elfgen and the “utopisch” Exhibition

As the excitement of Berlin Gallery Weekend begins to envelop the city, we turn our focus to another heavyweight at Sprüth Magers: Robert Elfgen. Right beside Thomas Demand’s rational and “constructed” world, Elfgen invites us into a far more poetic, mythical, and deeply intertwined utopia with nature.

The exhibition “utopisch”, opening on 2 May, brings together the artist’s latest works that demonstrate how he transforms the relationship between humans and nature into myth, drawing from everyday observations.

The Poetry of Matter: Sandblasted Glass and Wood

In Robert Elfgen’s practice, “contrast” is a fundamental building block. His installations filling the exhibition space almost trap the viewer inside a living painting. Two main techniques stand out in this exhibition, showing how Elfgen incorporates nature into art without “taming” it:

Sandblasted Glass Panels: Elfgen sandblasts glass placed within wooden frames he makes by hand, combining organic motifs with geometric, industrial structures. These sculptural glass pieces divide the exhibition space while simultaneously uniting it through their transparency.

Pigment and Sanding Technique: The artist’s paintings on wooden supports are the result of genuine patience. He applies layer upon layer of pigment onto the wood and then sands back these layers. The wood grain that emerges in the process turns into atmospheric elements within the painting — mist, haze, or a cloudy sky.

From Everyday Observation to Mythic Resonance

In Elfgen’s world, an ordinary object or a fragment of nature gains a “romantic” depth through the play of light and colour. The concept of “utopisch” that gives the exhibition its name is constructed not as an impossible dream, but as an artistic expression of the perfect and mythical order that already exists within nature itself.

“Elfgen uses material not merely as a tool, but as a force that shapes the image. The wood grain emerging from beneath the pigments incorporates nature’s own memory into the painting through the artist’s intervention.”

Experiencing these two significant exhibitions at Sprüth Magers during Berlin Gallery Weekend (Demand and Elfgen) simultaneously offers a unique opportunity to see two different poles of contemporary art — rationality and romanticism.

Dates: 2 May 2026 – 1 August 2026

Venue: Sprüth Magers, Berlin

Highlights: Sandblasted glass panels, pigment paintings on wood, and installations spreading throughout the space.

Robert Elfgen’s interventionist yet respectful approach to material proves that he sees nature not merely as a subject, but as a collaborator.