A Ironic Touch on Abstract Expressionism: Michaela Eichwald and the “MÄR” Exhibition

Leaving behind Asia’s dynamic atmosphere, we turn our direction once again toward Europe, to the heart of contemporary art: London. Standing before us is a name that takes the untouchable and serious rules of traditional painting and demolishes them with a bit of humour, a bit of doubt, and plenty of unconventional materials: German artist Michaela Eichwald.

The exhibition titled “MÄR”, which spreads across both Maureen Paley’s main space at 60 Three Colts Lane and Studio M, is the artist’s third solo presentation with the gallery and will run until 23 May 2026.

A Philosophy Beyond Academic Rules

Eichwald’s artistic journey does not follow a conventional fine arts education. The artist, who studied philosophy, history, and art history in Cologne, has shaped her practice through close dialogues with groundbreaking figures of her time such as Michael Krebber, Cosima von Bonin, Jutta Koether, and Diedrich Diederichsen. As a natural consequence of this intellectual background, language always sits at the centre of her art. At times, you can even see words and written materials directly incised into the surface of her paintings.

Chewed, Stained and Imperfect Beauty

Imagine a painting that has been stepped on, stained, crumpled, or deliberately mistreated before it ever reaches the wall and attains the status of a “sacred” artwork. In Eichwald’s world, materials are completely rule-free.

Instead of traditional linen or cotton canvases, she prefers printed polyurethane fabrics and coloured pleather (artificial leather). She intervenes on the surface not only with classical paints but also with varnish, shellac ink, spray paint, soil, graphite, metallic pencils, and even everyday stickers.

Her practice plays critically with the overly serious, masculine, and untouchable visual language of Abstract Expressionism and Art Informel. She views that great art history not as a fixed tradition to be revered, but as a resource to be probed, expanded, and sometimes “deflated.” In her paintings, solemnity gives way to a very human insecurity and a subtle humour.

The Roots of a Fairy Tale: “MÄR”

The exhibition title MÄR is an old German word. It means a story, legend, or tale, and forms the earliest root of the word märchen, which today is commonly used in German to mean “fairy tale.”

Under this fairy-tale title, Eichwald is actually telling her own destructive, messy, and imperfect tale. This new exhibition by the artist, whose works have previously entered prestigious collections such as MoMA (New York), Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), and Lenbachhaus (Munich), is a powerful testament to how far the boundaries of painting can be stretched.

If you want to discover that strange aesthetic found in imperfection, soil, artificial leather, and the unconventional, be sure to add this exhibition to your London plans:

Dates: 28 March 2026 – 23 May 2026

Venue: Maureen Paley (60 Three Colts Lane) and Studio M

City: London, United Kingdom