Chris Succo

Shadows Are Phantoms is the title of Chris Succo’s exhibition. Fitting for an œuvre that unites both, the shadows of the past and those cast by the glaring light of the present. For as fresh and contemporary as the large-format, effectual paintings may be, they are deeply rooted in the postmodern tradition of abstract painting. Due to their seriality they appear like experimental arrangements that gradually work their way through the past in order to question painting’s possibilities in the face of an overstimulated present.
Influences from artistic personalities such as Willem De Kooning, Mark Rothko and Paul McCarthy intermingle with influences from American film or advertising aesthetics and the 90s subculture, as Chris Succo’s artistic practice is not limited to his paintings. Photographs, sculptures and installative interventions inscribe the present into his work, always driven by the question what it means as an artist to be embedded in a fast-paced, collecting society.
In Shadows Are Phantoms, Chris Succo opens up his painterly universe by showing various groups of works and allows us to participate in his restless search for meaning in the world and in painting.

Chris Succo was born in Düsseldorf in 1979, where he also lives and works. He studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Professor Georg Herold from 2003 to 2009 and at the Royal College of Art in London from 2010 to 2012. His works have been shown in solo and group exhibitions among others at the Ludwig Museum, Koblenz, Kunstverein Heppenheim, Salon Kennedy, Frankfurt, Villa Schöningen, Potsdam, at the Almine Rech Gallery, Paris, London, Brussels, Shanghai, as well as at The Journal Gallery, New York, Los Angeles. Works by the artist are represented in the following private and public collections, among others: Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Kunstsammlung NRW, Chanel, Collection, Museum of Modern Art, Chicago, Peter Marino Art Foundation, Collection of the National-Bank.

Curator: Hannah Eckstein
Curatorial assistant: Marisa Zeising

On Saturday, February 8, 2025, we’ll welcome Chris Succo for an artist talk with Hannah Eckstein. The talk will be followed by a live performance by Chris Succo and Ralv Milberg. The event will take place from 19:00 to 9:30 pm. Admission is free.