“This time tomorrow, where will we be?” The Kinks posed this question in 1970 capturing the tension of a future that feels imminent yet remains indistinct. Fifty-six years later, an exhibition opens with the same question in the Vault of St. Agnes. Jordy Kerwick’s *THIS TIME TOMORROW* opened last night at König Galerie; the Australian painter has brought Berlin’s summer sun, its parks, wildflowers, and water into his canvases.
The Enormous Force of Everyday Detail
Kerwick has a particular capacity: the ability to make almost anything a starting point. In this exhibition those starting points are: vivid greens from nearby parks, floral bursts of magenta and mauve, the steady sound of water from a fountain that only runs in the warmer months, the accumulating impressions of a lived moment. These seem minor but in Kerwick’s hands they don’t stay still.
“The ordinary is not left behind, but recast: the everyday becomes theatrical, unsettled, and strangely prophetic.” That sentence functions as a summary of the exhibition itself. Animals, plants, masks, and hybrid figures arrive simultaneously from domestic scenes and from the world of allegory. Colour saturation is high; stripes, dots, waves, and repeated marks animate the surfaces. But this is not exaggeration it’s concentration.
Self-Taught, Late Start, Unceasing Output
Kerwick’s practice doesn’t fit standard biographies: born in Melbourne in 1982, based in France, he began painting in 2016 — with no formal art education. But the output he has generated in ten years, and the international recognition it has drawn, makes this late and unconventional beginning one of the more interesting examples in contemporary art history.
His materials: oil and acrylic paint, spray paint, oil stick, collage. This mix explains his style: not rigid but open, not finished but ongoing. The paintings make discreet references to many layers of art history from fable to surrealism, from folk narrative to mythology using none of them as a guide but all of them as material.
The “Summer in Berlin” Series: A Response to the City
Among the works featured in the exhibition, one group particularly draws attention: multiple paintings under the title “Summer in Berlin.” “Summer in Berlin / leave the sun behind me”, “Summer in Berlin / the dark”, and “Summer in Berlin / the light.” This trio multiplies the same location—a Berlin summer—by looking at it through different attitudes. Leaving the sun behind, staying in the dark, or finding the light; this is not merely a weather condition, but an existential choice transformed into a canvas.
The artist opens this exhibition on the 75th anniversary of Berliner Festspiele, featuring new works titled “Impossible Dialogue,” “Sage Advice for Young Fathers,” “Morning / darkest before dawn,” “At peace with the unknown,” and “This Time Tomorrow.” Each title functions like a small poem in its own right.
The Vault and the Significance of Proximity
König Galerie’s St. Agnes space has established an unusual position in Berlin’s art scene by transforming a former church into a gallery. The Vault is in the same building as the Chapel where Khosravi’s exhibition is installed, but in a different atmosphere. Above: Khosravi’s heavy political weight. Below: Kerwick’s colour-saturated optimism. The proximity is not accidental; two artists carrying very different concerns, both of them engaged with uncertainty.
FAQ: Jordy Kerwick: This Time Tomorrow
- Where and until when can I see the exhibition?
*THIS TIME TOMORROW* runs from 17 July to 2 September 2026 at König Galerie | Vault, Alexandrinenstraße 118–121, 10969 Berlin (St. Agnes). Entry is free; confirm opening hours at koeniggalerie.com.
- Who is Jordy Kerwick?
Born in Melbourne in 1982, based in France, self-taught painter. Began painting in 2016. Works in oil and acrylic paint, spray paint, and collage. Known for densely saturated palettes in which fantastical folklore, domestic objects, and mythological figures coexist.
- Does the exhibition title come from The Kinks?
Yes. The refrain of The Kinks’ 1970 song “This Time Tomorrow” — “This time tomorrow, where will we be?” — functions as both the exhibition’s starting point and its central question.
NO-26 Note
Arghavan Khosravi’s *The Shape of Absence* is also open in the same building (Chapel space). Seeing both in a single visit to St. Agnes is both possible and recommended. Take time in front of Kerwick’s paintings they weren’t made to be consumed quickly.
