IVANA VLADISLAVA                   Ivana Vladislava is a multifaceted artist whose practice merges digital aesthetics with traditional mediums such as prints on textiles and site specific installations. Her latest exhibition titled Digital Hybris marks the beginning of a two-part exhibition series, which also includes Digital Nemesis. Both projects reflect the media cycle of the It Girl, from its rise (hybris) to its fall (nemesis), and he societal dismantling of icons. Vladislava questions societal projections onto female and trans bodies by staging herself as an artificial, almost alien-like object. Her images depict her in glamorous yet precarious situations – between Eastern Bloc chic, jars of pickles, and weapons. Her style merges precariousaesthetics with capitalism, luxury, and social instability. Her works play with amateurism and a low-tech aesthetic. In the gallery, she transforms the white cube into an overwhelming display, showcasing her digital self-portraits on exquisite materials. Her artworks are arranged in a Soviet-inspired style, roughly pinned and scattered across the wall, referencing a display of visual culture still common in post-communist households where kitschy tapestries, pop music posters, and cushion covers are hung chaotically on the walls. Vladislava’s world is commercialized, her body a fetishized object that embodies both resistance and beauty.

STEPHAN GRUNENBERG Stephan Grunenberg’s paintings strip reality down to its essentials: shoes, legs, stockings – paired with overlooked objects like bouquets of flowers or the soles of shoes. His compositions, meticulously sketched in advance, balance precision with intuition, transforming everyday elements into a choreographed visual rhythm. A former Städel student who studied under Thomas Bayerle, Grunenberg draws from post-war modernism and postmodernism, blending personal reflections with art historical influences. His works function as pictograms – bold, abstracted forms freed from their original meaning, instead serving as building blocks of a purely visual language. This tension between painterly gesture and analytical precision runs throughout his practice. As co-editor of Rogue magazine, he thrives on the interplay between image and language, often with a wry sense of irony. Echoes of Matisse, Picasso, Bauhaus, and pop art resonate in his work, yet Grunenberg resists easy categorization. By omitting the “civilized” head and focusing on the disregarded lower body, he challenges artistic and social hierarchies. In his world, nothing is too banal, nothing is taboo – everything has its place.

CATO                                   Cato is a contemporary painter known for his large-scale compositions that celebrate Black culture through a rich tapestry of jazz, street life, and intimate interiors. His works evoke the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance, channeling its artistic and musical vibrancy while reinterpreting it for today. Born into a family of artists, writers, and cultural historians, Cato’s deep connection to aesthetics translates into his painting process. His affinity for music also channels into his work, as rhythm and movement guide his brushstrokes. He employs a collage-like approach, layering figures with a photographic cut-up aesthetic, combining patterns and architectural elements to create dynamic, almost theatrical scenes. His color palette – often warm and muted, juxtaposed with elements of pop – enhances the nostalgic quality of his work, recalling postwar urban life. What sets Cato apart is his ability to merge historical reference with contemporary expression. His paintings are not just visual compositions. They are living archives of Black cultural memory, reimagined through a modern lens. By blending abstraction with figuration, Color Field painting with photographic collage, and brushstroke with airbrush, he creates a space where past and present coexist, offering a poetic homage to resilience, joy, and artistic legacy – one that is truly one of a kind.