Sound and Captivating Noise Merging on Canvas: “stairway to somewhere: a soundtrack” by Thaddeus Strode at neugerriemschneider

An electric guitar standing alone in a corner of the gallery… No one is playing it, but the amplifier is on; a low-frequency, vibrating electrical hum fills the deep silence of the hall. And when someone touches its strings, the emerging notes distort, reverberate, and fold back onto themselves, bouncing off the walls. Los Angeles-based American artist Thaddeus Strode’s 13th solo exhibition at the neugerriemschneider gallery in Berlin rises right in the middle of this auditory and visual resonance. Titled “stairway to somewhere: a soundtrack” and open for visits on Linienstraße until August 15, 2026, the exhibition melts canvas and sound together in a hierarchy-free melting pot.

The Concept of a “Painted Mixtape”

Using merely the definition of “painter” for Thaddeus Strode falls short. His production practice feeds off a massive pool of references stretching from mass media to philosophy, comic book aesthetics to surf culture, cinema to the dusty pages of art history. The gallery’s description of this selection as a “painted mixtape” is a highly fitting analogy.

Just like the cassette culture of the 80s and 90s, figurative elements coming from different origins, handwritten texts, and themes of life, death, and transcendence come together side-by-side on the surface of Strode’s canvases without imposing any aesthetic hierarchy.

Spatial Construction and the Invasion of Sound

One of the most striking aspects of the exhibition is the established spatial arrangement and sound design. Massive canvases designed on a human scale and placed at the viewer’s eye level encircle the surrounding walls of the gallery, leaving a large void right in the middle of the hall. It is precisely “sound” that completely fills that void. That electrical hum emanating from the guitar and amplifier in the corner assumes a physical dimension as the viewer navigates among the canvases.

The rhythm of the surrounding paintings and the timbre of the central sound blend together, completely eliminating the rigid boundaries between the visual and the auditory. Having worked with neugerriemschneider for over twenty years, Strode transforms the space’s architecture and acoustic possibilities into a flawless “soundtrack” design in this exhibition.

Frequently Asked Questions About Thaddeus Strode’s “stairway to somewhere” Exhibition

Where and on what dates can the exhibition be visited?

• The exhibition is open for visits between July 4 – August 15, 2026, at neugerriemschneider in Berlin Mitte (Linienstraße 155, 10115 Berlin).

Which days and hours is the gallery open?

• neugerriemschneider can be visited free of charge Tuesday–Saturday between 11:00–18:00.

Who is Thaddeus Strode and what is his artistic style based on?

• A Los Angeles-based American painter and installation artist, Strode develops a multi-layered visual language bringing together pop culture icons, surf aesthetics, philosophical texts, and caricatured figures on the canvas surface without hierarchy.

NO-26 Editor’s Art Route Note

Framing a visual exhibition with the claim of a “soundtrack” is a fine line; the sound either overshadows the canvas or the title rings hollow. However, working with neugerriemschneider for over 20 years, Thaddeus Strode knows the spirit of the space so well that this risk turns into a calculated aesthetic triumph. Those who have time until August 15 must stop by this gallery on Linienstraße in Mitte and definitely listen to the rhythm of the canvases and that electrical hum emanating from the amplifier!