Torben Giehler was born 1973 in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
He lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
From 1995 to 1999, he was a student at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the New York Studio Program. After graduating, he moved to New York City, where he stayed until 2009. In 2000, Giehler had his first solo exhibition at the Leo Koenig Inc. gallery, which was followed by numerous exhibitions at galleries and museums around the world. In 2008, he was honoured with the Falkenrot Prize and an extensive solo exhibition at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin.
Giehler’s trademark painting style revolves around abstract compositions of geometric shapes. He photographs his hand-drawn sketches and edits them digitally before creating large canvasses, often using vibrant colours. Giehler deconstructs cities and landscapes into grids that distil the three-dimensional depth and perspective into straight lines and coloured facets. That way, he manages to capture the impressions of mountains, streets, or buildings with just a few elements. Using many layers of transparent acrylic paint creates visual planes and spaces in which the eye can move around almost as it would in a virtual reality.
Through my paintings I try to understand and process our increasingly complex but also exciting digital world. I am interested how we are moving between the real and virtual world. Painting helps me to stay in the real world.
- Torben Giehler
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EDUCATION
1997 Scholarship I New York Studio Program, New York, NY, USA
1998 Diploma I School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA
1999 Fifth Year Certificate I School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 HOTO Gallery, Berlin, Germany (catalogue)
2020 "Open Studio", Torben Giehler Studio, Berlin, Germany
2020 “Cloud Of Unknowing”, Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Berlin, Germany
2014 "Bodmin Pill", Kunstverein Reutlingen, Germany
2012 "Sonic Titan", Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke, Belgium (catalogue)
2011 "Lateralus", Leo Koenig Inc., New York, NY, USA
2009 "Devil In The Woods", Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve, Paris, France
2009 Galerie SixFriedrichLisaUnger, Munich, Germany
2008 Falkenroth Preis, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (catalogue)
2007 "Invisible Limits", Martin Geier Galerie, Algund, Italy
2007 "Eis Hexe", Leo Koenig Inc., New York City, NY, USA
2006 "Alphaville", Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve, Paris, France (catalogue)
2005 "Suspended Animation", Arndt & Partner, Zürich, Switzerland
2004 "Jpeg Twister", Leo Koenig Inc., New York City, NY, USA
2004 "Sputnik Sweetheart", Arndt & Partner, Berlin, Germany
2003 Paolo Curti & Co., Milan, Italy
2003 Centro de Arte de Salamanca, Spain (catalogue)
2003 The Happy Lion, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2003 Eleni Koroneou, Athens, Greece
2002 Leo Koenig Inc., New York City, NY, USA (catalogue)
2002 Arndt & Partner, Berlin, Germany
2002 Galerie Frank, Paris, France
2001 Art Dealers Invitational, Marseille, France
2000 Leo Koenig Inc., New York City, NY, USA (catalogue)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023
"Re-Inventing Piet Mondrian and the Consequences", Wilhelm- Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany
"Re-Inventing Piet Mondrian and the Consequences", Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany
"Zeitenwende", CSR Contemporary Show Room, Berlin, Germany
2022
"20 Years DA2 Collection", DA2 Domus Artium, Salamanca, Spain
2021
“Expedition”, curated by John Newsom, The Brattleboro Museum, Brattleboro, VT, USA
"Enviromental Reflections", Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA
"A Place I Remember But Still Haven't Been To", curated by Dorit Rubin Elkanati, Schaufenster, Berlin, Germany
2020
"the shining", curated by DAG, glue, Berlin, Germany
2019
"Think In Pictures", curated by Animators of Paint and friends, Almenchenko, New York City, NY, USA
“Intermittens Rivers”, curated by Maria Magdalena Campos Pons, XIII Bienal de La Habana, Matanzas, Cuba
"#AOTD-Art of the Day", CCA Andratx, Mallorca, Spain
2017
"Nepolapitelná struktura, The Ticklish Structure", Galerie umění Karlovy Vary, Carlsbad, Czech Republic
2016
"Transformation", Galerie KROME, Luxembourg
"Die Geschichte hat einen Fehler, zu viele Erzähler!", Kunstverein Gütersloh, Gütersloh, Germany
2015
"Synthetic Fields", Kunsthalle/PLU 41, Berlin, Germany
"Tomorrow Is Yesterday", Mikiko Sato Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
2014
"SUMMER color SHOW", Galerie koal, Berlin, Germany
"Between The Lines", Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke, Belgium
"Glückliche Krieger, Part III", Galerie Mathias Güntner, Hamburg, Germany
"Freundschaften", Galerie Møller Witt, Aarhus, Denmark
2013
"3+4 b/w" Taubert Contemporary, Berlin, Germany
2012
"abstract confusion", Kunsthalle Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany (catalogue)
"Berlin.Status(1)", Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (catalogue)
2011
"Forces of Nature: Selection from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation" curated by Milam Weisman, Louisiana Art and Science Museum, Baton Rouge, LO, USA
"Standing On The Never Never", Troels Aargard, Torben Giehler, Karsten Konrad, Galerie Møller Witt, Aarhus, Denmark
"Ceci n´est pas abstrait" curated by Nicola Stäglich, L´oiseau présente, Ballhaus Ost, Berlin, Germany
"I love ALDI", Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany (catalogue)
"abstract confusion", Kunstverein Ulm, Ulm, Germany (catalogue)
"A Sense Of Place: Landscapes from Monet to Hockney", Bellagio Gallery of Fine Arts, Las Vegas, NV, USA
"abstract confusion", B-05, Kunst- und Kulturzentrum Montabur, Germany (catalogue)
2010
"Map Out", Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve, Paris, France
"Changing Soil:Contemporary Landscape Painting, Nagoya/Boston MFA, Nagoya, Japan
"Celebration", curated by Dimitrios Antonitsis, The Museum Alex Mylona, Macedonian MOCA, Athens, Greece
"Elements of Nature, Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation", Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, CA, USA
2009
"If You Fake the Plane, Your Nose Will Grow", Kuttner & Siebert, Berlin, Germany
"Elements of Nature, Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art", Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA
2008
Uncoordinated: Mapping Cartography in Contemporary Art, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks, Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, Copenhagen, Denmark (catalogue)
Future Tense: Reshaping the Landscape, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY, USA
"Mixed Emotions: Apuentes para una coleccion del siglo XXI", DA2-Domus Artium 2002, Salamanca, Spain
2007
"Eclectic Eye:Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation", Fine Art Center, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
"Grups", Hydra School Projects curated by Dimitris Antonitsis, Hydra, Greece
"Like color in pictures", Aspen Art Museum, CO, USA (catalogue)
"Melvins", curated by Bob Nickas,The Mandrake, Los Angeles, CA, USA
"Fang Wah", Howard Yezerski Gallery, Boston, MA, USA
2006
"Big City Lab", Artforum, Berlin, Germany
"Negotiating Reality: Recent Works from the Logan Collection”, Denver University, Denver, CO, USA (catalogue)
“abstract art now - strictly geometrica”, Wilhelm Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany (catalogue)
“Made in Germany”, gip international fine art, Burgdorf, Switzerland
2005
"Generation X: Young Art from the Collection", Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany
Prague Biennale 2, Prague, Czech Republic (catalogue)
“Greater New York”, PS1 MoMA, New York City, NY, USA (catalogue)
"Eclectic Eye: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation", Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA
"Self-Preservation Society", Leo Koenig Inc., New York City, NY, USA
"Leaving Cockaigne", Leo Koenig Inc., New York City, NY, USA
"We Can Do It!", Gary Tatinsian Gallery, Moscow (catalogue)
"From Natural to Techno Universes", Dorsky Galleries, Long Island City, New York City, NY, USA (catalogue)
2004
"Eclectic Eye: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation", New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LO, USA
"Surface Tension", curated by Manon Slome, Chelsea Art Museum, New York City, NY, USA
"Old School", with Les Rogers, Armory Art Center, West Palm Beach, FL, USA
"Treasure Islands", Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany
2003
"A New Modernism for a New Millenium: Abstraction and Surrealism are reinvented in the Internet Age", The Logan Collection, Vail, CO, USA (catalogue)
"Project 244: MetaScape", Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, USA
"The Melvins Show", curated by Bob Nickas, Anton Kern Gallery, New York City, NY, USA
"Painting Pictures",curated by Gijs van Tuyl, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany (catalogue)
"Contemporary Art from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation", Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA (catalogue)
Elrod/Giehler/Parker, Texas Gallery, Houston, TX, USA
The Dubrow International, Kravets Wehby Gallery + Roger Smith Gallery, New York City, NY, USA
"There Is Always Tomorrow", Galleria Marabini, Bologna, Italy
2002
"Dubrow Biennale 2002", Kagan Martos Galerie, New York City, NY, USA
"Building a Collection: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Art", Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA
"Swing Club", Galerie Michael Janssen, Köln, Germany
2001
"Superimposition", Caren Golden Fine Art, New York City, NY, USA
Bareikis/Giehler/Saylor, Eleni Koroneou Gallery, Athens
Goldman Teves Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
"Come on Feel the Noice", Asbaek Galerie, Copenhagen, Denmark
"Paper Trail, Pt.2", Brett Shaheen, Cleveland, OH, USA
"Jello", curated by Max Henry, Frederike Taylor Gallery, New York City, NY, USA
2000
"Collector’s Choice", Exit Art, New York City, NY, USA
1999
Traveling Scholarship Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA (catalogue)
Fifth Year Competition & Exhibition, School of the Museum of the Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA
Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany
Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Dakis Joannou Collection, Athens, Greece
Sammlung Falckenberg, Hamburg, Germany
Kunsthalle Zürich, Switzerland
Museum Of Contemporary Art, San Diego, USA
Sonesta Contemporary Art Collection, Boston, MA, USA
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC, USA
Vanhaerents Art Collection, Brussels, Belgium
Livestrong Art Foundation, Austin, TX, USA
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2008 Falkenroth Preis, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
1997 101st Recipient of the James William Paige Fund, School Of The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston,MA, USA
1996 New York Studio Program Scholarship, School Of The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA