upcoming: Sophie Esslinger »Jalousie« at Wohnung Lauxtermann (Düsseldorf)

Sophie Esslinger: »Jalousie«

28.03.-19.04.2026

With »Jalousie«, Galerie 3AP presents a solo show by Sophie Esslinger at Wohnung Lauxtermann curated by Svenja Katharina Frisch. The Austrian painter’s pictorial spaces are defined by contrasts that do not present themselves as fixed dichotomies, but remain in a state of continual shift: inside and outside, above and below, body and cosmos. Inspired by the Romantic idea of the inner landscape, her works are less depictions of the external world than condensations of a subjective realm of experience, where perception and projection are inseparably intertwined. In this context, the image becomes a space in which inner and outer realities do not stand opposed, but mutually permeate one another. Drawing remains present in Esslinger’s painting as an immediate form of articulation. Lines, marks, and recurring motifs traverse the canvas, structuring her work as open pictorial spaces between abstraction and figuration. Perception, memory, and imagination overlap without resolving into a single, definitive reading. Instead, the works develop their own associative logic, in which forms emerge, shift, and recede. Recurring elements such as droplet shapes or fragmented, curtain- and blind-like structures: function not as fixed symbols, but as fluid signs. They evoke a mode of seeing that simultaneously frames, conceals, and reveals. The “blind” is less a motif than an operational structure: an ordering of partial visibility that organizes perception while also limiting it. Here, painting appears as a process in which thought is not represented, but comes into being at the very moment of its articulation.

The exhibition opens on 27 March 2026, from 6-8 PM, with the artist in attendance.

WOHNUNG LAUXTERMANN

Fürstenwall 74, Düsseldorf 

The exhibition takes place at Wohnung Lauxtermann, a 2023-founded exhibition and residency project curated by Aileen Treusch, located in the historic Fürstenwall 74, Düsseldorf. Once a meeting place for a local resistance group during World War II, the space now combines artistic production, residency, and presentation within a shared spatial context. The former apartment serves as both a workspace and exhibition venue, enabling direct engagement between artwork, space, and creative process. Since its founding, Wohnung Lauxtermann has established itself as an intentionally open and evolving exhibition format. Between 2023 and 2025, more than thirty artists have participated in exhibitions, residencies, and collaborative projects. Over this period, the venue developed into a flexible curatorial framework emphasizing artistic practice, exchange, and temporary community. The upcoming program continues this approach while introducing a new focus: a series of solo presentations highlighting individual artistic positions. The first exhibition in this series features a solo show by Sophie Esslinger, curated by Svenja Katharina Frisch.

Further information on Wohnung Lauxtermann’s past program can be found here.