Kubus. Sparda Art Prize

The art prize “Kubus,” which was established by the Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg and the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, will be awarded in 2024 for the sixth time. The prize, endowed with 20,000 euros, honors extraordinary artistic achievements by artists with a connection to the State of Baden-Württemberg.

This year’s edition is focusing on drawing. Representatives from art institutions in Baden-Württemberg suggested a pool of artists for the prize (longlist), out of which a jury then nominated Thomas Müller, Gabriela Oberkofler, and Jürgen Palmtag (shortlist). All three artists approach a broader definition of drawing from different perspectives. Drawing liberated itself long ago from the status of preliminary studies for paintings and became an independent genre of art. Now it even fills entire rooms and relies on multifaceted means of expression and the most diverse techniques: from pencil, to paintbrush, to spray cans. The three artists will develop accessible installations, each on its own exhibition floor, for their joint presentation at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart. The range of their themes comprises formal and aesthetic reflections, social criticism, and ecological issues. The winner will be decided by another jury during the exhibition. At the end of the show, an public choice award sponsored by the Sparda-Bank Baden-Württemberg will also be handed out.

After studying at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design, Thomas Müller (b. 1959 in Frankfurt a.M.) continued to work in Stuttgart. In the 1990s, he shifted his focus from painting to drawing. Alongside series of A4 size drawings, he also creates very large single works on paper. In his drawings, fine lines are condensed into organic forms that dynamically assert themselves in the pictorial space. His lines appear in different shapes and consist of different materials, like pencil, chalk, ink, oil paint, and pen. Müller’s practice is comprised of a growing cycle of works and is a continuous engagement with, and extension of, his language of forms. At the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, he is presenting a selection of his works arranged in a rhythmic structure that oscillates between picture and empty space.

When she finished her art therapy degree in Nürtingen, Gabriela Oberkofler (b. 1975 in Bolzano, IT) studied with several professors at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design. In her work, Oberkofler addresses the network of relations between human beings and nature. Her delicate drawings depict elements of flora and fauna with color pens and watercolors and are made up of countless color particles. She likes to combine her artistic practice with a scientific approach, and in 2022, she founded the Institute of Alternative Agriculture on her farm in South Tyrol, which currently houses an archive of seeds from over 470 types of plants. At the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Oberkofler is presenting her drawings together with found natural objects, creating a multifaceted and accessible installation that highlights the beauty and the vulnerability of ecosystems.

Jürgen Palmtag (b. 1951 in Schwenningen a.N.) studied painting, printing, and drawing at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin, after which he has primarily been working in Baden-Württemberg. The starting point for his artistic practice is the A4 paper size, which he expands into larger sizes and into the surrounding space: on the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor. He combines the humorous, often grotesque subjects of his drawings with letters and short texts that lend them the appearance of comics. For his exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Palmtag is expanding the genre of drawing by relating it to graffiti and film. Music also plays a role in his work, and he makes experimental music under the pseudonym Testpillott.

“Sprech-Musik”: June 4, 7pm
Experimental concert performance with Gabriela Oberkofler and Jürgen Palmtag

Exhibition tour in dialog I: June 28, 6pm
With Jürgen Palmtag and Eva-Marina Froitzheim, curator Kunstmuseum Stuttgart

Exhibition tour in dialog II: July 12, 6pm
With Thomas Müller and Ortrud Kegel, improviser and music educator

Closing: August 24, 1–5pm
Workshops, exhibition tours, and “Knödelfest”—with Thomas Müller, Gabriela Oberkofler, and Jürgen Palmtag